Ashes stars rest up for start of domestic season

The NSW Blues will be hit the hardest when Australia's Ashes stars take a well-earned rest and miss the start of the Marsh One Day Cup this weekend.

It’s already been confirmed that 12 of Australia’s 17-man Ashes squad will be rested for the opening matches of the 50-over competition on September 21-26, although those players could become available later in the tournament.

The only doubts are about whether WA duo Mitch Marsh and Cameron Bancroft will be rested as well or thrust straight back into action for Saturday's season-opener against Victoria at the WACA Ground, and if Queensland trio Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser will play for the Bulls. The Warriors and Bulls, who host the opening round of games, are yet to name their squads for the first week of the tournament.

It means NSW will be without Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon when they take on the Bulls at Allan Border Field this Sunday and South Australia four days later.

Those absences could pave the way for Nick Bertus, Matthew Gilkes, Liam Hatcher and Nathan McAndrew to make their one-day debuts for the Blues, with the leadership duties left to the likes of Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Moises Henriques, and Sean Abbott.

Defending champions Victoria will be without Marcus Harris, Peter Siddle, and James Pattinson when they take on WA at the WACA Ground on Saturday and then Tasmania at the same venue two days later.

But the Vics will still boast plenty of international talent, with Peter Handscomb, Aaron Finch, and Glenn Maxwell headlining a strong squad that also features rising star Will Pucovski.

For South Australia, Jake Lehmann will captain the side while Travis Head rests. Teenage leg-spinner Lloyd Pope could make his debut in matches against Queensland and NSW in Brisbane next week.

James Faulkner is in line to play his first game for Tasmania since 2017 after being named in the Tigers' squad for matches against Victoria and WA in Perth.

Tasmania will be without Test captain Tim Paine and Matthew Wade for those two matches, with Jordan Silk to captain the side in their absence.

The Warriors are confident veteran Shaun Marsh will recover from a finger injury in time to take on Victoria on Saturday.

His presence will be even more crucial if Mitch Marsh and Bancroft are rested, with a decision on the duo to be made later this week.

The 2019 Marsh One-Day Cup will be shown across Fox Cricket and Kayo, while some matches will be live streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app. Check out the full fixture and broadcast details here