Hobart Hurricanes’ quest for back-to-back Big Bash League titles has taken a big blow with captain Nathan Ellis ruled out for the remainder of the finals due to a hamstring injury.
Ellis will miss Friday night’s Challenger clash against the Sydney Sixers at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The winner of that contest will advance to Sunday’s BBL final against the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium, but Hobart will take the field without their skipper.
Ellis picked up the injury during the Hurricanes’ match against Brisbane Heat, forcing him to miss the Knockout final against the Melbourne Stars. Batter Charlie Wakim has been named as Ellis’ replacement in the squad, while Ben McDermott will assume the captaincy for the remainder of the campaign.
"Hobart Hurricanes can confirm that skipper Nathan Ellis will miss the remainder of the BBL season and the BBL15 finals due to hamstring tightness. Ellis, who missed the Knockout on Wednesday night, was aiming to return for the final two matches of the BBL finals but was unfortunately unable to overcome the injury," Hurricanes said in a statement.