Six England players have been asked by the English Cricket Board to leave the Big Bash League this week and fly home early to isolate ahead of the national team’s T20I tour of the West Indies.The six players that will have to fly out on Friday are Sam Billings (Sydney Thunder), George Garton (Adelaide Strikers), Tymal Mills (Perth Scorchers), Reece Topley (Melbourne Renegades), Saqib Mahmood (Sydney Thunder) and James Vince (Sydney Sixers).
Sunday's game will be Billings and Mahmood's final appearance for the Sydney club – Garton was named an X-factor sub for the Strikers for the same game – while Mills likely signed off during Perth's victory over Melbourne Stars earlier the same day. English signings Tom Abell and Ben Duckett (Brisbane Heat), Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson (Hobart Hurricanes), Joe Clarke (Melbourne Stars), Laurie Evans (Perth Scorchers) and Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder) weren't selected in the squad and will be able to remain with their BBL clubs for the remainder of the season. Billings is a particularly big loss for the Thunder, having hit blistering knocks of 64 and 69 against the Heat and the Scorchers late last month, while 24-year-old speedster Mahmood nabbed 4-22 in a stunning debut against the Heat.
