Test Bowlers and Head will not feature in BBL ahead of the Sri Lanka Tour, while Smith will play three games, and Khawaja and Labuschagne will play for only one game.
Australia has detained six Test team stars for the remainder of the BBL 2024-25. Scott Boland (Melbourne Stars) and Pat Cummins (Sydney Thunder) are among the six players who will not play in the BBL as they prepare for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which kicks off on January 29.
Josh Hazlewood (Sydney Sixers), Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers), Nathan Lyon (Melbourne Renegades) and Mitchell Starc (Sydney Sixers) have also been excluded from playing the Big Bash League. Travis Head has been prohibited from the upcoming BBL as he suffered an injury in the 4th Australia vs India Test. However, he recovered and appeared in the 5th Test at SCG.
Meanwhile, Steve Smith too has shown great form recently, striking hundreds in Brisbane and Melbourne against India. He will be absent from the match between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars at the MCG but will be seen in Sydney Sixers’ match against Perth Scorchers at the SCG on Saturday. Besides, fans can see him playing in the last two matches against Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder on January 15 and 17 respectively.
Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labushagne will play one match each. Brisbane Heat’s duo will be playing a home-ground match against Hobart Hurricanes at the Gabba on January 16. They will miss the last match on January 18 against Melbourne Renegades as the Aussie team is set to leave for the Sri Lanka Tour the next day.
Australia is yet to announce a 16-man squad for the Sri Lanka Tour. The team will initially move to UAE for a camp on January 19-20, leaving these players out for the BBL’s final stage to be played from January 21 to 27.
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