Usama Mir is set to miss the Melbourne Stars’ opening 3 BBL|14 games including their Round 1 double after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued him a no-objection clearance (NOC) from December 26.
The Stars leggie had been overlooked in recent Pakistan white-ball squads, offering hope he may be available for the start of the BBL.
But the PCB seem set to recall him for their upcoming series in South Africa where they’ll 3 T20Is from December 10-14 followed by 3 ODIs from December 17-22.
While that touring squad is yet to be announced, the PCB’s NOC list has been published, with Usama granted clearance from December 26 to January 15.
View Usama Mir’s 2024 T20 franchise league SC scores
That means he’ll miss the Stars’ first 3 games; on December 15 against the Scorchers, on December 18 against the Heat and on December 20 against the Strikers.
He’ll also be unavailable for the Stars’ final regular season game on January 19, meaning he’ll be available for 6 games.
Usama’s early absence could open the door for fellow spinner Hamish McKenzie to play early, particularly if part-timer Glenn Maxwell is unavailable with a hamstring which will keep him out for a month, making him touch and go for their BBL opener.
Victorian left-armer Doug Warren is the Stars’ other spinner listed on their BBL|14 squad.
View our predicted Melbourne Stars Round 1 line-up
