BBL: Stars drop Haris Rauf again but return likely

Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf has been dropped from the Melbourne Star squad for their match against the Melbourne Renegades at the MCG on Saturday.

Rauf has grabbed the headlines with his sensational fast-bowling, 10 wickets at an average of 7.1, despite playing only three games out of a possible five.

The quick right-armer was added to the Stars squad in place of Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, for their match against Sydney Thunder on Thursday, who was rested due to an injury.

It must be noted that the 26-year-old pacer was earlier removed from the Stars’ contingent after the arrival of South Africa’s fast-bowler Dale Steyn, despite a dream start to the tournament — which saw him pick seven wickets in two games including a five-wicket haul.

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The match against Renegades will be Steyn's final game for the season with young English pacer Pat Brown already locked in as his replacement, while Lamichhane is expected to return on Saturday and be available for the remainder of the summer — which means that Rauf will have to make way once again for Saturday’s fixture.    

Brown's selection for England's ODI and T20I squads for series against South Africa could potentially mean that he will miss the BBL finals, which makes Rauf’s return likely as the Stars should finish inside the top five.

The Stars' final regular match is on January 25, with the BBL finals are set to begin on January 30. BBL clubs are allowed to play only two international players per game but can have up to six on their roster during the season.