Shamar Joseph, Harmanpreet Kaur headline BBL, WBBL drafts as first player nominations revealed

West Indies National Cricket Team fast bowler Shamar Joseph is all set to be part of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024. The right-arm fast bowler has been nominated in the draft for the next edition of the league. This comes after ten names for both the BBL and WBBL were released on Monday (19th August).

Shamar Joseph who in the last few months has been in the headlines because of his performances, is among the 10 ten names nominated for drafts. The nominations also got closed ahead of the Big Bash League drafts, which will now be taking place on 1st September.

Apart from Shamar Joseph, New Zealand National Cricket Team fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is also among the names to be nominated for the BBL draft. The fast bowler, who opted out of the central contracts, is likely to play along with Kiwi teammate Finn Allen in the tournament after his signing with Perth Scorchers was confirmed.

In terms of women's Big Bash League, England captain Heather Knight has been nominated alongside left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who is currently the No. 1-ranked bowler in both ODIs and T20Is. However, there is no confirmation related to their participation in the tournament because of international commitments.

India Women's National Cricket Team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has also been confirmed for the group of players for the WBBL draft. It is learned that players who are nominated for the drafts are not signed under the pre-draft mechanism but 14 of the 20 are eligible for retention by their teams.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, who has been part of back-to-back titles with Adelaide Strikers, could be retained, while Harmanpreet Kaur could also be retained by Melbourne Renegades. Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma have also been confirmed in the draft.

Other retentions for the league include Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers), Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), James Vince (Sydney Sixers), Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars) and Shabnim Ismail (Hobart Hurricanes). Danni Wyatt, who withdrew from last season's WBBL, is eligible for retention by Perth Scorchers having originally been signed in the draft.

Shamar Joseph unlikely to feature in BBL

One of the key challenges for the tournament will be the availability of the players. Shamar Joesph might also not be available for the event as West Indies will be playing a Test series against Pakistan starting on January 16. Shamar Joseph has been open about keeping Test cricket a priority.

BBL nominations

Laurie Evans (Perth Scorchers), Lockie Ferguson, Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), Shamar Joseph, Shadab Khan, Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers), Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars), Jason Roy, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Melbourne Renegades), James Vince (Sydney Sixers)

WBBL nominations

Suzie Bates (Sydney Sixers), Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars), Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers), Shabnim Ismail (Hobart Hurricanes), Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers), Danni Wyatt (Perth Scorchers)

Confirmed pre-draft signings

Adelaide Strikers: -

Brisbane Heat: Nadine de Klerk, Colin Munro

Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan

Melbourne Renegades: Hayley Matthews, Tim Seifert

Melbourne Stars: Marizanne Kapp, Tom Curran

Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine, Finn Allen

Sydney Sixers: Amelia Kerr

Sydney Thunder: Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Billings