Australian Twenty20 captain George Bailey will be rested from Sheffield Shield action as he prepares for the short form’s World Cup.
Bailey has been left out of Tasmania’s side for the Shield clash with Queensland beginning at Bellerive on Thursday on the orders of Cricket Australia, and won’t play for the Tigers again this season.
The 31-year-old played five Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals against England this summer and has battled a hip flexor strain.
“I would have loved him to play but I totally understand where he’s at at the moment,” Tasmania coach Dan Marsh told reporters in Hobart.
“He’s hobbling around and he needs a rest before the T20 World Cup.”
Bailey, who made 83 in Tasmania’s loss to Western Australia last week, will next play in the first of three T20Is against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in two-and-a-half weeks.
Australia’s first match of the ICC World T20 is on March 23 against Pakistan.
Joining the skipper in South Africa is likely to be Tasmanian allrounder James Faulkner, who is recovering from a knee injury that forced him out of the Test tour.
“He probably won’t play in the T20s in South Africa,” Marsh said.
“He might play the last game.
“But then he’s looking to play in the T20 World Cup.”
Bailey and Faulkner join Alex Doolan (Test duty), Jordan Silk (shin) and Luke Butterworth (quad) in being unavailable for the Tigers, whose Shield defence is as good as over after just one outright win.
They will hand rookie Beau Webster a debut against the Bulls.
Fourth-placed Queensland are without the in-form Usman Khawaja (hamstring) and Australian T20 representative Chris Lynn (rib).
Marsh conceded hopes of repeating the Ricky Ponting-inspired charge to the title last year were fading.
“Not that we’ve written it off but I think it’s a good opportunity to play (a debutant),” he said.
“I just want us to be start playing some good, consistent cricket.”
Tasmania: Tim Paine (capt), Steve Cazzulino, Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan, Xavier Doherty, Ben Dunk, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Sam Rainbird, Beau Webster, Jon Wells (12th man TBA).
Queensland: James Hopes (capt), Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Chris Hartley, Alister McDermott, Dominic Michael, Luke Pomersbach, Nick Stevens (12th man TBA).
