Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain was one of the latest Pakistani players to register for the overseas player draft for Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).
Hasnain and fellow Pakistani batter Fakhar Zaman, who has represented Brisbane Heat in the competition, were among the last names received before the close of the registration period. New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and England’s rising hitter Will Smeed were also part of the group bringing the total of registration to 332.
Smeed is quickly becoming a force in limited overs cricket thanks to a strike rate of 146.23 from 52 T20 matches. He recently became the first batter to smack a hundred in The Hundred competition.
Pakistan, meanwhile, represents the majority of the additional names in the draft which includes Test opening pair Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq as well as white-ball specialist Khushdil Shah.
Mohammad Hasnain is one of the 28 players out of 332 who are eligible for retention in the BBL draft having played for Sydney Thunder last season. It was during his tenure that his bowling action was reported leading to a subsequent ban which has now been overturned.
His resurgence in cricket has been exemplary, leading to a recall to the international squad as well.
A maximum of 24 players will be signed during the overseas draft with clubs required to pick a minimum of two and a maximum of three names from the pool. The first 12 players are part of the platinum list, while the rest will fall in either gold, silver or bronze categories.
