Ranji cricketer Rameez Khan excluded from the squad for killing a black buck

Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Rameez Khan has been dropped from the Ranji squad by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) after he was arrested for allegedly killing a black buck in Sagar district in January. The black buck is an ungulate species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent that has been listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List since 2003.

The MPCA has selected its 16-member squad for Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match to be played against West Bengal in Mumbai and Rameez couldn’t find a spot due to the alleged black buck killing.

Rameez is not available because he is in jail and hence, not selected for the Ranji squad: Kanmadikar

MPCA Secretary Milind Kanmadikar said, "We have not selected Rameez for the Ranji squad as he is not available because he is jail in connection with the alleged killing of a black buck,"

Rameez, his father Mehmood Khan and their two other associates were arrested under Wild Life Protection Act on January 10 in Sagar district for allegedly killing the distinct animal. The remains of the animal, a rifle, few live cartridges and a knife were found from their possession as evidence.

The players father, Mehmood Khan is also a former first-class cricketer and is at present a member of the MPCA's under-23 selection committee.

MPCA has not yet taken any action against the father-son duo: Tiwari

Sagar's Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Dr. Shivprasad Tiwari revealed that all four of them are under judicial custody in the black buck killing case and their bail attempts were rejected by the court. The DFO said that he has also written a letter to MPCA in this regard but it has not yet taken any action against the father-son duo.

When asked on the issue, MPCA Secretary Kanmadikar said that the board is consulting its lawyers on the matter and will act as per the cricket body's rules.

Rameez made his first-class debut against Haryana in 2011 at Rohtak and since then, he has been a key member of the Madhya Pradesh team. The left-hand batsman has so far played 26 first class matches and scored 1,169 runs in his first-class career. The 26-year-old all-rounder also took eight wickets in the same amount of matches.

The talented left-hander has scored 418 runs in nine matches in the 2015-16 Ranji season so far. His exclusion from the squad will a big blow for the Madhya Pradesh side.