BBL 2018-19: Hobart Hurricanes sweating over Tymal Mills' participation

England pacer Tymal Mills signed a two-year contract with Hobart Hurricanes in 2017 and as the team prepares to take part in the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy his availability continues to remain under the cloud. Mills has to clear the fitness test before a decision can be made as he suffered a quadricep strain which ruled him out of the T20 Blast in England. His last competitive outing was for Sussex 2nd XI in a T20 game against Gloucestershire 2nd XI in July.

He had a below par BBL last season and his performance in the final league match against cellar dwellers Melbourne Stars where he gave away 56 runs in his four overs cost him a place in the team for the semi-final and the final of the tournament. The Hurricanes want Mills to prove his fitness ahead of the BBL season 8 where they will play 14 home-and-away matches starting December.

Started with Heat

His first assignment in the Big Bash was with Brisbane Heat in 2016, an impressive show there earned him a lot of fame in the T20 circuit. Mills’ ability to clock 150 kmph on the speed gun and drop it down to 100 with his slower ones also got him a contract with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2017 as the second most expensive player of the tournament at Rs. 12 crore.

However, his performance in the previous season of the BBL where he could pick just 8 wickets in 10 matches with an economy close to 10 has raised doubts about his ability to deliver amidst the injury struggles.

Tasmania cricket chief concerned

Cricket Tasmania chief executive Nick Cummins said that they are concerned with regards to Mills’ availability as he is expected to join the team in the UAE.

“We are slightly concerned and it certainly puts a lot of onus on him in what he needs to do in his preparation,” Cummins told News Corp. “He is going to be coming with us to the UAE. But he needs to get the miles in his legs, he will need to do that. It might involve him coming to Australia earlier, I’m not quite sure just yet,” he added.

Cummins thinks the fact that Mills hasn’t played a lot of cricket apart from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the second XI T20 is a concern and thus they want him to join the team as soon as possible.

“The reason why he struggled while he was here was he didn’t have enough cricket behind him,” said Cummins.

“I think we can predict the outcome if he arrives in a similar situation.

“The fact he hasn’t played is a concern.”

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