BBL schedule for Test players confirmed

Allrounder Mitchell Marsh has been released to play in Perth's KFC BBL season opener on Thursday as he aims to force his way back into Australia's XI for the Boxing Day Test.

Assuming the current second Domain Test goes the distance, Cricket Australia has confirmed the XI playing in Perth won't be available for their BBL clubs before December 22 when the third Test squad assembles in Melbourne.

Those in the third Test squad won’t be available for BBL matches on December 22-24, with a decision on player availability after Christmas to be made when the XI for Boxing Day is confirmed.

The three non-playing members of the Test squad for the opening two Tests against India – Marsh, Peter Siddle and Chris Tremain – will be released to play in the BBL this week.

It means Siddle will be available to play in the BBL opener between his Adelaide Strikers and the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on Wednesday, while Marsh (Scorchers) and Tremain (Renegades) are free to play for their respective teams at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on Thursday.

Marsh, the Scorchers captain, played for Fremantle in Western Australia Premier Cricket on Saturday after he was overlooked for his home Test this week.

The allrounder was dropped for the opening Test of the series in favour of batsman Peter Handscomb, but skipper Tim Paine left the door open for Marsh to return to the side later in the series.

The Australians have opted for just four bowlers for the opening two Tests on pitches that have offered plenty of assistance, but they might need an extra bowling option if surfaces are flatter at the MCG and SCG.

"As this series wears on and you get to places where the wicket is a bit flatter and conditions a bit warmer and bowlers a little more tired, he might have more of a role to play," Paine said of Marsh ahead of the Adelaide Test.

"We'll send him back to Shield (cricket), get some more cricket under his belt knowing at some stage we're probably going to need him."

Handscomb has managed scores of 34, 14 and 7 so far in the series and could end the debate about Marsh's return with a big score in the second innings in Perth.

Having managed scores of 21 and 11 in his return to the JLT Sheffield Shield last week, Marsh said he was "shattered" to be dropped but added he understood he'd left himself vulnerable to the axe.

"I was obviously very disappointed to miss out in the first Test but I understood the reasons why," he said.

"Ultimately, you've got two ways to go about it – you can either sulk and go into your shell or you can put a smile on your face and enjoy the hard work, enjoy the challenge of getting back into that Test side.

"Every Test match you miss out on – it's shattering.

"I got plenty of messages of support. I cop a fair bit but I do have a lot of people who care about me and always have support for me."

Domain Test Series v India

Dec 6-10: First Test, Adelaide Oval, India won by 31 runs

Dec 14-18: Second Test, Perth Stadium

Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG

Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar