Cliff Notes – BBL champions Hurricanes invited to play in Guyana’s Global Super League
- The Hobart Hurricanes, following their BBL championship win, will represent Australia in the Global Super League (GSL) in Guyana, scheduled for July.
- Cricket Tasmania aims to field a competitive squad despite potential player unavailability due to overlapping international commitments, including the T20I series against West Indies.
- Cricket Victoria’s positive experience in last year’s GSL highlights the tournament’s potential, with hopes for future developments and a preference for teams to play in Big Bash colours.
BBL champions Hurricanes invited to play in Guyana’s Global Super League
Reigning BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes look set to send a team to the Global Super League in Guyana with the tournament being moved to July this year.
Hurricanes, who are run by cricket Tasmania, have been invited to play in the GSL after winning the BBL for the first time this January. They would be the second team from Australia to compete in the tournament after cricket Victoria sent a team – that played in state colours – to last year’s tournament, which was played in December.
Victoria finished second with a team that was captained by former New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson and featured current Netherlands captain Scott Edwards, as well as a handful of development players as the tournament fell during Australia’s domestic season.
ESPNcricinfo understands that cricket Tasmania will send a team to play under the Hurricanes name and will field as strong a squad as they can put out. The tournament is set to be played during Australia’s Test tour of the Caribbean in July and just prior to Australia’s five-match T20I series against West Indies that immediately follows.
Hurricanes have signed Australia Test allrounder Beau Webster, but he might be ruled him out if he tours the Caribbean. Australia T20I regulars Nathan Ellis and Tim David are likely to be part of the West Indies T20I tour. Riley Meredith is another who might be considered for that series.
David is yet to re-sign with Hurricanes in the BBL but is expected to. It is understood cricket Tasmania has asked cricket Australia about the availability of both Ellis and David for the GSL but Ellis, who unlike David is CA contracted, could be held out to remain fresh for the T20I series with Australia’s three-format quicks likely to be rested after the World Test Championship final and three Tests in the Caribbean.
It is understood that David could also qualify to play for last year’s GSL champions Rangpur Riders after playing one game for them in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League.
The dates of the GSL tournament may move again in future years with suggestions it could be played in February. Such a move would make it very difficult for Australian teams to compete. Western Australia/Perth Scorchers had been invited to play last year but declined due to the December timing.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins said his team had a great experience and hoped the tournament would evolve further.
“It was amazing,” Cummins told ESPNcricinfo. “We were really impressed with how they ran the tournament, the quality of the cricket and the quality of the wickets. I’ve long been an advocate for bringing back the Champions League, and I’d really love to see that take place and, at the moment, the GSL is the closest thing that cricket‘s got to that.
“I think they prefer that we’re playing in Big Bash colours rather than state colours and hopefully that’s something that evolves too.”