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Steven Smith ready for Sydney Sixers’ BBL opener

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Steven Smith ready for Sydney Sixers’ BBL opener


Steven Smith will make a brief return to Sydney Sixers for this season’s BBL 2023-24 after being available for their opening match against Melbourne Renegades on December 8. The club is hopeful that he will also take part in the Sydney derby after the Pakistan Test series.

The international schedule will limit his outings this summer but the Sixers have him on their list and he is set to take on the Renegades at the SCG before flying to Perth ahead of the opening Test against Pakistan starting on December 14.

Smith could appear at the SCG for a second time, against city rivals Sydney Thunder, on January 12, which has the potential to go toe-to-toe with David Warner, who will retire from Test cricket after the series of Pakistan and will therefore be available for the BBL.

Smith is unlikely to be available for any other matches, including the final, due to commitments to Australia.

“The impact Steve was able to make in such a short time last season is testament to the type of player he is,” Sydney Sixers head coach Rachael Haynes said. “We have no doubt that Sixers fans can expect the same level of entertainment when he returns to the field this summer.”

Smith opened the batting for the Sixers last season and it is a role he is currently taking on in the T20I series against India, where he scored 52 in the opening game. He was due to open in South Africa earlier this year before a wrist injury ruled him out of that tour. It’s a position he wants to continue in with an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, although there will be plenty of competition for top spots in the Australian team alongside Warner, Travis Head and Matt Shorts.

“Anyone would want to start in T20 cricket,” Smith told AAP earlier in the summer. “It was great to be able to show what I could do at the Big Bash. I hope I can replicate that internationally too.”

Melbourne Stars will also be without Mark Steketee and Beau Webster for the opening night game against Heat, while Sixers will be without Todd Murphy available against Renegades.

Former Sixer Nathan Lyon has indicated his desire to play for his new team Renegades ahead of his summer trial against Smith on December 8.

Other clubs are also hoping there will be a chance to briefly see their Test players during the eight-day gap between the Sydney Test, which ends on January 7, and the opening match against the West Indies starting on January 17.

Australia’s three frontline multi-format fast bowlers, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, are not yet linked to any BBL team and are unlikely to play given their workload.

The BBL has been hit by two major withdrawals of its overseas names in recent days, with Harry Brook (England duty) and Rashid Khan (injury) ruled out of the tournament.

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