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The main focus on Saturday was to give a lot of batting practice to the bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-20252:01

How might India shape their attack for second Test?

Jasprit Bumrah returned to the nets on Saturday during India’s optional training session and bowled for at least half an hour. A decision on whether Edgbaston will be the second of the three Tests he will play is yet to be taken. On Friday, Bumrah didn’t bowl in the nets, but on Saturday he went full tilt. The final call on Bumrah’s involvement at Edgbaston will involve how he feels about his body going into the Test.Except for the centurions – captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal – from the first Test, everybody turned up for the optional training session.The main focus in the nets on Saturday was to give a lot of batting practice to the bowlers after India endured collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in Leeds. The last four partnerships aggregated 18 and 29. On their last two tours to England, India’s last four partnerships averaged 19.11 in 2021 and 16.35 in 2018. India will be striving to get similar contributions from the lower order.Related

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A usual trend in Test cricket is that home lower orders tend to contribute more than their counterparts, largely because of familiar conditions and the superior depth in their own bowling, which means visiting attacks are likelier to tire out or lose sting sooner. Be it through their own bowling or some contributions of their lower order, India’s recent years of being competitive outside Asia and the West Indies featured their lower order matching the home lower orders.India will now take a day off on Sunday before returning for an exhaustive training session on Monday. On the day before the match, they will take it easy. Most likely, only the batters who want throwdowns will turn up. Fast bowlers likely to play the Test on Wednesday will likely take Tuesday off.

The fast bowler has returned to Bangladesh to sort out his visa ahead of the T20 World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu and Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2024Mustafizur Rahman is a doubtful starter for Chennai Super Kings’ next IPL game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday. It is understood that the left-arm seamer has returned to Bangladesh to sort out his visa, along with the rest of the travelling contingent, for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by the West Indies and the USA.The T20 World Cup will kick off on June 1, less than a week after the IPL final on May 26 in Chennai.Mustafizur had provided a potent point of difference to CSK’s attack with his whippy cutters and extra pace, claiming a chart-topping seven wickets in three games at an average of 15.14 and economy rate of 8.83. Four of those seven wickets came in a space of ten balls on his CSK debut, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the season opener on March 22 at Chepauk. He is the only Bangladesh player to have attracted a bid in the IPL 2024 auction.Related

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In the potential absence of Mustafizur, CSK could bring back Sri Lanka mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana against Sunrisers. England’s offspin-bowling allrounder Moeen Ali is the other overseas option for CSK. This might result in CSK breaking up a strong pairing between Mustafizur and Matheesha Pathirana, who also operates at the death in T20 cricket.”Having options all the way through your line-up is very important,” CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons, said on the eve of their game against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam. “One of the things is having a squad that gives you balance. You can make those sort of adjustments. If you can’t make those adjustments, then you can’t utilise the assets that you’ve got.”But having the batting strength we have, having the allrounders in the top order, that makes a big difference to our balance and what we can achieve. And the fact that they’re so different…having a left-armer is important, some of the balls are kind of slow, but what he [Mustafizur] does, and then the uniqueness of Matheesha as well, that’s a massive asset. No one likes to face him – our batsmen don’t like to face him – so I’m sure the opposition doesn’t either.”If CSK want to replace Mustafizur with a local option, then a fit-again Mukesh Choudhary could get a game. The Maharashtra left-arm seamer, though, has not played a competitive match since December 2022 because of multiple injuries. At the end of IPL 2022, he had suffered a rib fracture and then a lower-back injury.”Injury is always tough, like coming back from an injury is always going to be very difficult to get back into the team,” Choudhary told reporters in Chennai earlier this season. “This year we have eight fast bowlers. So, it’s difficult to play in the team. But I’m trying my best and I’m fit now and bowling really well.”I’m bowling more pace than when I was in 2022, so my pace has increased because I have worked a lot on my fitness level in the last eight months. I’m working really hard each and every day, so definitely my pace has increased and I got the swing and everything – like more control and more experience now.”CSK are currently third on the points table, with two wins in three games, with both victories coming at their home base Chepauk.

He sustained a blow to his right hand during nets; his replacement will be announced in due course

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-Nov-2024Jordan Cox has been ruled out of England’s Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a fractured right thumb during a nets session ahead of the final day of their tour match against Prime Minister’s XI.The incident occurred on Sunday morning in Queenstown where England have been preparing for the first Test, which begins on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. Cox was taken to a local hospital for a scan that revealed the extent of the damage. The 24-year-old was all set to make his Test debut with regular keeper Jamie Smith missing the tour for the birth of his first child.A replacement will be announced in due course, with Durham’s Ollie Robinson expected to be handed a maiden call-up, ahead of England’s white-ball regular Phil Salt and Essex’s Michael Pepper, who toured the Caribbean with the limited-overs side. Other keeping options included Somerset’s James Rew and Lancashire’s Matty Hurst, both of whom are due to tour South Africa with the Lions. Jonny Bairstow, still with a year remaining on his central contract, is unlikely to be recalled at this juncture.Related

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Ollie Pope stood in for Cox for the culmination of the warm-up fixture, but England will not want to burden him with more responsibility on top of his duties at No. 3. Having averaged 11 on last month’s tour of Pakistan, a strong showing from Cox might have tested the selectors’ loyalty to the vice-captain.Cox will now have to wait a little longer to complete the set of caps having debuted in the ODI and T20I formats in the last two months. He will remain with the squad in Christchurch and may opt for a break in Australia before returning home having had little time off since the end of the English summer.”I’m gutted for Jordan (Cox),” Test head coach Brendon McCullum said. “He has been shaping up nicely, both with the bat and gloves, since we got to New Zealand.”That’s sport, and unfortunately, these things happen. We will get around him and look after him. He is resilient, and his time will come at some point in the future.”The immediate aftermath of Cox’s injury left England short of bodies for play on Sunday, resulting in James Anderson donning the whites four months after he was pushed into international retirement. With three players opting out of the match for extra time in the nets, Anderson subbed in the field, alongside captain Ben Stokes who had chosen to sit out the first day’s play.Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed will join the rest of the squad in Christchurch on Monday after a few days off following the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which finished last week. Cox’s replacement should be on deck in the next 48 hours.

Her departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury

Vishal Dikshit18-Feb-2025Chamari Athapaththu is set to miss the final phase of the WPL for UP Warriorz (UPW) to join Sri Lanka on a white-ball tour of New Zealand starting March 4 in Napier. Athapaththu’s departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that as of now, Athapaththu is going to be available for UPW until February 26, which is four more games for them, before she tends to national duties. After their game on February 26, against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru, UPW will fly to Lucknow for the final league phase of the tournament where they will play three home matches. They have played just one game so far and they left Athapaththu out of the XI in that clash they lost to Gujarat Giants.Athapaththu was named captain of Sri Lanka’s 16-member side released by SLC on Monday and the squad is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on February 22 for three ODIs and as many T20Is.Allrounder Amelia Kerr is the only New Zealand player in the WPL this season and she, unlike Athapaththu, is going to miss the bilateral series next month to play the entire WPL, including the knockouts if MI qualify for those again. If MI make it to the final, scheduled for March 15, Kerr will also miss the first two T20is slotted for March 14 and 16 in Christchurch. Last year too, Kerr had skipped the home bilateral T20Is against England to be available for the entire duration of the WPL.In 2024, the calendar clash between the final leg of WPL and the T20I series in New Zealand had become a much bigger issue when England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and Lauren Bell (UPW) had opted out of WPL completely to represent their national team. Coincidentally, Athapaththu had replaced Bell for UPW then.However, since then boards like the ECB have assured their players they won’t schedule international games during the WPL, which is set to move from the current February-March window to January-February 2026 onwards, according to the new women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP). To avoid such clashes between international series and other T20 leagues, the Hundred (August) and the WBBL (November) have also been given separate windows in the FTP that runs till 2029.

Hosts wrap up their seventh victory of the season with a day to spare

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Sussex are closing in on a return to Division One of the Vitality County Championship after wrapping up their seventh win of the season with a day to spare against Glamorgan.Having established a first-innings lead of 305 they bowled Glamorgan out for 218 to win by an innings and 87 runs at Hove.The second division’s leading run-scorer Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson scored half-centuries but Sussex’s relentless attack kept chipping away. There were three wickets each for Ollie Robinson, Henry Crocombe and off-spinner Jack Carson, the second division’s leading wicket-taker who took his tally to 45.Glamorgan had batted again after finally dismissing Sussex for 491 and Jaydev Unadkat made the breakthrough in his first over, Asa Tribe collecting a pair when he under-edged the Indian left-armer.Carson bowled just three overs after lunch before going off for treatment to a bad back and in his absence Robinson stepped up to bowl an excellent nine-over spell during which he had Ingram dropped at slip by Tom Alsop on 36.But it was Crocombe who struck in his third over when Billy Root, promoted to opener, played on and lost middle and off stumps.Ingram took his aggregate for the season to 1170 runs at an average of 97.5 and had moved onto 71 when Carson produced a fine delivery which turned and Ingram, aiming to drive down the ground, got a leading to cover.Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast, coming in at No. 6 after spending time off the field with an elbow problem, became Crocombe’s second victim when he took on a well-directed short ball and picked out James Coles who didn’t have to move to take the catch at deep backward square.Carlson and Kellaway added 57 but Sussex were revived after a brief stoppage for rain. In the second over after the resumption Kellaway missed a reverse sweep and Carson struck again in his next over when Carlson, who had lodged his eighth fifty of the season, was caught at short leg propping forward to a ball which turned sharply.Carson bowled 16 overs in tandem with slow left-armer James Coles to get Sussex’s over-rate back down and, having done so, Robinson was summoned to sweep away the rest of Glamorgan’s resistance, pinning Chris Cooke with his second ball back and bowling James Harris and Andy Gorvin in the space of 17 balls before Crocombe wrapped things up when he plucked out Dan Douthwaite’s middle stump.Earlier, Tom Clark completed his third first-class hundred and first since May 2022 before Sussex were bowled out 40 minutes before lunch for 491.Clark and skipper John Simpson extended their sixth-wicket stand to 213 when Simpson, who’d added five runs to his overnight 112, missed a sweep at off-spinner Kellaway looking to accelerate the scoring rate.A sweep off Kellaway for his 11th boundary took Clark to a 220-ball hundred made in four-and-a-half hours and he finished unbeaten on 112 while Kellaway completed a maiden five-for in only his fourth first-class match when Robinson missed a paddle sweep.

Gibson spoiled Sciver-Brunt’s WBBL season debut at the WACA

Tristan Lavalette05-Nov-2023Danielle Gibson spoiled Nat Sciver-Brunt’s WBBL season debut with clutch batting to lift Adelaide Strikers over Perth Scorchers in a last-ball thriller at the WACA.Strikers appeared to be cruising for much of their chase of 166, but were still left needing 12 runs off the final over. Gibson hit a four off the first delivery bowled by teenaged quick Chloe Ainsworth and levelled the scores with a six over deep midwicket on the fourth delivery.But a dot ball heightened the nerves, leaving one to win off the final ball, until Gibson calmly smashed another four through cover as Strikers finally prevailed in a chase they appeared to have in the bag for much of the innings.They started quickly with Katie Mack dominating the strike and providing a flier despite the early wicket of opener Laura Wolvaardt.Scorchers were left frustrated when Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath survived an lbw shout on 3 from legspinner Alana King that would have been overturned if they had reviewed the decision. Mack and McGrath feasted on wayward bowling with young speedsters Ainsworth and Stella Campbell being particularly expensive.Scorchers turned to offspinner Amy Edgar, whose knack of taking invaluable wickets continued when she had McGrath caught at mid-off on 30. Mack was unconventional, but effective and combined well with Bridget Patterson in a 78-run partnership for the third wicket. But Strikers stumbled late with Mack brilliantly run out by captain Sophie Devine in the penultimate over before Gibson’s heroics.With both teams entering with 4-2 records, Strikers notched a pivotal victory at the season’s halfway point after overcoming an uncharacteristically sloppy effort in the field marked by dropped three catches, including Sciver-Brunt on 27.Scorchers elected to bat in good batting conditions and all eyes were on Sciver-Brunt who was a controversial late signing after not nominating for the overseas player draft. She started off with 53 off 33 balls and helped Scorchers overcome a mid-innings stutter. Sciver-Brunt, who has not played since blasting an ODI century against Sri Lanka in September, showed no rust with clean hitting on a ground where she made her Test debut almost a decade ago.Sciver-Brunt’s inclusion forced a reshuffle in the line-up with Devine back to her customary position partnering Beth Mooney at the top after starting the season at No. 4. But Mooney was out for a duck in the first over when quick Megan Schutt had her caught at short third in superb field placement.Emerging batter Maddy Darke held her spot in the team and justified the faith with several attractive strokes.Having used the scoop to good effect, Darke failed to connect on another such attempt and was bowled by legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington. Devine rode her luck having been dropped on 19 and 22, but was unable to make Strikers pay the price. She was bowled on 28 by McGrath in a decision confirmed by the third umpire amid confusion over whether wicketkeeper Patterson had knocked off the bails.Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones quickly got Scorchers back on track with a free-wheeling 72-run partnership. They scurried between the wickets to apply pressure on flagging Strikers fielders before unleashing a slew of boundaries.But Jones on 33 was lured out of the crease by Wellington to be stumped as Strikers fought back in the back-end of the innings largely through Schutt’s unnerving accuracy. Sciver-Brunt reached her half-century in style with a boundary in the final over of the innings much to the delight of a record WACA crowd of 3400 fans for a WBBL match.But the Scorchers faithful was less enthused when Gibson stepped up under pressure as the shadows creeped onto the ground.

Sri Lanka went down by an innings and 222 runs, their worst-ever defeat at home

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jul-2023Noman Ali claimed seven wickets with guileful, accurate left-arm spin, then Naseem Shah’s sublime reverse-swing spell in the Colombo heat closed out the match, as Pakistan completed about a domineering a victory on Sri Lankan soil as has been achieved in the last several years.Pakistan’s bowling was spellbinding, but the numbers of this victory themselves are epic. Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs, which is Sri Lanka’s worst-ever defeat at home. They did it inside four days, despite more than a day’s play having effectively been lost to rain and bad light. Noman’s figures for the second innings were 7 for 70. And Naseem bowled an unbroken 7.4 over spell that was pure fire and reverse swing to shut the door on the opposition.It was Noman’s flight, dip, and changes of pace that made him an especial threat. Sri Lanka had started their second innings nicely, their openers making 69 together. But the moment Noman came into the attack he produced a spectacular delivery to dismiss Nishan Madushka for 33, and would then go on to scythe through the batting order. The ball to Madushka was bowled from around the wicket, drifted in, dipped, pitched on middle and leg, then leapt off the surface to beat the batter’s outside edge and clip off stump. That was in the last half hour before lunch.After the break, Noman was unstoppable. Dimuth Karunaratne was caught at short leg by Imam-ul-Haq – another sharp take at that position for Pakistan, who have been spectacular with their close catching all series. Kusal Mendis then attempted to hit Noman inside out and spooned a catch to cover instead, having failed to get to the pitch of the ball. Dinesh Chandimal was out cheaply gloving an attempted lap sweep, and even Dhananjaya de Silva – who had had a good series – fell cheaply, holing out to long on to complete Noman’s five-wicket haul.Angelo Mathews, who hit an unbeaten half century as the devastation unfolded at the other end, was himself struggling against Noman, particularly early in his innings. He struck some big boundaries, sure, but in between were nervy defensive strokes. He eventually gained confidence. But none of the Sri Lanka batters were comfortable against Noman, as he got plenty to bite off the surface, kept testing them on a length, and bowled few loose deliveries.When he took his sixth and seventh wickets – having Sadeera Samarawickrama caught at point after getting the ball to bounce more than expected, before having Ramesh Mendis stumped – there was still the chance he might take all ten wickets in an innings.But then Naseem was putting in a heroic spell at the other end. It is difficult to overstate just how much he was getting the old the ball to swing, particularly into the right-hander. He’d cover the ball as he ran in, to conceal the shiny side, and by extension, keep the batter unaware as to which direction it would move. And he was bowling serious pace – sometimes touching the mid 140kph range.In one over to Ramesh Mendis the 62nd of the innings – he struck the batter on the pads three times in successive balls. On the first occasion Pakistan reviewed a not-out decision which was upheld because the ball was swinging down leg. On the next two, Ramesh reviewed out decisions, and they both turned out to be missing leg as well. The ball was curving fast and late.Eventually, Naseem would get some reward. He bowled an especially long spell, partly, you suspect, because he did not want to give the ball up. He bowled Prabath Jayasuriya who left a ball that cannoned into his off stump (further proof of how far this ball was moving laterally), then made an eruption out of Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka’s stumps as well.Mathews’ half-century always looked like it was coming in a losing effort, so far behind were Sri Lanka. And although there has been rain around, Babar Azam’s decision to have Pakistan bat two further overs early in the day ostensibly to let Mohammad Rizwan complete an eighth Test half century, did not hinder them at all, so good were his bowlers, and so readily did Sri Lanka’s batting succumb.

A spirited USA unit knocked over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma early on in the chase of 111, before India got the job done to book their Super Eights spot

Shashank Kishore12-Jun-20241:08

Is Arshdeep now India’s No. 2 in the pace attack?

USA had several things going against them.The conditions: Before today, they’d never played at Nassau County Stadium; this was India’s fourth game at the venue.Personnel: Monank Patel, the designated captain, was out injured.The toss: Rohit Sharma called correctly and asked USA to bat in seaming conditions.Experience: A motley crew with day jobs against cricketing royalty.It had all the makings of a one-sided fare. Except, it was anything but.At one stage, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both dismissed by Saurabh Netravalkar, and India 15 for 2 in chase of 111, USA dared to dream.When Rishabh Pant was castled by Ali Khan, thirty-thousand screaming fans, many of them Indian-Americans, gave more wings to those dreams.This was now USA’s game to lose.But in Suryakumar Yadav, India had a crisis man who bailed them out of choppy waters. He was helped along by Shivam Dube during the course of a half-century stand that proved to be a game-changer.India are now through to the Super Eights, but USA are still very much masters of their own fate; a win over Ireland, even a washout, will see them through, ahead of Pakistan whom they famously beat in a Super Over thriller last week.On a day when he did most things right, Saurabh Netravalkar shelled a chance to hand Suryakumar Yadav a vital life•ICC/Getty Images

Netravalkar’s Gibbs moment?

Fifty-three needed off 45.USA were bowling cutters into the pitch. Suryakumar was struggling to hit the ball off the square, and was trying to manufacture strokes. Most times, it comes off. Here, it wasn’t.An over after nearly getting bowled trying to sweep Corey Anderson off his length, he tried to open the bat face to play his trademark loft, only to slice the ball high. Saurabh Netravalkar circled under it after doing exceedingly well to get to the ball running back from short third, but couldn’t hold on to the chance.The superhero who could not put a foot wrong until then was human, after all.

Netravalkar’s dream beginning

Virat Kohli first. Rohit Sharma next.The ball that felled Kohli in the first over was a dream delivery. The batter nicking off with a perfect away-going delivery that had him jabbing. It was only Kohli’s second golden duck in T20Is.The ball that got Rohit was somewhat similar. Except it was a lot closer to the stumps and had Rohit turning the face of the bat to take the leading edge. At mid-off, Harmeet Singh, Rohit’s school junior by a few years, ran back and held on.India were shell-shocked at 15 for 2, which soon became 44 for 3 when Rishabh Pant was out to one that skidded low and through his defence.Rohit Sharma walks back after becoming Saurabh Netravalkar’s second victim•Getty Images

Suryakumar, Dube dig in to allay nerves

It was almost as if the reprieve of Suryakumar deflated USA.Suddenly, Aaron Jones was switching fields every ball, running up to have a chat between deliveries, all of it playing into the hands of the batters. Twice, USA were warned about delaying the game by not beginning their next over within their 60-second allowance. When they erred for a third time, the umpires awarded five penalty runs to India.From 35 off 30, India now needed a run-a-ball 30. It didn’t matter then that Dube had at one point been struggling on 5 off 14, or that Suryakumar was far from his 360-degree mode.In the 17th over, India truly broke the stranglehold when Suryakumar picked Shadley van Schalkwyk’s medium pace for a lofted six over extra cover and a trademark flick over his shoulder for four off back-to-back deliveries.

Off the first ball of the 19th, he got to a 49-ball half-century. The winning runs were hit one legitimate delivery later when Dube dug out a yorker-length delivery to long-off. It could have so easily been another knock that had Dube’s self-doubts spiralling, but that he dug in to remain unbeaten on 31 in what was a hard scrap should give him lot of confidence.

Arshdeep’s career-best has USA hobbling

The day began with a two-wicket opening over in which Arshdeep Singh swung the ball back in. Shayan Jahangir, replacing Monank Patel, was out lbw, and Andries Gous picked out mid-off attempting to pull a skiddy short ball.It wasn’t until Nitish Kumar and Corey Anderson added 25 off 18 heading into the final overs that USA had some injection of momentum that gave them a chance of getting towards 120.However, overs 16-18 scuppered those plans. Hardik bowled a wicket-maiden in the 17th, dismissing Anderson for his second wicket, and Arshdeep had Harmeet Singh – who had top-edged Bumrah for a six to get off the mark – caught behind.USA ended up with 110, which they’d look back at and wonder what could’ve been had they only got 10 more.

Only an improbable NRR swing can deny champions an automatic return to Lord’s after 22-ball win

ECB Media25-Aug-2025Oval Invincibles all but booked their place in The Hundred Final at Lord’s next Sunday, with a crushing victory over London Spirit in a one-side Bank Holiday clash at the Kia Oval.Sam Billings’ team will be there, barring a run-rate miracle later this week, without the agonies of going through Saturday’s Eliminator, having won the toss and chosen to field against their London rivals.Their day started on the back foot, as Jamie Smith launched into a habitual powerplay onslaught. He sent the first two balls of the match from Jason Berhrendorff to the boundary, but he was then out for 28 from the 20th ball of the innings, having faced 15 of them. The game never looked quite so easy after that, the highlights being a stunning one-handed catch from Will Jacks to get rid of Surrey teammate Ollie Pope from a Sam Curran slower ball, and rapid cameos from Jamie Overton and Ryan Higgins, who exactly matched Smith’s stats despite a slow start. The two put on a tournament-high sixth wicket stand of 54.A total of 152 for 7 seemed a little below-par on a decent surface, but a first-baller for Tawanda Muyeye gave the Spirit hope. Then Jacks and Jordan Cox put on 64 in 35 balls, Jacks taking the lead with some clean striking, a 92-metre maximum over extra cover off Overton the standout moment of his 27-ball 45.Sam Curran joined Cox, so often a profitable partnership this year, and they eased their way towards their target before the Spirit’s most successful bowler, Liam Dawson, tempted Curran with a wide one that he skied to point. Cox (47 from 27), the competition’s leading run-scorer, hit Overton for six and four before he was castled trying to ramp the same bowler.But that merely brought in Donovan Ferreira who again showcased his muscular hitting, ending with 24 off 9 as the Invincibles booked their passage to the final (barring an almost impossible 200+ swing) by six wickets with 22 balls to spare.Of his catch, Meerkat Match Hero Jacks said: “We were struggling to see the ball today, so I picked it up late, pure luck!”And of the batting effort: “It felt brilliant with the bat, the wicket only got better as the lights came on and Coxy made it easy for me. We’ve been looking for that top spot, we know how important it is to get straight to the final and to be able to watch the two teams play the night before. We’ve still got things to improve on… but we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

As expected, Rashid was retained by Strikers, while Sixers were able to bring back Jordan and Vince from last season

Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2022Liam Livingstone and Trent Boult were big early signings in the inaugural BBL overseas draft, but five of the 12 platinum players went unselected, including Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis, as clubs put a strong emphasis on availability while working within their salary caps.As expected, Rashid Khan was retained by Adelaide Strikers when Melbourne Stars picked him after Melbourne Renegades had taken Livingstone with the first selection of the night. Sydney Sixers were able to bring back two players from last season, Chris Jordan and James Vince, while Perth Scorchers also had a familiar feel with Laurie Evans and Tymal Mills after passing on a platinum pick as had been suggested they would.Related

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• 'Look after local players' – Smith wants better BBL deals for Australian cricketers

“Our plan was always to retain Rashid. Wonderful player, wonderful person,” Strikers head coach Jason Gillespie said. “He’s been brilliant for our franchise over a number of years, and absolutely delighted to have him back.”The tournament will go head-to-head with the new South Africa and UAE T20 leagues during the congested January window with many of the bigger names having already signed for one of those competitions which, for the leading players, can still provide more money for a shorter tournament. Alongside Russell and du Plessis, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Jason Roy were the platinum players not selected.The one platinum player with full availability, England’s David Willey, was taken by Sydney Thunder, who will also have Alex Hales again, in what looked like a good night’s work.There was a strong Pakistan connection at Hobart Hurricanes, who have Ricky Ponting as head of strategy, with all three of their players coming from the country as they utilised Darren Berry’s PSL knowledge after he joined Hurricanes’ new coaching staff earlier this year. They went for legspinner Shadab Khan as their platinum pick before taking Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf.Andre Russell was one of the platinum players not picked•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“He’s a high-class international leg spinner, he’s very handy with the bat as well, and he’s a gun in the field,” Ponting said of Shadab. “So we think we’re bringing in a three-dimensional cricketer. It looks like he’s got reasonable availability.””The challenge the BBL teams have faced the last few years has been the international players coming in and out,” Ponting added. “You get two or three games out of one, and then you have to try to fill that slot with someone of a similar role and ability, and that’s pretty hard to do. And if these players are coming in and out, you’ve got to have money to fill their voids as well. When you’re trying to balance the salary cap, it’s not easy to do.”On Scorchers’ decision to not go for a platinum player, head coach Adam Voges said: “Availability is a real key for us. We know what type of player we want, the skill set we want…we love guys coming back who have played for us before and fit into our group really well.”Aaron Finch, Australia’s limited-overs captain and a Renegades player, was delighted with his team getting Livingstone.”It was a no-brainer for us,” he said as he joined the coverage from Townsville. “What he offers with the bat is exceptional. And what he delivers in the field and with the ball, being able to bowl legspin and offspin, I think he’s a beautiful fit for the Renegades.”There were certainly some intriguing selections throughout with Strikers taking Colin de Grandhomme in the gold round and Sixers going for young Afghanistan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed as their final selection.English county players with good availability were popular with Luke Wood (Stars), Adam Hose (Strikers) and Ross Whiteley (Brisbane Heat) getting picked up while West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein was Renegades’ last selection as they went spin-heavy after getting Livingstone early on.There was some movement, too, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman going from Heat to Renegades, and Heat getting Sam Billings who could have been retained by Thunder along with Colin Munro who was with Scorchers last season.From Monday, teams can start signing replacement players, who can come from anyone nominated in the draft, to fill spaces created by initial selections who will miss parts of the BBL. With each team having taken three overseas in the draft, they have four slots for replacements.How the draft played outMelbourne Renegades Liam Livingstone, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
Melbourne Stars Trent Boult, Joe Clarke, Luke Wood
Brisbane Heat Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Ross Whiteley
Sydney Sixers Chris Jordan, James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
Adelaide Strikers Rashid Khan (retained), Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose
Perth Scorchers Laurie Evans (retained), Phil Salt, Tymal Mills
Sydney Thunder David Willey, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
Hobart Hurricanes Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf