Big Bash clubs are bracing for a spike in injuries due to quarantine measures
Some of T20 cricket’s biggest names are on their way to Australia for the BBL. But why are clubs worried their stars could be more bust than boom?
Sam Landsberger
December 6, 2020 - 5:37PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
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Cricket star contracts COVID-19
An international cricketer is in hospital on the Gold Coast after testing positive to COVID-19 while in Queensland hotel quarantine.
Hotel quarantine looms as the Big Bash League’s next hurdle with clubs fearful their marquee imports will go bust before they go boom this season.
Injuries to Aussie stars David Warner (groin), Aaron Finch (glute), Marcus Stoinis (side strain), Mitchell Starc (back) and Ashton Agar (calf), as well as Indian all-rounder Ravi Jadeja (hamstring) after just
four limited-overs games, have BBL clubs on red alert.
Warner, Finch, Stoinis and Jadeja were all cooped up in hotel rooms after returning from the Indian Premier League, which is what awaits some of the BBL’s biggest drawcards.
“If you ask the physios they’ll say yes (we will get more injuries),” Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.
“We’ve already seen in the Australian set up they’ve had (five) now. Unfortunately it could be the case that we see a bit more of that throughout the season.
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Sam Billings is back in the BBL. He will play for the Thunder this season. Picture: AAP Images
“Two weeks sitting at home or in a hotel room not being able to do much physically and then going into some high-intensity sport we may see a few more niggles along the way.
“I think everyone’s going to deal with that.”
Scorchers captain Mitch Marsh is unavailable to bowl and could miss the start of the season because of an ankle injury picked up in the IPL.
The Trans-Tasman travel bubble will spare West Indies Test captain Jason Holder (Sixers), Nic Pooran (Stars), Keemo Paul (Hurricanes) and Adam Milne (Thunder) from hotel quarantine because they are arriving from New Zealand.
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But the other imports must endure two weeks of hard quarantine, including English stars such as Jason Roy (Scorchers) and Sam Billings (Thunder) who are jetting in straight from an ODI series staged in South Africa’s bio-security bubble.
The bizarre preparation has Sydney Thunder considering keeping Billings under wraps until he is cherry ripe after his 14 days in lock up.
Coach Shane Bond studied the form of players exiting quarantine at the Indian Premier League and the Mumbai Indians assistant noted how it took time for golden boy Pat Cummins to warm up for Kolkata.
That could see Billings sit out the first six or seven BBL games, instead of the four he must miss while in quarantine.
Mitch Marsh could miss the start of the BBL season. Picture: Getty Images
The BBL has lost English blasters Jonny Bairstow (Stars) and Tom Banton (Heat) in a pre-tournament blow.
Bairstow won a recall to the Test squad while Banton pulled out because he is exhausted and wants to spend Christmas at home.
Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Heat) tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalised while quarantining in Surfers Paradise while Nepalese tweaker Sandeep Lamichhane (Hurricanes) also has the virus but is yet to reach Australia.
Domestic players have also been twiddling their thumbs for a month since their last Sheffield Shield game.
Victorians who have signed at interstate BBL clubs – Pete Handscomb, Wil Parker, (Hurricanes), Matt Short and Peter Siddle, (Strikers) – have trained together before they jet out to join their teams.
A big shout-out to everyone for all their wonderful contributions.
