BBL Draft Archives

Salman Ali Agha nominated for BBL draft as full list of overseas players revealed

T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is among the latest nominees from Pakistan, as Cricket Australia (CA) released the full list of overseas players for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) 15 draft.

A total of 74 Pakistani male cricketers and 11 female players have thrown their hats in the ring for the BBL and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) drafts, scheduled on June 19.

Along with Salman Ali Agha, explosive opener Mohammad Haris, and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have also signed up for the upcoming draft. All three players are eyeing a BBL stint after strong performances in recent domestic and international fixtures.

These new entries add to a group of Pakistani stars who had already registered for the BBL 15 Draft, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Mohammad Hasnain.

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Meanwhile, star batter Babar Azam has already been snapped up by the Sydney Sixers as one of the 15 pre-signed marquee players announced across both men’s and women’s competitions.

The BBL 15 draft pool features over 600 players from across the globe, making it one of the most competitive selections in recent years.

Players from England (178), West Indies (42), Sri Lanka (13), and even India (1) are part of the men’s draft, while the women’s pool sees strong representation from England (46), India (15), New Zealand (15), and Pakistan (11).

Brisbane Heat will hold the No. 1 pick in the men’s draft and will get first crack at assembling their overseas roster from this stacked talent pool.

READ: Tri-Series: Netherlands edge past Nepal in epic third super over clash

Usama Mir joins Melbourne Stars as sole Pakistan pick in BBL Draft

Melbourne Stars picked leg-spinner Usama Mir during the annual draft for Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) 2024, making him the only player from Pakistan to be selected for the upcoming season.

A total of 69 male cricketers and 11 female cricketers were put forward as nominees in the drafts for the Big Bash League (BBL) and the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

Despite the high number of nominees, except Usama, none of the Pakistan players were considered for selection.

Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Zaman Khan, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali and Mohammad Hasnain were among the Pakistani nominees for BBL draft.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan’s women players Fatima Sana, Nida Dar, Diana Baig, Aliya Riaz, and Nashrah Sandhu as well as rising stars Tuba Hasan and Arooba Shah participated in the WBBL draft.

Notably, Usama Mir has previously represented Melbourne Stars in last season, where he claimed five wickets in as many games.

The Big Bash League (BBL) is scheduled to kick off on December 15, with Perth Scorchers clashing against Melbourne Stars in the tournament opener in Perth. The tournament will culminate with the final on January 27, 2025.

Meanwhile, the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) will run from October 27 to December 1, with the opening game seeing Adelaide Strikers take on Brisbane Heat at the Adelaide Oval.

READ: PCB Chairman announces free entry for fans in Champions One-Day Cup matches

Mohammad Rizwan pulls out of BBL Draft

Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has withdrawn himself from the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023/24 draft.

According to the cricket news website ESPNCricinfo, Mohammad Rizwan was placed in the Platinum category.

Mohammad Rizwan’s availability for the tournament was in jeopardy because of his national commitments. He is most likely to be a part of the Pakistan squad, which will tour Australia for a three-match Test series.

The 31-year-old was nominated by three-time BBL winners Sydney Sixers. However, he has not played a match in the tournament.

The right-hand batter has played 238 fixtures in his Twenty20 career for domestic and international franchise cricketing tournaments.

He has represented Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League, Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League and Vancouver Knights in Global T20 Canada.

He has scored 6,945 runs with 59 half-centuries and two hundreds to his name.

Mohammad Rizwan is currently part of the national squad contesting the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.

He played an anchoring 44-run knock in 50 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

Mohammad Rizwan also put together a crucial 86-run stand with Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who played a marathon 151-run knock in just 131 deliveries, hitting 14 boundaries and four sixes.

Later, Pakistan bowlers decimated Nepal’s batting lineup and booked them for a meagre 104 to steer the hosts to a statement 238-run victory to kick start their Asia Cup 2023 campaign.

Shadab Khan led the bowling attack for Pakistan with 4/27, followed by two wickets each by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Nawaz made one scalp each.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan took one catch behind the wickets.

Pakistan will now take on arch-rivals India on September 2 in a bid to become the first team to secure their berth in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s.

READ: Rohit Sharma wary of Pakistan’s pace trio ahead of Asia Cup 2023 clash