Australia white-ball stars' time in The Hundred to be curtailed by Zimbabwe series, ECB confirm

Cricket Australia have yet to confirm the details for the series, in a statement to The Cricketer, the ECB acknowledged that the players selected for those matches would only be able to feature in "the first five or six" games of The Hundred

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Several Australian superstars could miss half of the first season of The Hundred to play in one-day internationals against Zimbabwe.

Players including Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell may have to leave the UK after just over a fortnight of the campaign in order to report for a training camp back in Australia from August 4.

Cricket Australia have yet to confirm the details for the series against Zimbabwe but, in a statement to The Cricketer, the ECB acknowledged that the players selected for those matches would only be able to feature in "the first five or six" games in The Hundred.

Smith and Starc are due to represent Welsh Fire, Maxwell has been picked by London Spirit, Warner was selected by Southern Brave, while the Zimbabwe series could affect Northern Superchargers captain Aaron Finch, Adam Zampa (Birmingham Phoenix), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Trent Rockets), D'Arcy Short (Trent Rockets) and Chris Lynn (Northern Superchargers).

"We have been delighted at the strong level of interest The Hundred has received globally with many of the world’s best cricketers taking part in this year’s competition," an ECB spokesperson said.

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"We have been in continued dialogue with Cricket Australia over the past weeks as they finalise their schedule with Zimbabwe.

"The Australian players selected in the squad for that series will be asked by Cricket Australia to report back by August 4. As a result they will be available for the first five or six matches of The Hundred. 

"Teams will have the ability to replace players who are unavailable in due course. We will be excited to welcome additional international stars to The Hundred alongside the world-class cricketers who will be available to play throughout the first season."

Franchises are allowed to replace players who are forced to miss part or all of the competition. Their replacements must have originally been available for the draft, and had a reserve price equal to or less than the departing player's. 

Some of the Australian players' agents have voiced frustration at the likelihood their clients will miss much of the inaugural staging of the tournament, but Cricket Australia have emphasised that the potential for the fixture clash was known prior to the competition's draft.