Smith, Starc set for full BBL action ahead of Sydney Smash

Sixers opening batter Steve Smith is eager to get his first full taste of BBL action for the season on the Sydney Smash stage after his first appearance was cut short by bad weather last week.

Smith returned to the Big Bash after a triumphant Ashes summer for the Sixers' latest match against the Hobart Hurricanes at the SCG last Sunday, opening the batting with international superstar Babar Azam to lay the groundwork for a salivating clash.

However untimely showers saw the match abandoned after five overs, with Smith hopeful Friday's drizzly forecast ahead of the Sydney Smash won't dampen his second appearance for the Sixers — or Mitchell Starc's first in over a decade — in BBL|15.

"I love coming back and playing with the guys. (They're) such a great bunch of people and (bring) great energy around the group," Smith said.

"As soon as you walk back in they there's always smiles, there's always great vibes and (I'm) looking forward to the next couple of games.

"I mean, Sydney Smash, Friday night. SCG… should be a party out here, so get out and watch us. Hopefully we put on a good show and have some fun."

Regardless of the Sydney Thunder's two-win season to-date, the Sydney Smash always shapes as one of the most entertaining fixtures on the Big Bash calendar.

Adding to the occasion will be the long-awaited return of Mitchell Starc, who pulls on the magenta for the first time since BBL|04 following his 31-wicket Ashes campaign which netted him Player of the Series honours.

Having retired from T20Is in October in the hopes of prolonging his Test and ODI career, Starc will now be available for the Sydney Smash, the Sixers' next game against the Heat and perhaps BBL|15 Finals, should everything go to plan.

"I think he's such a workhorse. He's got such resilience in his body and he knows his body inside out. He was just incredible throughout the summer," Smith said.

"He's sensational. A couple of two-day Tests probably help in that as well… probably less overs than he is accustomed to bowling throughout a summer.

"It's great to see him get through that and get the rewards with Player with the Series. Hopefully he can put on a similar show for the Sixers out here in this next couple of games."

Having international greats of Smith and Starc's calibre appear for more matches in the BBL has been a much-discussed talking point over recent years.

With the condensed international fixture and overlapping Test summer limiting availability, many of Australia's Test players are only able to enter the competition for a handful of games if management workloads allow.

While Smith asserted he was "the wrong guy" for coming up with an answer as to how or whether to tinker the schedule, he'd be eager to feature for more games in future BBL seasons if given the chance.

"I'd love the opportunity to be able to play more and have the (Australian) international players play a lot more," Smith said.

"That's what most teams around the world in their T20 tournaments have. It's tricky I know with scheduling, but if they were able to have all the international players play as much Big Bas as possible, I think it only benefits the tournament.

"I don't know what the answer is. Scheduling is tricky, but if everyone was able to play — you know, even just more games or all of the games — I think it only benefits the tournament.

"That's a job for someone above my pay grade."

While the Sixers have undeniably been boosted by the timely returns of Smith and Starc, there hasn't been any shortage of young talent in the Sixers camp.

Joel Davies has been one such player who has served as both a steadying and match-winning standout across BBL|15.

The 22-year-old's breakout year has included a career-best 10 wickets and 103 runs; many of which have come at pivotal times to keep his side's finals ambitions alive.

"I'm always open for questions. Whenever anyone wants to talk any cricket, I'm always available," Smith said.

"We've got a good couple of young guys. Lachy (Shaw), I think he's a super bright talent. He's able to hit the ball all around the ground and Joel Davies, I think his bowling in particular has come on a lot this year.

"Moises (Henriques) looks like he can trust him a lot in different scenarios and he's scored some valuable runs at the back end.

"He fields well too, so he's (the) full package."

KFC BBL|15 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	10	6	3	0	1	0.331	0	13
2 Melbourne Stars Men STA	9	6	3	0	0	1.031	0	12
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	8	5	3	0	0	1.162	0	10
4 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	9	5	4	0	0	-0.375	0	10
5 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	8	4	3	0	1	0.458	0	9
6 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	9	3	6	0	0	-0.625	0	6
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	8	3	5	0	0	-0.686	0	6
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	9	2	7	0	0	-1.182	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points