While Smith, Labuschagne and Khawaja will be limited in their appearances, Alex Carey, Sam Constance, Beau Webster, Mitchell Marsh and Jay Richardson have all been cleared to play in the remainder of the BBL.
Head, Scott Boland, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc will not play a part in the BBL season despite being signed.
Australia is likely to announce a 16-man touring squad for the two Tests in Sri Lanka in the coming days and the squad will leave for the UAE on January 19 or 20 for a pre-tour camp meaning none of the touring squad will be there. Available for the BBL Finals series which will run from January 21-27.
It remains to be seen whether all members of the Sydney Test squad against India are taken to Sri Lanka, along with Josh Inglis, Peter Handscomb, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnman. Glenn Maxwell is also a possibility to go to Sri Lanka but with Australia already in the World Test Championship, the need for his subcontinental experience is reduced and there is a chance selectors could look to the 2027 tour of India to see how they construct the team.
Smith will miss the Sydney Sixers’ clash with the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Thursday but will be available to play against the Perth Scorch at the SCG on Saturday, with Marsh and Richardson also appearing after being included in the Scorchers squad to face the Renegades. Tuesday night at home.
Smith can then play against the Adelaide Strikers on January 15 and the Sydney Thunder on January 17, where Constas will also play. Despite finishing the fifth Test a few days ago, Konstas is set to play for the Thunder against the Hobart Hurricanes in Sydney tomorrow night and in the Thunder’s last four games.
Khawaja and Labuchen will be available for the Brisbane Heat’s home clash with the Hurricanes on January 16 after 10 days off. They will not be available for the Heat’s final clash against the Renegades in Melbourne on January 18 as they are likely to travel overseas the next day.
Curiously, Carey has been made available for the Adelaide Strikers’ last three matches, including a match in Perth on January 18. Webster is currently expected to be available for the Stars on January 19. It is understood that these players may travel to the UAE to play in those BBL games if necessary.
Head is contracted to the Strikers but has spoken of his need for rest immediately after the Sydney Test and will not play any of those matches. Head also has an IPL contract and a near non-stop tour schedule from Sri Lanka to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, India for the IPL, England for the WTC final and the Caribbean for three Tests, and some white-ball matches to keep him on the road until July. will be
Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins are looking at a similar schedule to face each other although Cummins may miss both the Sri Lanka Tests due to the birth of his second child and Hazlewood may be ruled out with a calf injury.
Lyon has been rested from the BBL despite a very light workload during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But at 37, with a major calf injury in 2023, he is being managed ahead of two Tests in Galle where he could be Australia’s most dependable bowler.
CA’s high-performance team and the BBL have long been discussing the availability of Test stars in this short window between the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Sri Lanka tour, with the BBL keen to make all players available for as many games as possible. The national selectors, coaches and medical staff were keen to rest many of their stars in this precious window away from international cricket. CA national team chief Ben Oliver said each player’s BBL availability was decided on a program-by-programme basis.
“The five-Test series is exciting, and it’s amplified by the intensity of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” said Oliver. “The players and staff deserve great credit for their preparation and management which enabled sustained performances through a full international schedule.
“We have worked with each player to develop individual plans that will best support their recovery from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and preparation for upcoming international commitments, including the tour of Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy. Wherever possible, this will include players representing their clubs in the BBL season over the next fortnight. .”
BBL general manager Alastair Dobson is delighted to have some of the Test stars playing in the next fortnight.
“We are delighted to see so many Australian Test players enter the competition from tonight on the back of their historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, and thank them for their commitment to the BBL,” Dobson said.
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
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