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BBL 2020/2021: Melbourne Stars signs Andre Fletcher to replace Jonny Bairstow

Melbourne Stars has signed the West Indies wicket-keeper batsman Andre Fletcher for the forthcoming edition of the Big Bash T20 league. The announcement of signing Fletcher came after Jonny Bairstow made himself unavailable for the season due to national duty.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had called-up Jonny Bairstow for the upcoming Sri Lanka Test series. England will be touring the Island nation in January to complete the two-test series, which was postponed due to the pandemic outbreak in March 2020.

Stars acted quickly and agreed a deal with Fletcher to replace Bairstow. The 33-year-old right-hander batsman is well known for his explosive batting style. Fletcher has so far played 25 ODIs and 45 T20Is games for West Indies. He was also an integral part of the 2016 World T20 winning squad. Apart from good record with national team, Fletcher has featured in more than 200 T20 games. He will be hoping to do well in BBL after achieving success in other T20 leagues across the globe.

David Hussey, Head Coach, Melbourne Stars, said, “We’re naturally disappointed about Jonny but we’re glad Andre was in a position to join us and he’ll bring plenty of power and entertainment at the top of the batting order. Andre knows what it takes to succeed in major tournaments and I’m confident he’ll be a great asset around our group.”

Fletcher is currently in New Zealand with his national squad for the Test matches. He would be joining the Stars team on January 26. The players travelling from New Zealand to Australia won’t need to undergo any quarantine as per the Covid-19 travel agreement between the two nations.

Andre Fletcher was delighted to sign for Stars. He said, “I’m really looking forward to coming over to the Melbourne Stars and being part of what should be an exciting season ahead. Hopefully, I can bring my brand of batting and recent form to the Stars during the BBL.”

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