BBL 2023-24: Ace pacer Joel Paris joins Melbourne Stars

Left-arm pacer Joel Paris has signed in favour of Melbourne Stars for the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League. The West Australian pacer represented Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes in the past and thus, Melbourne Stars will be his third franchise in the competition. He had a stellar season in the last edition of the Sheffield Shield and thus, the Stars were keen to get him on board, especially after having a very disappointing season last time around.

Meanwhile, his T20 record is not up to the mark and that remains a concern. In the last 10 years, Paris played only 37 matches in the BBL as he failed to create any significant impact. However, with Trent Boult and Luke Wood not confirmed to make their return, Stars wanted to bolster their pace department and hence, signed Paris for the upcoming season.

“We identified a need for more left armers who could swing the ball in our team so to secure someone of Joel's experience is fantastic for the squad. He has been part of a very successful system in Perth for a number of years and knows what success looks like and we hope he can emulate that during his time as part of the Stars,” general manager of Stars Blair Crouch was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Meanwhile, the Stars have also signed Scott Boland for the upcoming season. The Australia red-ball specialist has had a sensational year in international cricket and will be hoping to continue in the same manner in the BBL. On the other hand, Nathan Coulter Nile is expected to extend his Stars contract by one year.

Brisbane Heat re-signs Marnus Labuschagne

Last year’s finalists, Brisbane Heat have re-signed Marnus Labuschagne for another season under the BBL's new marquee supplementary list. Under the new law, BBL franchises will be able to contract as many centrally contracted players as they want but the deal needs to be inside the AUD$3 million salary cap for their regular 18-man roster. 

Meanwhile, head coach Wade Seccombe was delighted after getting Marnus on board as he believes that the cricketer has had a massive impact in the dressing room previously and is happy that will continue ahead in a similar manner. 

“We have seen the enormous impact that Marnus can have not only on a match, but more importantly on a season and on the entire squad, even if he's only available for a few games, so we treated his re-signing as a priority,” Wade Seccombe said.