Marsh, Short must finish BBL before joining SA20, says Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia has confirmed Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Short will receive No Objection Certificates to play in the SA20 only after completing their Big Bash League commitments. Any extended BBL campaign could further delay their departure for South Africa

Melbourne: Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed that Australia’s men’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh and batting all-rounder Matthew Short will be granted No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to participate in the SA20 only after completing their respective Big Bash League (BBL) commitments.

Marsh and Short were announced as marquee signings for the upcoming season of SA20 by joining Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Pretoria Capitals respectively. The SA20 is scheduled to get underway on January 17, 2027, just a day after Short’s Adelaide Strikers host Marsh’s Perth Scorchers in the final match of the BBL season 16 league stage.

---

However, CA reiterated that clearance for foreign leagues remains subject to national board approval under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, regardless of a player’s contract status.

“CA said the pair would only be granted a ‘No Objection Certificate’ once their BBL 16 commitments with their respective teams have concluded,” said a report in cricket.com.au on Friday.

Short, who opted to go freelance after his national contract was not renewed for the 2026/27 season, will still require the clearance alongside Marsh. A Perth Scorchers spokesperson also said in the report that Marsh would remain ‘with Perth until the season ends, whatever stage of the tournament that is.’

Should either Perth or Adelaide qualify for the BBL finals, scheduled to be played from January 19 to 26, their departure for South Africa will be delayed further. Both players enter the upcoming domestic summer in rich form.

Marsh, who signed a three-year extension with the Scorchers till BBL season 17, enjoyed a stellar run in the previous Big Bash edition, scoring 360 runs to propel the side to a record sixth title. He followed it up with 563 runs for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 and has made a blistering start in The Hundred for the Sunrisers Leeds with 290 runs in five innings.

Short, meanwhile, has also been in great touch, hitting consecutive half-centuries for Welsh Fire in The Hundred following a dominant run in Major League Cricket, where he smashed unbeaten scores of 94 and 121 in the playoffs for San Francisco Unicorns.