Usama Mir among new nominees for BBL draft

LAHORE: Cricket Australia has announced additional nominations for the upcoming W/BBL Player Draft, scheduled for June 19, adding more exciting talent to an already extensive pool of over 600 international cricketers.

Among the latest players to be nominated are England’s Laurie Evans, Pakistan’s Usama Mir and Mohammad Hasnain, India’s Yastika Bhatia and Afghanistan’s Waqar Salamkheil. These new additions further enhance the competitiveness of this year’s draft, with the full list of nominations expected to be revealed closer to the draft date.

Pakistan’s internationally capped leg-spinner Usama Mir is poised to continue his association with the Big Bash League (BBL) after being confirmed as one of the latest Pakistani entrants in this year’s draft. He joins a growing number of Pakistani players who are available for selection, with more names anticipated to be added to the list soon.

Despite a relatively quiet BBL campaign last season, where he took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.70 in 8 matches, Usama Mir remains a highly valued wrist-spinner with a proven track record in white-ball cricket. His significant advantage lies in his full availability for the entire season, including the finals, making him an attractive prospect for teams seeking diverse spin options, especially given the format’s increasing reliance on specialist bowlers capable of controlling the middle overs.

Usama Mir’s return to the Melbourne Stars, or his move to a new BBL franchise, will hinge on the league’s retention rules. The Stars have the option to retain him using a retention pick, but this can only be exercised if another team attempts to draft him in the same round.

Each BBL team is permitted one retention pick per draft, requiring strategic decision-making as picking a player earlier in a round forfeits that retention right.