Nicholas Pooran, Mohammad Rizwan pull out of BBL draft: Details
In a major development, Nicholas Pooran and Mohammad Rizwan have pulled out of the 2023-24 Big Bash League (BBL) draft. Both wicketkeeper-batters are proven stars of the T20 format and were set to be platinum picks in the draft event. However, they have now pulled out of the Australian T20 competition due to national commitments. Here are further details.
Pooran has white-ball commitments with West Indies
Pooran was likely to be available up until finals before heading to the ILT20. However, as per ESPNcricinfo, West Indies's white-ball series against England in December may have affected his early availability. He hence has pulled out of the competition. Pooran's solitary previous BBL stint came in the 2020-21 season where he made 127 runs across six games at a strike rate of 169.33.
Rizwan's BBL debut postponed
Rizwan, who is yet to play a BBL match, was set to debut this season. However, he was always going to have availability issues due to Pakistan's three-Test away series against Australia, which gets underway on December 14. As the series ends on January 7, the Pakistan international would have missed a major chunk of the BBL season.
Dane van Niekerk pulls out of WBBL
Meanwhile, veteran South African all-rounder Dane van Niekerk has pulled out of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) due to the fractured right thumb she suffered during the recent women's Hundred. The 30-year-old has previously represented Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, and Adelaide Strikers in the competition. Notably, she missed the last season as well.
Here is the schedule
BBL has lacked viewership in recent years. It has hence been reduced to 40 regular-season games from 56. BBL 2023-24 is slated to take place from December 7 to January 24. As mentioned, the upcoming BBL will clash with the Australia vs Pakistan Test series.
