MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 31: Steve Smith of the 6ers in action during Big Bash League Finals match between the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Sixers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 31, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)
Smith Smith is still an outside chance of playing the Big Bash League final, with the Sydney Sixers reportedly making a third submission for him to play.
Cricket Australia, using their rules and then a vote held amongst other states and teams, have already blocked the Sixers from registering Smith for the finals series twice.
Smith didn't sign a contract with the Sixers at the start of the year as some other Australian players did with other teams owing to the scheduled New Zealand white ball tour at the end of the Big Bash which would have left him unable to play a single game.
But with that tour postponed and the Sixers battling a mass injury and COVID-crisis, they attempted to have Smith registered.
Cricket Australia knocked it back flat on the basis that he wasn't registered and wasn't part of the recently created local player replacement pool to ensure games could continue despite mass COVID numbers decimating teams.
But it's understood the Sixers are on the cusp of not being able to field a team for Friday night's final, with at least one of Moises Henriques (calf), Daniel Hughes (ankle) and Jack Edwards (covid) needing to be able to play.
According to Fox Sports, Edwards will need government permission to exit quarantine, while Henriques and Huighes' fitness is up in the air.
Moises Henriques said he didn't know whether Smith would be able to play or not.
“We’ve definitely asked to bring him into the pool. Whether that gets across the line or not, I don’t know,” he said.
“It depends how deep the Covid pool is that they currently have in place, whether the players in that have been exhausted or not, and whether other teams agree I don‘t know, to be honest.
“At this stage, unless we can get Steve, I‘m not sure there’s anyone left in the pool that we’d want to bring in, so we’ll look within and look at our own resources before looking out.”
It follows an admission yesterday made by BBL general manager Alistair Dobson that he would love Smith to play, but that process would be followed in determining his eligibility for the Sixers.
The BBL final will be played on Friday evening at Marvel Stadium between the Sixers and Perth Scorchers.