Nathan Lyon to skip the remainder of the BBL season
Nathan Lyon has informed BBL side Sydney Sixers that he will not be available for the remainder of the season. BBL franchises are set to welcome back several players from the Australian Test squad after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy concluded on Tuesday
However, Nathan Lyon has decided to skip the tournament as he is desperate to spend time with his family after what has been a long summer. The off-spinner was expected to play a crucial role in the Test series against India but failed to impress after picking just nine wickets in four matches.
Cricket Australia pushed for exemptions for several of its Test players to circumvent border restrictions and have them return to their sides as soon as possible.
Which Australian Test players will play in the BBL?
Majority of the Australian players will return to their BBL teams after taking part in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Travis Head and Michael Neser will turn up for the Adelaide Strikers, while Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne will be seen playing for the Brisbane Heat. Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott will join table-toppers Sydney Sixers. Melbourne Renegades will welcome back opener Marcus Harris, and Matthew Wade will slot straight into the Hobart Hurricanes side.
It will be interesting to see whether Tim Paine plays for the Hurricanes, as he has not played a T20 game for them in three years. While James Pattinson and Will Pucvoski won't feature as they are injured, Steve Smith and David Warner don’t have BBL contracts.
Youngster Cameron Green will not feature for the Perth Scorchers, as he returns to Western Australia for a rest. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who came in for criticism for his performances against India, has gone straight to Sydney for scans on his leg. The left-arm pacer will miss at least a few games for the Sydney Sixers, but he could be back for the finals in a few weeks.