Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman among players from Pakistan to enter BBL drafts

New Delhi, Aug 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Fast-bowler Naseem Shah and left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman are among the additional 75 nominees from Pakistan to enter the drafts of the Big Bash League (BBL) and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) respectively.

The development comes following the nominations of Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan, who have been BBL regulars for a long time. In a statement, the BBL said 64 more male cricketers and 11 female cricketers from Pakistan have been nominated for this year’s overseas drafts in WBBL and BBL.

Naseem has picked 24 wickets in 28 T20I appearances for Pakistan, with best bowling figures of 3/21, with an average of 32.75 and economy rate of 7.69. On the other hand, Zaman has amassed 1848 runs in 92 T20I matches for Pakistan at an average of 22.81 and strike-rate of 132.94, including 11 half-centuries.

Apart from Naseem and Zaman, current Test captain Shan Masood and Saim Ayub are the most prominent names from Pakistan men’s cricketers to enter the BBL overseas draft. On the women’s side, newly-appointed Pakistan T20 captain Fatima Sana has entered the WBBL overseas draft alongside Nida Dar, Diana Baig, Aliya Riaz, Tuba Hassan and Syeda Arooba Shah.

Both WBBL and BBL drafts will be held on September 1, as they are divided into four rounds, with all clubs receiving one pick in each round. Nominated players are drafted in Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories. All eight clubs must select at least two players during the draft.

Overseas players signed under pre-draft agreements by their respective clubs are allocated a pick that matches their salary band. The WBBL runs from October 27 to December 1, while the BBL will be held from December 15 to January 27, 2025.

Source: IANS