Hurricanes lose skipper Nathan Ellis for the entire Finals week as the pacer hasn’t recovered from hamstring tightness.
The Hobart Hurricanes’ ambitions of winning back-to-back titles have been severely damaged as captain Nathan Ellis will miss the rest of the BBL finals due to a hamstring injury.
The Hurricanes will play the Sydney Sixers at the SCG on Friday night. The victorious team will play the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium on Sunday in the decider.
Ellis sustained the injury against Brisbane Heat, therefore he was unable to play in the Knockout final against Melbourne Stars, which the Hurricanes managed to win by three runs. However, he travelled to Sydney in the hopes of being able to play. But only hours before the game, he was cut off the team, and Charlie Wakim, a batter, was named in his place. In Ellis’ absence, the Hurricanes will be led by Ben McDermott.
“Hobart Hurricanes can confirm that skipper Nathan Ellis will miss the remainder of the BBL season and the BBL15 finals due to hamstring tightness,” the club said in a statement. “Ellis, who missed the Knockout on Wednesday night, was aiming to return for the final two matches of the BBL finals but was unfortunately unable to overcome the injury.”
Ellis, the top wicket-taker for the Hurricanes at the moment, had already been rested from Australia’s three-match Twenty20 International series in Pakistan, which begins next week ahead of the T20 World Cup. However, his continued injury will be a worry going into the tournament, where he will play a crucial role in the pace attack.
Chris Jordan’s participation in the Challenger final versus the Sixers is still up in the air. After batting for one delivery at the end of the innings and maybe aggravating a prior injury, he did not bowl or field against Stars.