Having not played for his state at all this summer, Jackson Bird is set to be sidelined from the KFC BBL|11 until Christmas as he battles an Achilles injury
Sydney Sixers to start three-peat quest without star seamer
Sydney Sixers will be without star swing bowler Jackson Bird as they begin their quest for a third straight KFC BBL title when the season gets underway early next month.
The 34-year-old quick hasn't played for his state side, the Tasmanian Tigers, at all this summer after injuring his Achilles tendon on the eve of the season.
The Sixers expect Bird to be out until around Christmas meaning he could miss the first five games of the BBL|11 season.
Tigers interim head coach Ali de Winter confirmed on Thursday the right-armer wouldn't play for Tasmania until next year after the Big Bash concludes.
"He's still battling away with his Achilles issues," de Winter said ahead of Tasmania's Marsh Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at Blundstone Arena starting Sunday.
"We just hope to work through the Big Bash period to make sure he's right to go for the back end of the summer for us.
"I'm confident (he'll be right for after the BBL), that's not a medical opinion, but he's had a really good pre-season, just a hiccup right at the start of the summer, so we're just hoping we can work through all those challenges and get him, Nathan Ellis and Matthew Wade back around our group so we can have a push for finals cricket."
Bird is coming off a prolific past five seasons in the Sheffield Shield as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 150 scalps. He also boasts an impressive BBL record with 57 wickets across 10 seasons and a career economy rate of 7.45.
He took seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.41 in BBL|10, including 2-14 in the final against the Perth Scorchers as the Sixers claimed back-to-back titles.
The Sixers are also set to lose Australian spinner Nathan Lyon and Australia A representative Sean Abbott ahead of the opening game of BBL|11 against the Melbourne Stars on December 5.
The Test off-spinner will likely only be available after the Ashes concludes in Perth on January 18, while Abbott is set to miss at least the first three games for the Sixers as the Australia A squad faces off against the England Lions in Brisbane from December 9-11.
Meanwhile, Jordan Silk is set to captain Tasmania in this weekend's Sheffield Shield match with regular skipper Beau Webster to miss the clash with a side strain.
Coach de Winter said Sam Rainbird had been included in the squad of 12 after returning from injury and seam-bowling allrounder Brad Hope was in line to debut for the Tigers.