Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, George Garton, Tymal Mills, Reece Topley and James Vince to head home by January 7
Six members of England’s T20I squad are to be withdrawn from the BBL by January 7 to allow them time at home in the UK before flying out for the tour of the West Indies.
The withdrawal of the BBL players leaves Sydney Thunder, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers without key players for the back-end of the tournament. However, the teams had been aware of this scenario since the England squad was selected on December 23.
The ECB confirmed that the players selected were always set to return early to prepare for the Caribbean tour with safe-living guidelines and Covid-19 protocols at the forefront of the ECB’s thinking. Each player will coordinate with their own BBL clubs as to how many more fixtures they can play prior to heading home to the UK.
More to follow…