Melbourne: Melbourne Stars picked leg-spinner Usama Mir during the annual draft for Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) 2024, making him the only player from Pakistan to be selected for the upcoming season.

A total of 69 male cricketers and 11 female cricketers were put forward as nominees in the drafts for the Big Bash League (BBL) and the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Despite the high number of nominees, except Usama, none of the Pakistan players were considered for selection. Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Zaman Khan, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali and Mohammad Hasnain were among the Pakistani nominees for BBL draft.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s women players Fatima Sana, Nida Dar, Diana Baig, Aliya Riaz, and Nashrah Sandhu as well as rising stars Tuba Hasan and Arooba Shah participated in the WBBL draft. Notably, Usama Mir has previously represented Melbourne Stars in last season, where he claimed five wickets in as many games.

The Big Bash League (BBL) is scheduled to kick off on December 15, with Perth Scorchers clashing against Melbourne Stars in the tournament opener in Perth. The tournament will culminate with the final on January 27, 2025.  Meanwhile, the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) will run from October 27 to December 1, with the opening game seeing Adelaide Strikers take on Brisbane Heat at the Adelaide Oval.