Melbourne Stars recruit Nathan Coulter-Nile out to impress in BBL09 in bid to regain Australian spot
Crippled by Australian duties in recent years of the Big Bash League, Melbourne Stars will be the beneficiary of national selectors swinging the axe for next month’s one-day tour of India.
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Paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile says the prospect of success with Melbourne Stars will be a silver lining for Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis after they were axed from the Australian one-day squad.
Coulter-Nile, Maxwell and Stoinis were among seven members of the World Cup squad who have missed out on selection for next month’s tour of India.
The Stars’ title aspirations have consistently been hampered by the unavailability of international players including Maxwell and Stoinis in recent years.
“We’d rather see all of our players playing for Australia,” Coulter-Nile said.
“That’s why we play the game, play at the top level.
“The flip side of that is we get them for four or five extra games which will absolutely go a long way to helping us.”
A one-day series against India robbed the finalist of key players Maxwell, Stoinis, Adam Zampa and Peter Handscomb midway through last summer’s BBL.
The Stars lost each of their three games without the ODI quartet before recovering to qualify for finals.
“I know we have lost players in the past to one-day selection,” Coulter-Nile said.
“This year we maybe only lose Pete (Handscomb). We have probably got a bit of cover for him there in the middle.”
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Coulter-Nile said he was holding out hope of regaining his place in Australia’s white-ball teams before next year’s T20 World Cup.
“All I can do is keep putting performances on the board,” he said.
“I was leading wicket-taker in the ODI Cup so hopefully I can do that again for the Big Bash.
“Maybe clear the rope a few times and just keep putting my name up there.”
Meanwhile, the former Perth Scorchers quick said boom pace recruit Dale Steyn could “do whatever he wants” during his six-match stint with the Stars.
The South African will spearhead a formidable Melbourne Stars bowling attack also featuring Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Stoinis, Maxwell and Sandeep Lamichhane.