BBL11 news: Big stars off limits as Brisbane Heat’s depth is tested in latest Covid development
Some interesting names may get called up for the Brisbane Heat over the next week but two match-starved stars will not be among them as the BBL takes another Covid hit.
Big Bash
Don't miss out on the headlines from Big Bash. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Brisbane Heat are set to call for emergency reinforcements to their Big Bash campaign but the two most prized options — Mitchell Swepson and Michael Neser — are off limits.
The Heat’s match against the Sydney Sixers at Metricon Stadium scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed by 24 hours after several Heat players returned positive rapid antigen tests.
The entire Gold Coast-based Heat squad, plus potential replacements in Brisbane, were given PCR tests with the results expected to be known by Wednesday morning.
Catch every moment of The Ashes live and ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.
In the likely event of more confirmed tests, the Heat were ready to send an SOS to back-up squad players and even non-contracted Queensland Bulls players to fill the breach.
The Heat have been advised Australian squad members Swepson and Neser, match starved though they are, will stay with the Test squad throughout the Sydney and Hobart Ashes Tests.
Swepson managed to squeeze in two games with the Heat in December and is craving match play after being a reserve player for Australia since the pre-season World T20 in the UAE.
But mixing squads at this time, with Covid complications throwing the cricket program into crisis, is seen as an understandably high risk option.
Swepson was a strong chance of playing in this week’s SCG Test but a grassy wicket put paid to his chances which means his Test debut is likely to come on the March tour of Pakistan.
Big Bash organisers are giving deep consideration to moving all teams into a hub in Melbourne.
That would mean most games would be played at one of three venues in the region and it would also allow teams to fly out on match days to venues such as Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane.
Rugby league administrators are watching the Big Bash closely.
Soon enough they will face the major decision of whether to postpone games or let teams search for emergency replacements.
“No-one knows what lies ahead — we thought this would be the year when we broke free from Covid but the challenges could be greater than ever,’’ said one NRL club official.
Big Bash fixture flip as Covid wipes out team
Brisbane Heat has been hit down by a spate of Covid cases, with the Perth Scorchers to replace them in Tuesday night’s Big Bash schedule.
News Corp understands the Scorchers will take on the Sydney Sixers on Tuesday night in a re-jigged BBL fixture, as Heat players are sent for urgent tests.
It continues the Covid chaos in the competition over recent days, but a proactive and practical approach is being taken to keep the schedule alive.
The Scorchers will play on Tuesday night against the Sixers in Brisbane, and their scheduled match against the Thunder on Wednesday night will be adjusted.
Cricket Australia is still working through the plan, but is determined not to lose fixtures.
City identified as possible Covid hub if things deteriorate
Melbourne Stars opener Joe Clarke feels it would be “sensible” for the backend of the Big Bash League season to be played in a centralised hub-style setting to mitigate the impact Covid is having on the competition.
Speculation persists that all eight teams could be based in Victoria where the MCG, Marvel Stadium, Junction Oval and Geelong’s Kardinia Park could all be used to knock off a decent portion of the season, including finals.
Clarke’s team has been the hardest hit by the virus with 10 players, including Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Beau Webster and Joe Burns, as well as their coach David Hussey, testing positive and being forced sit out at least two games.
The Sydney Thunder have also been impacted badly with Alex Hales, Alex Ross, Tanveer Sangha and Sam Whiteman testing positive.
“It’s got to get to a stage where you try and limit the amount of cases that there are,” Clarke said after his cobbled-together side lost to Perth by 50 runs on Sunday.
“Flying with people around the Christmas time and random people in the public — of course, you try and do everything as well as you can, but all it takes is for someone (positive) to be on a plane, or something like that, and obviously it’s wiped through our squad.
“I’m sure that the people at the top are thinking of ways to limit any other team being affected like we have.”
Scorchers batsman Kurtis Patterson also welcomed the prospect of all eight teams playing in the same state.
“It would probably be nice to limit the amount of flights that we’re on, so if we do get based somewhere in one city, whether it’s Melbourne or somewhere else, it’ll probably be nice to set up a little base at whatever hotel and train and play from there,” he said.
The Scorchers have spent the vast majority of the current BBL season on the road due to WA’s strict border protocols, but Patterson wasn’t sure if depriving the other five non-Victorian teams home ground advantage would even the playing field for his side.
“We kind of had this style of Big Bash last year where we were all in hubs, everyone was kind of playing away games unless you were lucky where you were the home team where the hub was based,” he said.
“If it is in Melbourne and the Stars or the Renegades get to play a few extra games at Marvel and the MCG, kudos to them — that’s a nice little advantage.”
Even though Clarke tested negative initially, he still had to spend three days in his room isolating and awaiting the results of his secondary test.
“The first time I got out of my room was this morning,” he said.
“Feeling a bit exhausted now just (after) a day in the sun.”
And while he conceded it was hard to build chemistry with his four new teammates who were rushed into the side as top-up players, he paid tribute to Cricket Australia and his club for ensuring a game went ahead on Sunday.
“It’s hard to get to know people when you’re not really allowed to introduce yourself and you’ve got to stay socially distanced,” he said.
“The first time I met them boys was when we saw them out on the ground in the warm-up.”
The status of the match still being up in the air at 10.30pm on Saturday — 17 hours before the game was due to start — also proved challenging.
“It’s hard to prepare for a game if you don’t know if it’s going to be on or not,” Clarke said.
“Not the ideal preparation for a game against a side that obviously are playing nice T20 cricket.”
Patterson described the lead-up as a “very strange 24 hours”.
“I probably erred on the side of not playing to be honest,” he said.
“I just assumed we probably weren’t going to get the game in.”
Melbourne Locals: Stars top-ups confirmed for Perth clash
Melbourne Stars are preparing to field what could be the worst XI any Big Bash League club has ever fielded on Sunday with Cricket Australia declaring their game against Perth Scorchers must go ahead despite 18 positive Covid cases in the green team’s camp.
Stars will be without 10 players, as well as eight support staff officials, at Junction Oval after the virus ripped through their squad, sidelining most coaches and players as the coronavirus tsunami crashed into the BBL.
At 3-3, the Stars suddenly face being forced to play home games against Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades (Monday) with plenty of its match-winners watching on TV from quarantine as Covid-19 patients.
As revealed by News Corp, Pakistan’s World Cup hero Haris Rauf will power up the Stars with the speed machine returning a negative PCR Test on Saturday ahead of his return to the BBL.
Skipper Glenn Maxwell has also dodged the virus, and will lead a makeshift line-up which was confirmed on Sunday morning.
Six top-up players have officially been parachuted in with Justin Avendano, Lachlan Bangs, Xavier Crone, Tom Rogers, Patrick Rowe and Charlie Wakim all receiving phone calls as the Stars were scrambling to field a team on Saturday night.
They will be allowed to play in the game under strict protocols given they have not completed the integration period required to safely join the BBL bubble
Coach David Hussey and his team will also be unable to attend the clash.
Sydney Thunder rolled Adelaide Strikers on Friday night despite four players testing positive, which saw three of their best XI withdraw from the match.
“Our thoughts are with our players who have tested positive today and we wish them a speedy recovery,” Stars general manager Blair Crouch said.
“Thanks to the medical teams at Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia for their ongoing support under difficult circumstances.
“Despite all the challenges over the last few days, we look forward to taking the field tomorrow at CitiPower Centre to play in front of our members and fans.”
South Australian health officials signed off on the plan to stage Friday night’s match after no Thunder players were deemed close contacts of the four coronavirus patients.
While Thunder did not confirm who was infected, star English opener Alex Hales, Alex Ross, and Tanveer Sangha were left off the team sheet after playing the last game.
High fives and handshakes were banned while Thunder players were told to space out when sitting in the dugout because there was a medical chance more of them could turn positive when they undergo another round of PCR tests on Saturday morning.
Thunder was split between change rooms and only one person was allowed inside at a time, where masks were compulsory.
Players had to return a negative rapid antigen test only hours before the game before they were cleared to play after the outbreak in the team.
It’s understood Cricket Australia does not want to send clubs into hubs to complete the season.
South Australia would be the obvious option but the state has just one BBL-standard venue and playing neutral games in front of paltry crowds is disastrous for gate returns.
BBL clubs have been flying commercial airlines around the country and often extra seats are paid for to provide a buffer from the public.
For example, a team might occupy rows 25-30 on a Qantas flight but Cricket Australia will book an extra six rows of seats either side to reduce the chances of the virus penetrating the bubble or health authorities pinging players as close contacts.
Forking out for charter flights will be considered with priority given for clubs flying out of high-risk airports, such as Sydney and Melbourne.
Perth Scorchers rejected Cricket Australia’s request to fly from Melbourne to Adelaide on Friday to take Thunder’s place in the NYE showdown.
Thursday’s Big Bash clash between Melbourne and the Perth Scorchers was meant to be the return Rauf to the Stars, where he was a smash hit last summer.
The game had already been relocated once from Perth due to WA border restrictions.
Cricket Australia confirmed that all Stars players and staff who had been in contact with the positive case had undertaken PCR tests, with the results still pending at 5pm on Thursday.
“While regrettable, the decision to postpone tonight’s match was the only option available given the exposures within the Stars cohort,” BBL general manager Alistair Dobson said.
“The league has a number of biosecurity protocols in place to keep our participants safe and the competition moving forward. These protocols are regularly reviewed in response to the risks in each state. Safety remains our number one priority and we will work with the Stars to get their side back on the field as soon as possible.”
Fans who purchased tickets to Marvel Stadium will be contacted directly for refunds.
The BBL has had an incredible record over the past two summers in keeping the competition going amid the pandemic and has found a way to play even when scares have happened.
WHAT THE MOVE MEANS FOR KFC SUPERCOACH BBL
The postponed Stars-Scorchers game has been removed from Round 7 of KFC SuperCoach.
This game will become part of the round it is played closest to when a rescheduled date is announced.
Should it be played this weekend during Round 7, the round will proceed as planned.
We understand this will inconvenience some teams and should it be confirmed the game will be played after Round 7, an additional trade will be added for Round 7 to compensate.
This trade will not carry over and from Round 8 onwards KFC SuperCoach will revert to three trades per round.
Scorchers and Stars players will act like bye players and will not lock out until the start of the last game of Round 7.
More Coverage
Originally published as BBL11 news: Big stars off limits as Brisbane Heat’s depth is tested in latest Covid development
WBBL star leads groundbreaking skin cancer study
Georgia Redmayne has been a star of WBBL and WNCL cricket in Queensland, yet she may have a bigger impact off the field through research into skin cancer in the game.
Leg Buys: Pucovski clue in key Vic deal, Canes ink BBL gun
Victoria is guarding for life without Will Pucovski as his future in the sport hangs in the balance, with a veteran opener inking a long deal, plus the Hurricanes have welcomed back a BBL star in this week’s Leg Buys.