Test Commitments Rule Out Marco Jansen from Upcoming MLC Season

Marco Jansen will not be part of the upcoming Major League Cricket season due to Test commitments that start with South Africa’s clash against Australia in next month’s World Test Championship final in London.

It was initially expected that the 25-year-old Jansen would only be unavailable at the beginning of an expanded 34-game MLC third edition, which runs from June 12 to July 13. But he will miss the entire season after South Africa’s two-Test series in Zimbabwe was pushed forward, with the series now starting on June 28 and scheduled to finish on July 10.

Jansen, the towering left-arm paceman and hard-hitting batter, was part of Washington Freedom’s squad in the MLC’s first two seasons and played a key role in their triumph last year.

An announcement on his replacement is expected by the team in the coming days. South Africa top-order batter Ryan Rickelton, who plays for Seattle Orcas, is also set to miss the entire MLC season.

“His presence with the new ball and in the field, and his power hitting with the bat when required, went a long way to helping us win last season.” Freedom said in a statement.

Jansen made his international debut in Test cricket in 2021 against India. He later debuted in ODIs in January 2022 and T20Is in June 2022, both against India. He featured in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and was part of South Africa’s squad that finished runners-up in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The WTC final, with South Africa qualifying for the decider for the first time, starts on June 11 at Lord’s.