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Two of the top international cricketers, Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan wicket-keeper batter, and Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies left-handed batter, have withdrawn their names from the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24 draft. Both Rizwan and Pooran were reportedly lined up to be in the platinum section of the BBL draft on September 3, Sunday, but their late withdrawal has dealt a major blow to the 13th edition of the biggest T20 league in Australia, which will commence at the turn of the year.
The reason for the decision from Mohammad Rizwan and Nicholas Pooran is currently unclear, but they were expected to be not available for the entirety of the BBL season too. According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, the withdrawal from these players has potentially come because of their international commitments during the Australian summer.
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Mohammad Rizwan is expected to play in the three-match Test series for Pakistan against Australia down under in December and January, which will coincide with the majority of the upcoming BBL season. Hence, it seems like a logical decision on the part of the wicket-keeper batter to focus on either one of the two tournaments at a time, which in his case is the international commitment.
For Nicholas Pooran, the month of December will have West Indies play against England in the limited overs series at home, which will also coincide with the 13th edition of the BBL. Furthermore, he is also slated to take part in the ILT20 during the latter stages of the Big Bash League, which might have led him to make a decision to withdraw from the tournament in Australia.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), the former South Africa captain, Dane van Niekerk has been ruled out of the tournament, because of her fractured thumb, which happened in the recent edition of the Women’s Hundred. While the 30-year-old didn’t play in the tournament last year, she has been a part of Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, and Adelaide Strikers, in the previous seasons in the WBBL.
