Categories: Sports

Mitchell Marsh set for BBL return after losing Test place

Mitchell Marsh, who was dropped for the final Test against India, is in line to play his first BBL match for nearly three years after being added to Perth Scorchers’ squad to face Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium on Tuesday.

Quick bowler Jhye Richardson has also been made available for a BBL return having been part of the Test squad for the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Availability of other Test players will be confirmed in the coming days, but Travis Head has effectively confirmed he won’t be featuring for Adelaide Strikers.

“I’m wrecked,” Head told Fox Cricket at the SCG on Sunday. “I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next few days but we’ve got 10 or 12 days off now before we go to Sri Lanka and I’m going to use every little bit of that.”

Marsh returned to Perth on Monday following Australia’s series-clinching victory at the SCG where he had ceded his place in the side to Beau Webster who went on to produce a memorable debut.

Marsh could be available for a longer run with Scorchers through to the end of the BBL if he doesn’t make the squad for the Sri Lanka tour which is due to be named later this week.

His last BBL outing was in January 2022, after which he missed the following season having opted to have ankle surgery in a bid to earn a Test recall which came to fruition in the 2023 Ashes, where he scored a century at Headingley. He remained a fixture in the side until a few days ago when he paid the price for a lean series with the bat.

Webster could be available for Melbourne Stars’ next game against Sydney Sixers on Thursday and also the return derby against Renegades on January 12.

Steven Smith (Sydney Sixers), Sam Konstas (Sydney Thunder), Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane Heat), Usman Khawaja (Brisbane Heat), Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers), Nathan Lyon (Melbourne Renegades) and Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers) are the other players from the Test squad who could turn out for their BBL teams. Scott Boland, who plays for Melbourne Stars, may be rested after his workload in the final two Tests.

Most of those names are then likely to be part of the Sri Lanka tour which begins with a training camp in Dubai. Teams that reach the BBL finals will be without any of the players who are on that trip.

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