Hobart Hurricanes will be without their captain and leading bowler Nathan Ellis when they face Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League Knockout final on Wednesday, after he was ruled out through injury.
The Hurricanes confirmed Ellis picked up the problem during their recent match against Brisbane Heat, although the nature of the injury was not disclosed. The club said his availability for the remainder of the finals series “will be determined over the coming days”.
The timing is a significant setback for Hobart, whose tournament will end on Wednesday if they lose. Victory, or a washout with rain forecast, would see them progress to the Challenger final on Friday against either Perth Scorchers or Sydney Sixers.
Ellis has been central to the Hurricanes’ campaign, leading their wicket-taking charts with 14 scalps at an average of 21.28 and an economy rate of 9.03. He has been trusted in all key phases, bowling in the powerplay, power surge and at the death.
Ben McDermott will take over the captaincy in Ellis’ absence. The Hurricanes arrive at the Knockout after a deflating loss to Brisbane Heat, when they surrendered a chase that had been firmly under control before Zaman Khan defended six runs in the final over. That defeat cost Hobart the chance to host the Qualifier final.
Ellis’ absence at domestic level follows news from earlier in the week that he would be rested from Australia’s upcoming three-match T20I series in Pakistan, alongside Glenn Maxwell, as part of preparations for next month’s World Cup. Ellis has become a key component of Australia’s T20 attack.
Asked on Monday whether there were any injury concerns surrounding the pair, Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey sought to downplay the issue.
“No, I hope not,” Bailey said. “They’ve got a busy, well, one of them is going to have a busy few days with hopefully two or three games in four or five days. So a busy back end to the tournament.
“I think like nearly every tournament that we head to, particularly when it’s a really busy time of the year as this one is, it’s very much working with individuals around making sure that they get the best preparation they can to make sure that when they do join that World Cup squad, they’re ready to perform.”
Hobart’s resources are further stretched by the absence of Rehan Ahmed, who has departed for England duty in Sri Lanka, while Tim David has not featured since sustaining a hamstring injury on Boxing Day.
