Hobart Hurricanes skipper Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the side's Big Bash League Knockout against the Melbourne Stars due to injury, handing a huge blow to the side ahead of a do-or-die battle. The club confirmed that Nathan will not take part in the high-stakes encounter against Melbourne Stars, scheduled to be played on Wednesday in Hobart.
He picked up an unspecified niggle during their final regular-season match against Brisbane Heat last week. He showed great commitment in the narrow loss to the Heat, completing his full quota of four overs despite the issue. He also remained unbeaten at the crease as Hobart’s hopes of securing a top-two finish diminished in the final over of the match.
The Hurricanes will also be without Rehan Ahmed, who has departed to join England's World Cup squad. Jake Weatherald will also be unavailable for the franchise for the remainder of the BBL15.
Notably, Australia on Monday announced their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, leaving out Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis. When asked whether there were any injury concerns, selection chair George Bailey had said, "No, I hope not. 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,” Bailey was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"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,” he added.