‘We’re disappointed’: BBL rocked as international star pulls out of upcoming tournament

The Melbourne Stars are scrambling to sign another international player after one of the best batters in the world announced he’s skipping the BBL.

The Melbourne Stars have suffered a monumental blow with big-hitting Englishman Harry Brook pulling out of the upcoming BBL due to his workload.

It’s a major setback for the Stars who selected Brook with the second pick in the overseas player draft after initially trying to pinch Rashid Khan from the Strikers who were forced to use their retention pick.

Harry Brook will skip the BBL despite being taken with the second pick in the draft by the Stars. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

It’s the second year in a row this has happened in the BBL, with former No.1 pick Liam Livingstone also pulling out after he was taken by the Melbourne Renegades.

Brook is one of the most feared batters in the world with a strike rate of 91.76 in Test cricket, with that figure skyrocketing to 141.54 in the 20-over format.

The Englishman was set to miss the first three games of the BBL anyway while on tour in the West Indies, but his decision to skip the entire tournament leaves the Stars in strife after they finished bottom of the table last season.

“Naturally, we’re disappointed that Harry has withdrawn from the BBL but we understand his decision with his increased workload,” Melbourne Stars general manager Blair Crouch said.

“We obviously rate Harry extremely highly and we would have loved to have seen him at the MCG alongside Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis this summer.

“We wish him all the best with his upcoming international commitments.”

Brook has quickly emerged as one of the biggest hitters in the world, with Australian fans seeing him dominate at stages during the Ashes. Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images

The Stars will now look to sign a replacement player in the next two weeks to add to their impressive squad, with the men in green to open the new season against the Heat on December 7.

“Given Harry was set to miss the opening three matches, the club had already signed a replacement player for that period,” Crouch said.

“Currently, the coaching staff and list management team are discussing options for the remainder of the tournament and we look forward to announcing those signings once they have been finalised.”