Stars add pace boost with Milne recruit

New Zealand firebrand Adam Milne will suit up for the Melbourne Stars in the opening stages of the Big Bash season after signing with the club as an international replacement player.

Milne, the 32-year-old right-arm veteran of more than 100 limited-overs internationals for the Black Caps, has been signed for the first three matches.

Leg spinner Usama Mir will join the squad after Christmas  and is required to remain in Pakistan for domestic commitments. Pakistan are set to play white-ball matches against South Africa in the lead-up to Christmas, but Mir was not named in the touring party.

The switch from leg spinner to pace bowler represents something of a change of tact for the Stars and is a much-needed reinforcement for the Stars squad which boasts Brody Couch, Joel Paris and Mark Steketee in their fast bowling stocks.

“To be able to secure someone of Adam’s talent and experience is a huge boost for the squad for the first three games,” said Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch.

“Adam knows Australian conditions well, we value what he will add to the squad and we look forward to seeing what he can produce.”

Milne last played a T20 international for New Zealand against Australia in February, taking the wicket of Steve Smith in the third match.

He has most recently been playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 league, and played 12 games for the Sydney Thunder in BBL|10 during the 2020-21 summer where he netted five wickets with an economy of 7.56.

Milne is the second international replacement for the Stars who have already inked a deal with Joe Clarke to return to the club to fill in for No.1 draft pick Ben Duckett, who will be across the Tasman on Test duty with England when BBL|14 begins.

Ducket will miss the first two games due to the third Test of England’s tour of New Zealand.

The Renegades are also impacted by the Test series with allrounder Jacob Bethell making his Test debut in the series.

The Renegades have announced Pakistan-born allrounder Hassan Khan as their replacement player, a 25-year-old spin bowling allrounder who captained Pakistan in the 2018 U19 World Cup that was named the best domestic player at this year’s Major League Cricket tournament.

The power-hitting left-arm spinner took 10 wickets and scored 204 runs at a strike rate of 143.70 across nine games for the San Francisco Unicorns.

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