Ellis to miss BBL Knockout final with injury

Hobart Hurricanes have suffered a major blow with captain Nathan Ellis ruled out of the BBL Knockout final against Melbourne Stars.

Hurricanes said that Ellis picked up an injury against Brisbane Heat but did not specify the nature of the problem. They added his availability for the remainder of the finals "will be determined over the coming days".

Hurricanes' tournament could end on Wednesday if they are defeated by Stars but victory or a washout - and there is some rain forecast - would see them to progress to the Challenger final on Friday against either Perth Scorchers or Sydney Sixers.

Ellis is Hurricanes' leading wicket-taker for the tournament with 14 at 21.28 and an economy rate of 9.03, operating at key phases of the game including the powerplay, power surge and the death.

Ben McDermott will captain Hurricanes in Ellis' absence. Their defeat to Brisbane Heat, when they had the chase comfortably under control before Zaman Khan defended six off the last over, meant they gave up the chance to host the Qualifier final.

On Monday, Australia's selectors announced that Ellis would be rested, alongside Glenn Maxwell, for the three-match T20I series in Pakistan which acts as preparation for next month's World Cup. Ellis has become a key part of Australia's T20 attack

Chair of selectors George Bailey was asked if there were any injury concerns for the pair.

"No, I hope not," he said. "They've got a busy, well, one of them is going to have a busy few days with hopefully two or three games in four or five days. So a busy back end to the tournament.

"I think like nearly every tournament that we head to, particularly when it's a really busy time of the year as this one is, it's very much working with individuals around making sure that they get the … best preparation they can to make sure that when they do join that World Cup squad, they're ready to perform."

Hurricanes will also be without Rehan Ahmed, who has left for England duty in Sri Lanka. Tim David has been absent since picking up a hamstring injury on Boxing Day.