Munro gets Big Bash yes and no
Black Caps power hitter Colin Munro will likely oppose his former skipper Brendon McCullum in Wednesday’s Big Bash semifinal in Brisbane, after New Zealand Cricket cleared his release.
But, as the issue of club v country begins to heat up across the Tasman, Munro won’t be able to play the final if his Sydney Sixers team qualify as it’s two days before the Black Caps first one-day international against Australia in Auckland on Monday week.
Munro scored just three for Sixers on Saturday, but they snared a semifinal berth with a three-wicket win over Melbourne Stars at the MCG.
The left-hander charged Stars paceman Ben Hilfenhaus and hit a catch to mid on, giving him four runs from two innings for the Sixers, but the visitors chased down 157 with an over to spare.
They finished third on net run rate and will face second-placed Brisbane in the semis. McCullum, Brisbane’s captain, smashed 64 off 40 balls in their final match and appeared to suffer from heat exhaustion.
NZC confirmed Munro is available for selection for the Sixers, then will return to Auckland to join the Black Caps when they assemble in Auckland on Thursday.
He won’t be released for the Saturday final under the playtravel-play rule agreed with the Players’ Association, which saw Ross Taylor denied a chance to play for Melbourne Renegades on January 1.
Perth Scorchers will host coach Stephen Fleming’s Melbourne Stars in Tuesday’s first semi.
Despite a developing club v country battle for players, Big Bash League boss Anthony Everard says he cannot envisage a time when a star would turn down the chance to play for Australia to play for their BBL team – even in a final.
In the wake of Marcus Stoinis’ unavailability for the Sixers on Saturday night, the issue of priorities between the incredibly popular BBL and one-day internationals is developing in cricket circles.
Kevin Pietersen lashed out at Cricket Australia on Friday for reneging on a promise to free allrounder Stoinis for the crucial match against the Sixers, given Stoinis was highly unlikely to play for Australia, saying: ‘‘I just find it bitterly disappointing that a guy can’t play in a fixture tomorrow, which is a big fixture for us. He will be sitting in a hotel room.’’
Last season the Stars were hit hard for the BBL final – Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Scott Boland and John Hastings were all unavailable on international duty – and this season Chris Lynn, Steve O’Keefe and now Stoinis will miss the pointy end of the Big Bash season.
However, Everard is adamant a player will not turn down national representation to play in the Big Bash, despite the huge exposure of the burgeoning league compared to the dwindling support for some internationals.
‘‘It’s obviously a hypothetical, and in six years we haven’t had a player even come close to saying that,’’ Everard said. ‘‘I think that we’re years away from getting to that point, if we ever get there.’’
Lynn, the undoubted star of BBL06 was called up to make his debut for Australia against Pakistan in the first one-dayer, forcing him to watch from the Gabba sidelines as his Brisbane Heat lost to the Perth Scorchers. As fate would have it, Lynn succumbed to a long-term neck injury after that match and was ruled out for the remaining BBL games in a significant blow to the Heat’s chances of taking the title.
Heat general manager Andrew McShea says he understands the problems with the overlapping schedule, but would like to see changes.
‘‘It’s very hard to find someone to do what Chris Lynn does,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re pretty comfortable with [our depth], but I can certainly see the public discussion about it. Obviously people would love to see Chris probably doing both [BBL and international games].
‘‘Why can’t we try and get the best of both worlds?’’
Everard didn’t see an issue arising. ‘‘It’s always envisaged when we do the schedule that there’s going to be a point of the season where there is a bit of movement of players. But I think we acknowledge that we can’t have our cake and eat it too. If we want to schedule the BBL in that sweet spot of the school holidays, it needs to run in parallel with international cricket.’’
- Fairfax NZ, Sydney Morning Herald