Sydney Sixers have termed the banning of Steve Smith from the BBL final as a futile move which is sad for cricket.
Sydney Sixers in Qualifying Final :-
Cricket Australia (CA) has rejected Steve Smith’s plea to play for the Sydney Sixers in Saturday night’s qualifying final against the Perth Scorchers.
Other state franchises voted against Steve’s consent to play in the qualifiers, which were approved by CA.
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Steve Smith, an inaugural Sydney Sixer, was not on the franchise’s playing list, with the tournament expected to be accessible due to the star batsman’s Australian commitment.
The cancellation of Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand opened the door for Smith in the BBL.
But CA says there are conflicting rules regarding substitute players from squads affected by COVID-related withdrawals two weeks before Smith was allowed to play for the Sixers.
A Local Replacement Player Pool :-
CA introducing a local replacement player pool (LRP). From which all franchises would compile any fill-in – the same would be receiving for any BBL franchise. If Smith was placing in that pool.
“In creating the central LRP pool. It was agreeing that clubs would not be able to determine the LRP from outside the pool for the rest of the season,” CA said in a statement on Friday.
“This request was denied … given that other players returning to the BBL from international duty have been placed on the club list throughout the competition.”
Several of Steve Smith’s Australian Test teammates, including Nathan Lyon and Travis Head, have returned to their BBL clubs and will play in the final – but they were all signed by their franchises for the tournament.
Sixers captain Moises Henriques says the successor describes CA’s desire to showcase the best Australian players for the BBL.
Henriques Told Reporters On Friday :-
“You have a former Australian captain, one of the best players in the world,” Moises Henriques told reporters on Friday.
“You have IPL teams that settle millions of dollars to have this guy as part of their franchise.
“And we’re saying no because of a rule that’s two weeks old in some COVID bubble hub. For me, I don’t get it.
“We are in peak two without him… so I have full confidence in our domestic intelligence and local talent to do the job.
“I think it’s sad for cricket, that’s all.”
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When preparing the replacement player instructions Moises Henriques understood “how those mistakes were making at the start two weeks earlier”.
“The reputation I hold is that they (CA) have been rolling with punches – and I just can’t see why they don’t roll with punches anymore,” he said.
“There are going to be mistaking. And wrong calls are going to be making. But I think sometimes we have to keep moving forward and be gentle.”
