Andrew Christie slated as new Melbourne Stars coach, Steve Smith eyeing franchise T20

Steve Smith was snubbed from the IPL, but the Aussie gun is turning his eye to the franchise circuit - plus the Melbourne Stars are closing in on a new coach. Daniel Cherny has the details.

Steve Smith may have been bypassed at the Indian Premier League auction last November, but the veteran superstar remains open to playing in other franchise leagues around the world. Smith, 35, signed a three-year deal with the BBL’s Sydney Sixers last year and featured for the Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket last year.

But with MLC slated to run from mid-June to mid-July this year, Smith and fellow Test squad members Pat Cummins, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis are unlikely to be available for MLC given Australia has qualified for the World Test Championship final against South Africa and then have three Tests in the West Indies to follow.

MLC clubs are yet to announce their player retentions for next season although they are being worked through ahead of what is the third season of the league. List rules beyond the initial three-years of the competition remain up in the air.

Steve Smith hit a hundred for the Sydney Sixers. Picture: Izhar Khan/Getty Images.

Smith told Leg Buys that he was interested in playing in other leagues once his Test career comes to a close.

“There’s a few around the world that are going on that have contacted at certain times, but I’m not entirely sure at present,” Smith said.

“There’s so many that you can play these days, I suppose. But I’m still obviously playing international cricket, so that takes priority. Maybe down the track when I finish up.”

A host of Australians were taken in the Pakistan Super League draft on Monday.

David Warner (Karachi Kings) and Matt Short (Islamabad United) were both signed as platinum round picks while Ben Dwarshuis, Riley Meredith and Sean Abbott were also selected.

But Usman Khawaja was snubbed for the competition, which will overlap with the IPL this year after a change of time slot.

STARS CLOSE IN ON NEW COACH

Their men’s team has turned the corner and is on the cusp of the returning to the finals, and the Melbourne Stars are also making moves behind the scenes on the women’s front.

Having parted ways with coach Jonathan Batty after finishing bottom of the Women’s Big Bash League standings, a frontrunner for his replacement has emerged.

And it is a familiar face. Andrew Christie, who was last year appointed head coach of the Victorian women’s team, is understood to be in the box seat to take over of the underperforming side, a unit that features Meg Lanning, Annabel Sutherland and Kim Garth.

Kim Garth in action for the Stars in November. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

The move would continue a trend of Cricket Victoria aligning with its Big Bash clubs, both of which remain operated by the state body since CV disbanded the Stars and Melbourne Renegades’ boards in a controversial move in 2019.

Victorian men’s coach Chris Rogers has helped out with the Stars men’s team over the summer while the state season has been in hiatus and was spotted at the MCG nets last week ahead of the Stars’ game against the Sydney Sixers.

Stars men’s coach Peter Moores is understood to be one of several BBL coaches out-of-contract at season’s end, although four straight wins to keep them in the finals hunt would appear to have bolstered the former England coach’s chances of remaining at the club next season.

Originally published as Andrew Christie slated as new Melbourne Stars coach, Steve Smith eyeing franchise T20