Clarke back in green with No.1 pick to miss start of BBL|14

Melbourne Stars have scored an early win over their crosstown rivals ahead of KFC BBL|14 after securing the return of English wicketkeeper-batter Joe Clarke.

Clarke, a Stars two-time player of the season before jumping ship to the Renegades last summer, has been signed as an overseas replacement player for countryman Ben Duckett.

The England opener and this year's No.1 draft pick will miss the first two games of BBL|14 due to his side's Test tour of New Zealand.

Melbourne Stars squad for BBL|14 (so far): Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Tom Curran (England), Ben Duckett (England), Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Jon Merlo, Usama Mir (Pakistan), Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Doug Warren, Beau Webster. Signed replacement player: Joe Clarke (England)

England will play three Tests across the Tasman in Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton beginning on November 28 and concluding on December 18, ruling Duckett out of the Stars' season opener against Perth Scorchers (December 15) and their first home match against Brisbane Heat (December 18).

The Renegades are also set to be impacted by the Test series with uncapped allrounder Jacob Bethell named in England's Test squad.

The Barbados-born left-hander who moved to England aged 12 to take up a scholarship at Rugby School, Bethell was taken with pick 10 by the 'Gades in September's BBL|14 overseas player draft and has turned heads since his T20 international debut against Australia in September, hitting two half-centuries in his six games and striking at 168 runs per 100 balls.

Adelaide Strikers will also be missing England No.3 Ollie Pope for at least their first game against Sydney Thunder on December 17. The Strikers and Renegades are yet to name replacement players.

Clarke scored 800 runs in two seasons for the Stars before being poached by the Renegades as a non-draft signing for BBL|13. He endured a tougher time in red with a top score of 38 in his six appearances.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to the MCG and hopefully playing a part in getting the lads off to a fast start in BBL|14," Clarke said today.

Clarke has scored just one T20 half-century in 2024 during stints in the ILT20, T20 Blast and Hundred but Stars general manager Blair Crouch said he was a proven performer in the Big Bash.

"Joe's a great person for the group, he knows the playing group well and we all saw his ability with the bat to open the season at the MCG in BBL|12 where he scored a century so we're looking forward to seeing him back at the MCG," Crouch said.

The Stars will be out to continue their upwards trajectory in BBL|14 in their second season under coach Peter Moores and will have a new captain with Marcus Stoinis understood to be in line to take over from Glenn Maxwell.

They won four games on the bounce through the middle of last summer's tournament, but disappointing losses to Sydney Sixers, Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes to finish the season consigned them to a fourth straight season without finals.

Maxwell stepped down as captain following their final-game defeat to the Hurricanes to focus on his playing role this summer.

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