Mitchell Starc doubtful over BBL future

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Mitchell Starc doubtful over BBL future

Mitchell Starc says he’d likely have to retire from international cricket to ever play in the Big Bash League again.

BBL organisers have long grappled with how to showcase the best of *********** Test talent during the hectic home summer.

The league introduced its supplementary list scheme two years ago to allow Test players to make cameos, with Steve Smith, Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja among those doing so in this past tournament.

But the league has gone five summers without featuring any of the “big-three” Test pacemen of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who have used the late-January window for valuable rest.

Hazlewood and Cummins nursed injuries this BBL summer, with Starc taking a 10-day break to relax between the India series and his flight out for the ongoing Sri Lanka tour.

Starc played the last of his 10 BBL games for the Sydney Sixers in the summer of 2014/15.

The 35-year-old can expect a similarly quick turnaround between international duties next home summer.

After the Ashes wraps up on January 8, Australia travels to Pakistan for a three-match Twenty20 International series in February.

A full-strength side is expected for that series, given the T20 World Cup will be played on the subcontinent from later that month.

Such scheduling has left Starc unsure whether he could ever suit up for the Sixers again.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” he said at the *********** team’s hotel in Galle.

“As long as the *********** summer is the way it is, where we have two weeks (off), not even – we had 10 days this year. If that’s how it is, probably not.

“If I retire from something, perhaps. Who knows?”

Starc has historically prioritised international duties over T20 windfalls, memorably forgoing the Indian Premier League for eight years to ensure he would be fit to play for Australia.

Steve Smith and Matt Kuhnemann entered the Sri Lanka series under fitness clouds after sustaining injuries playing BBL.

But Test and Sydney Sixers off-spinner Todd Murphy did not feel the injuries would scare international players away from the T20 league in future.

“It’s hard to miss games to try and protect yourself,” he said.

“There’s always risk playing cricket, that’s never going to change.

“For me, I just want to keep enjoying playing as much cricket as I can. I really enjoy the BBL with Sydney.”

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