The Sydney Sixers will be without Josh Philippe for their Big Bash grand final qualifier tonight, after he tested positive to COVID-19.
Assistant coach Jay Lenton has been called into the squad, but don’t be fooled – the 31-year-old is no slouch, serving as the Sydney Thunder’s back-up keeper for several seasons.
The Sixers will go into tonight’s game against the Adelaide Strikers as outsiders, the latter earning their way into this game with back-to-back finals wins over the Hurricanes and Thunder.
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It must be frustrating for the defending champions, however, that Steve Smith remains sidelined due to red tape.
The other five states (exclusing NSW) voted to enforce a rule that would see teams allocated random players from a Melbourne club cricket pool if they need replacements, rather than allowing Smith to play – a move which drew the ire of most in the cricketing community, including Smith’s teammate Nathan Lyon.
“I think it’s ridiculous if I’m being honest with you,” Lyon said before Sydney’s loss to Perth last week.
“I think it’s an absolute joke that our best players in Australian cricket have been ruled out of not playing ODIs so they should be available to play Big Bash.
“I think it’s ridiculous and I’m happy to say that. We’ll see what happens with repercussions.”
Members of the replacement pool remain on standby in case Daniel Hughes is unable to play.
Hughes missed the last game after spraining his ankle when he tripped on the boundary rope during warm-ups.
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