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BBL stars set to light up Top End T20 tournament

Find out all you need to know for the Northern Territory's Top End T20 tournament featuring Big Bash guns D'Arcy Short and Jason Sangha, as well as 12 players with World Cup experience

Jason Sangha's stocks as one of Australia's future leaders continues to rise with the NSW young gun to skipper the Cricket Australia XI in the Northern Territory's Top End T20 tournament.

A host of Big Bash talent will be on display across the 11-day competition where the CA XI battle it out against an NT Strike League all-star team, the Papua New Guinea national side and academy teams from the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars.

Hobart Hurricanes' blaster D'Arcy Short has been selected in the NT Strike squad alongside Tasmanian allrounder Tom Andrews, former South Australian rookie Corey Kelly and new Victorian rookie Ashley Chandrasinghe, who has made five centuries in a row for Waratah Warriors in the Darwin Premier Cricket two-day competition.

Sangha will lead a side featuring two of Short's Hurricanes teammates in seamers Mitch Owen and Josh Kann.

Sensational Sangha provides early fireworks in Adelaide

The 22-year-old top-order batter captained NSW in the Marsh Sheffield Shield and Sydney Thunder in the KFC BBL during periods last summer, scoring a superb 142 in his first knock as Blues skipper.

The right-hander came of age in the Big Bash last summer after spending two years out of the Thunder side as he finished BBL|11 as the club's leading run-scorer with 445 at almost 50.

That form continued into the back end of the Shield season where he hit three half centuries and a hundred in the Blues' final four matches to finish the summer as their leading batter with 504 runs at 38.76.

Short puts one onto the road outside Blundstone Arena

Also selected in the CA XI in Western Australia's Sheffield Shield-winning off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, left-handed WA rookie batter Sam Fanning and Tasmanian allrounder Brad Hope.

The Tigers' ambidextrous spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan, who collected seven wickets and made 129 runs for Australia at the men's U19 World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year, was also named in the CA XI squad but was forced to withdraw on Monday due to a quad injury.

"It's a highly-skilled and versatile squad, some with first-class and BBL experience and others who are just starting their journeys," said Australian selector Tony Dodemaide.

Image Id: 52F64CC70E82437EB86275B0074D29E7 Image Caption: Mackenzie Harvey will skipper the Renegades Academy in the Top End T20 // Getty

"They will enjoy the experience of the Series and joining their combined skills together."

The Renegades Academy squad boosts seven players with BBL experience in Mackenzie Harvey, Will Sutherland, Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jack Prestwidge, Tom Rogers and James Seymour.

Former Sydney Thunder and Renegades title-winning quick Chris Tremain was also in the squad when it was announced but has since been ruled out due to a rib injury.

Brody Couch, who recently penned a two-year contract extension following a breakout debut Big Bash season, headlines the Stars Academy squad alongside Nick Larkin, Clint Hinchliffe, Sam Elliott, Xavier Crone and Tom O'Connell.

PNG's squad features 12 players with T20 World Cup experience from last year, including Tony Ura, who has hit the Barramundis' only T20 international century and owns five of their top seven scores in the format, three of which have come this year.

Top End T20

CA XI squad: Jason Sangha (c) (NSW), Sam Fanning (WA), Toby Gray (ACT), Caelan Maladay (NSW), Brad Hope (Tasmania), Josh Kann (Queensland), Dhruv Kant (NSW), Blake Macdonald (ACT), Mitch Owen (Tasmania), Sam Rahaley (SA), Corey Rocchiccioli (WA), Raveesh Srivastava (NSW)

NT Strike squad: Matthew Hammond (c), Ashley Chandrasinghe, Antum Naqvi, Dylan Brasher, Dean Fry, Tom Andrews (vc), Corey Kelly, Michael Kudra, Alex Bleakley, Hamish Martin, Tom Menzies, Ben Ellis, D’Arcy Short

Melbourne Renegades Academy squad: Mackenzie Harvey (c), Will Sutherland (c), Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tom Jackson, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Campbell Kellaway, Jack Lalor, Fergus O’Neill, Jack Prestwidge, Tom Rogers, James Seymour, Kyle Williamson

Melbourne Stars Academy squad: Liam Blackford, Brody Couch, Xavier Crone, Damon Egan, Sam Elliott, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Jai Lemire, Jono Merlo, Tom O'Connell, Tom O'Donnell, Tom Rogers, Brodie Symons

PNG squad: Assad Vala (c), Charles Amini (vc), Norman Vanua, Sese Bau, Tony Ura, Lega Siaka, Hiri Hiri, Hila Vare, Simon Atai, Kabua Vagi Morea, Chad Soper, Sema Kamea, Damien Ravu, Nosaina Pokana

Fixture

Thursday, August 11: NT Strike v CA XI, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Friday, August 12: CA XI v PNG, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Saturday, August 13: Renegades v Stars, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Sunday, August 14: NT Strike v Stars, Gardens Oval #1, 2.30pm

Monday, August 15: CA XI v Renegades, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Tuesday, August 16: Stars v PNG, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Wednesday, August 17: NT Strike v Renegades, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Thursday, August 18: CA XI v Stars, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Friday, August 19: NT Strike v PNG, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Saturday, August 20: Renegades v PNG, DXC Arena #1, 6pm

Sunday, August 21: Final, Gardens Oval, 2.30pm

*All times local

Matches will be live streamed via the MyCricket Facebook page and NT Cricket YouTube channel, and tickets can be purchased here.