Rauf returns to boost BBL's overseas contingent

Pakistani pace sensation Haris Rauf is set to return to the KFC BBL tonight in a further boost to the competition's international stocks for the second half of the tournament.

Rauf joined the Stars' squad on the Gold Coast last night and is expected to be named in their side to take on the Brisbane Heat at Metricon Stadium tonight.

And given a shortage of international flights and border complications at both a state and international level are making moving across the globe difficult, a handful of BBL imports may stay in Australia for longer than originally planned.

The game against the Heat is meant to be the end of Nicholas Pooran's six-game stint with the Stars, but it's understood the powerful left-hander may remain in Australia beyond tonight's match.

Pooran, one of several West Indies players to withdraw from their upcoming tour of Bangladesh due to health concerns, had planned to return home to Trinidad before flying to the UAE for the T10 League that starts on January 28, but his movements over the next few weeks are not yet clear. The Trinidadian government currently requires all visitors from overseas to quarantine in their homes for 14 days upon arrival.

Afghanistan's series against Ireland in the UAE has also been delayed due to visa and quarantine issues and will now begin on January 21, meaning Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will stay in the BBL for longer than initially thought.

It had been expected that Colin Ingram's stint with the Hobart Hurricanes would have ended by now, but the left-hander will stay with the club until at least their match on January 12 and there's a possibility he will remain in Australia beyond that game.

There is confusion, too, over the availability of some of players for the T10 League, which was initially scheduled for last November but will instead be played from January 28 to February 6, during the BBL Finals.

Eleven BBL players were signed up to play in the original November tournament but English trio Sam Billings, Alex Hales and Phil Salt are among those who have committed to their respective clubs for the whole BBL campaign.

Rauf replaces Afghan spinner Zahir Khan as the Stars' third international on their list alongside West Indian pair Pooran and Andre Fletcher. Zahir will remain in the country and is expected to play a role later in the tournament depending on the availability of Pooran and Fletcher, who have both signed up for the T10 League.

English veteran Luke Wright, who is an assistant coach with the Stars but still plays domestic cricket in England, is another international player the Stars could call on later in the tournament if required.

Rauf, who took the competition by storm last season having been plucked out of Tasmanian club cricket, arrived direct from a bio-secure hub in New Zealand, meaning he didn’t have quarantine upon his arrival in Australia.

He played three T20 internationals against NZ last month and has also played five games for Pakistan A since Christmas, meaning he's had no shortage of match practice as he returns to a pace attack that’s still without injured spearhead Nathan Coulter-Nile.