Melbourne Renegades make shock call, cut batsman Marcus Harris on eve of BBL season

As he stakes his claim for Australian Test selection, opening Victorian batsman Marcus Harris has been cut from his BBL side on the eve of the season.

Harris has not been offered a contract by the Melbourne Renegades, reportedly due to his likely Test commitments as a Cricket Australia contracted player.

The Renegades made the call on Wednesday, confirming the left-hander would not be pulling on the red during the 2024-2025 season.

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Harris fell out of favour after the Renegades signed Quinton de Kock and England's Joe Clarke in the international player draft as well as Australian under-19 star Harry Dixon.

Meantime, the Renegades have turned their focus to the fitness of 40-year-old Shaun Marsh, with new coach Ian Bell (former England batsman) excited for the prospect of a mixed side.

"Looking at the squad, it's a nice blend between some senior players and younger players … it's what you want as a coach because you can do so much off the field, but if they get the opportunity to bat with those guys, they'll learn so much," Bell said.

"Hopefully we can get Sos (Shaun Marsh) and Finchy (Aaron Finch) up to speed and they can lead from the front."

Bell also said he was ready to work in short form cricket as he aims to one day coach the England cricket team.

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"I've tried to stay away from roles in England where I played a lot of my cricket and look for those challenging ones to grow as much as I can," Bell said.

The Renegades kick off their BBL campaign against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG on Friday, December 8.