Matthew Hayden has become the latest player to pull out of Australia's squad for the one-day series against Bangladesh.

Following Captain Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee, Matthew Hayden has become the third player to opt out of the One-day series against Bangladesh, leaving Australia crippled without its senior players.

Early last month skipper Ricky Ponting injured his wrist during practice. He had to be counted out of the series as he is still recuperating. He recently had his first net practice, and will be fit for the upcoming matches against India. Brett Lee too dropped out on account of few family reasons.

Despite his niggling Achilles’ problem, Hayden was listed on the team that travels to Darwin for the series. However he has chosen to pull out and give himself more time for a complete recovery in order to be fully fit for the forthcoming series against India in October. Hayden was injured while playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, following which he pulled out of the Test series against the West Indies without playing a single test.

Cricket Australia has decided not to call in a replacement player as the 13 man squad travels to Darwin – the series begins on Saturday.  Without three of its senior most players the team is an interesting mix of experienced players and fresh talent. Several young players, who have shown immense potential in the past, have found a place on the team in the absence of Ponting, Lee and Hayden. Players like Shaun Marsh, Brett Geeves, James Hopes and Mitchell Johnson have been included in the squad. For Geeves, who displayed an impressive performance at the IPL, the inclusion comes as a great opportunity.

Despite Bangladesh’s low ranking, stand in Captain Michael Clarke insists that they will not take the matches lightly. Keeping in memory their loss to Bangladesh in the NatWest Series in 2005, the Australian team is keyed in to play some real good cricket. The Australian cricket board (Cricket Australia) is confident that Australia will maintain a competitive edge over Bangladesh in the upcoming series. The three One Day Internationals will be played in Darwin on August 30th, September 3rd and September 6th.

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