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Nathan Lyon set to skip end of BBL season

Scott BaileyAAP
Test star Nathan Lyon has ruled himself out of an end-season BBL cameo with the Sydney Sixers.
Camera IconTest star Nathan Lyon has ruled himself out of an end-season BBL cameo with the Sydney Sixers.

Nathan Lyon and Cameron Green will miss the end of the BBL season as Cricket Australia received border exemptions to return Test players back to their clubs.

BBL clubs are expected to start welcoming back Test players from as soon as Thursday night, after uncertainty over borders clouded their availability.

But the bowlers won't return after a tough end to the Test summer.

Lyon has told the first-placed Sydney Sixers he will skip the end of the tournament because he is desperate to spend time with his family.

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Fellow Sixer Mitchell Starc will also miss at least the first few games back, after heading straight to Sydney for scans on his leg.

If fit, the left-armer could come back for the club in the finals in what would be his first BBL match since 2015.

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Green will also miss the end of the tournament for the Perth Scorchers, after returning to Western Australia for a rest while spending in 14 days of quarantine.

But otherwise, it's anticipated the majority of players will be made available from as soon as Thursday night.

CA on Wednesday made the move to fly all BBL-bound players from Brisbane to Melbourne after gaining exemptions into Victoria.

All players were tested for COVID-19, and those who play in Adelaide this week have since been given exemptions to enter South Australia on Wednesday night.

There, they will need to pass another test before playing.

However it's expected Michael Neser, Travis Head (Adelaide) and Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane) will be cleared in time to face off on Thursday night.

The Sixers will then be able to roll out Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott for Friday's match against the Sydney Thunder.

Matthew Wade will also make his return for Hobart against Perth on Friday night, but it is unclear whether Tim Paine will be called into the Hurricanes side.

Paine has not played a Twenty20 match in almost three years and Hobart already have a squad atacked with wicketkeepers.

Renegades opener Marcus Harris will also be available from Saturday, given he was already set to miss Wednesday's derby with the Melbourne Stars.

James Pattinson however won't be fit and nor will Will Pucovski for the Stars.

Fellow Test squad members Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and David Warner don't have BBL contracts.

It comes as CA confirmed that the January 26 match between Perth and Brisbane would be played in Adelaide, after it had to be moved from Sydney for COVID-19 reasons.

The start of the women's 50-over competition has also been pushed back to January 30 due to border closures.

WHERE AUSTRALIA'S TEST SQUAD WILL GO

Hurricanes: Tim Paine, Matthew Wade

Heat: Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Swepson

Sixers: Moises Henriques, Sean Abbott

Strikers: Travis Head, Michael Neser

Renegades: Marcus Harris

Rested/injured: Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon (Sixers), Will Pucovski (Stars), James Pattinson (Renegades) Cameron Green (Scorchers)

Uncontracted: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, David Warner

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