Mitchell Starc pulls out of next Sheffield Shield fixture after his father's demise

Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith have pulled out from New South Wales’ match against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, starting Thursday, February 25 at the Bankstown Oval. Starc has withdrawn his name after his father Paul passed away on Tuesday, February 23 following a battle with cancer. Starc had taken leave during the limited-overs series against India a couple of months ago.

Along with Starc, the speedster’s wife Alyssa Healy has also withdrawn her name from the New South Wales team from the next two WNCL fixtures. Starc had, however, returned for the four-match Test series against India after leaving the team’s bio-secure bubble for a brief while to spend time with his family.

Steve Smith having issues with elbow

Smith, on the other hand, won’t be a part of the game, which was relocated from Melbourne to Sydney, after his elbow issue flared up. The right-hander has kept his fingers crossed for the upcoming matches in the tournament.

“I have had some pain in my elbow that’s gradually worsened since the Test against India at the SCG and it requires some rest and rehab,” Smith was quoted as saying in ESPN.

“I am hoping I will be right to travel with the Blues to Adelaide for our games down there next week but we will have to see how it responds to treatment,” he added. Smith was recently picked to play for Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

David Warner won’t be available due to his groin injury, but on Tuesday, December 23, he stated that he was eyeing a return for the NSW’s match against South Australia in the Marsh Cup on March 4 in Adelaide.

Pat Cummins missed the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria. However, he is set to make his first appearance of the season. Josh Hazlewood has been given some rest.

In the meantime, Jason Sangha, who represented Australia in the 2018 U19 World Cup, has been included in NSW’s 13-man squad as a replacement for Starc and Smith.

New South Wales Shield squad: Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Daniel Solway, Liam Hatcher