Rauf departure leaves Stars short of overseas options

UPDATE: Pakistan pace ace Haris Rauf will play no further part in the KFC BBL this season, with the Melbourne Stars set to have just one overseas player at their disposal for their push for the finals.

But the Stars are set to be boosted by the return from injury of pace ace Nathan Coulter-Nile, who will miss tomorrow night's Melbourne derby against the Renegades but is poised to make his comeback in the latter stages of the season.

Rauf, who was unable to recapture his red-hot form of last season in three games for the Stars in BBL|10, was yesterday named in Pakistan's Test squad for their upcoming home series against South Africa.

The Pakistan squad will enter a bio-secure bubble in Karachi on Tuesday ahead of the first Test on January 26 and Rauf will depart Australia this weekend, meaning he will miss the derby at the MCG.

There is also uncertainty over the immediate future of West Indian Andre Fletcher, who is contracted to play in the upcoming T10 League in Abu Dhabi, which runs from January 28 to February 6 and clashes with the BBL finals.

Fletcher, who hit top form at the MCG last night, is scheduled to play three more games for the Stars before departing after their match against the Perth Scorchers on January 23.

However, the opener flagged on Friday night that he was keen to stay with the Stars for the rest of the season.

"I'm not too sure," he conceded. "I'll have a think about it, speak to my agent. I would love to stay."

The departures of both Rauf and Fletcher would leave the Stars with only one import on their list, Afghan spinner Zahir Khan, who is available for the entire tournament.

It had been rumoured that assistant coach Luke Wright, who still plays professionally in England, was poised to make a playing return for the Stars, but he too will soon leave for the T10 League.

West Indian Nicholas Pooran has already departed and will captain one of the franchises in the T10 League, while Pakistan quick Dilbar Hussain suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament.

There are currently no plans for any international replacement players to be named by the Stars, but they have already added Dandenong batsman Ed Newman to their squad, with Essendon's Jimmy Seymour expected to join shortly.

The big-money T10 tournament was originally scheduled for last November but was postponed due to the pandemic and shifted to the window that clashes directly with the BBL finals.

It has affected several players who hold contracts in both competitions, but it's understood Sydney Thunder pair Alex Hales and Sam Billings as well as Adelaide Strikers opener Phil Salt will stay in Australia until their BBL commitments are over.

Australian Ben Dunk, who this week parted with the Stars by mutual agreement, is also contracted to play in the T10 League.

While the departure of Rauf is undoubtedly a blow for the Stars, who moved to fourth spot thanks to their big win over the Strikers last night, the return of Coulter-Nile will be a significant boost.

The right-armer has not played since Boxing Day due to a calf problem and while he's not been named in the squad for the clash against the Renegades, he's expected to return to full fitness shortly.

The Stars are in the middle of a log jam in the race for finals spots, one of six teams separated by just four points on the ladder.

An earlier version of this story said Coulter-Nile was a chance to play against the Renegades on Sunday, but he has since been ruled out