Both the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades have shown interest in Australian quick Scott Boland for his services ahead of the upcoming BBL campaign, which gets underway this week.
Boland played for the Hobart Hurricanes until the end of last summer, but his contract expired at the end of BBL|11, and, the club, under new head of strategy and recruitment Ricky Ponting, elected not to keep Boland.
Boland has become one of the best bowlers in Australian cricket over the last 12 months, and played the second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide last week.
He will likely retain his place in Brisbane as well, with Josh Hazlewood ruled out. Boland and Michael Neser were the two players to come into the side in Adelaide, but only one will walk onto the Gabba against South Africa with captain Pat Cummins to return.
CODE Sports are reporting that uncertainty around workload issues, both during the summer and after it on the tours to India and England, have kept Boland from signing a deal, with the deadline for full-season contracts now passing.
There has been a major push from Cricket Australia to have every centrally contracted player linked up with a BBL club given the cancellation of a three-match ODI series against South Africa, which has left a substantial gap on the calendar for the national team following the New Year's Test against the Proteas.
Most of the top squad are now signed for the Big Bash League, with Steve Smith becoming the latest to put pen to paper, linking up with the Sydney Sixers for BBL|12.
Australia's next commitment following the home summer won't come until they tour India for four Tests and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February and March.
