Ollie Pope Signs For Adelaide Strikers, Akeal Hosein Joins Sydney Sixers

Ollie Pope signs for Adelaide Strikers, Akeal Hosein joins Sydney Sixers

England’s stand-in Test captain Ollie Pope has signed with the Adelaide Strikers, and West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein will join the Sydney Sixers for the BBL. Pope, who is currently leading England against Sri Lanka due to Ben Stokes’ hamstring injury, will be available for the Strikers only after England’s Test tour of New Zealand concludes on December 18. This means he will miss at least the first game of the BBL season.

Pope aims to improve upon his T20 record of 1,295 runs at an average of 28.77 and a strike rate of 132.82. He had a tough time in the recent Hundred tournament with the London Spirit, scoring just 35 runs in five innings. When he joins the Strikers, he’ll have the opportunity to play alongside former Ashes rivals Travis Head and Alex Carey, who has recently signed a new four-year deal. They will be available for the BBL during a brief period after the India Test series.

“Ollie Pope is an exceptional talent with a proven track record at the highest level,” Tim Paine, Strikers’ new head coach, said. “His dynamic batting style and wicket-keeping abilities are a fantastic addition to our squad.”

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the Adelaide Strikers did not select allrounder Jamie Overton as their pre-draft signing. However, they can still use their retention option during the draft if they want to bring him back, as he had a significant impact last season.

Additionally, it has been reported that Rashid Khan will not be participating in this season’s BBL. This will be the second consecutive season he misses, having been sidelined by injury last year. Afghanistan has international matches scheduled during the early part of the BBL, and Rashid has also signed to play in the SA20 league.

Akeal Hosein fills Steve O’Keefe’s shoes

The Sydney Sixers have signed Akeal Hosein to fill the gap left by Steve O’Keefe’s retirement. However, Hosein will only be available for the first seven games of the BBL season because he has an ILT20 contract with MI Emirates.

Starting from the 2025-26 season, players with pre-draft agreements will need to commit to the entire BBL season, but this rule does not apply for the current season. Hosein took 13 wickets in nine matches for the Melbourne Renegades in the 2022-23 season and played one more game for them last season as a late replacement.

“With the retirement of Steve O’Keefe last season, we identified a gap for us to fill and Akeal is going to play a key role for us in that position,” Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said. “We expect him to bowl some really important overs for us, but we also know he’s a talented fielder and a capable tail-end batter who’ll be able to provide crucial runs in the back end of an innings if required.

The BBL draft will take place on September 1.

Lizelle Lee Locks in Two-year Deal with Hobart Hurricanes

Lizelle Lee has signed with the Hobart Hurricanes for at least the next two seasons, making her the club’s pre-draft signing. Lee has built a successful partnership with the Hurricanes and has been living in Tasmania permanently since retiring from international cricket in 2022-23. Last season, she was the Hurricanes’ top run-scorer with 409 runs at an average of 37.18 and a strike rate of 146.07, including an unbeaten 101 against the Melbourne Renegades.

“I feel like the team made some strong progress last season, and I am looking forward to playing my role and natural game as we look to bring Tasmania and the Hurricanes their first WBBL trophy,” Lee said.

Cricket Tasmania’s general manager Salliann Beams was excited about the prospect of Lee and Elyse Villani resuming their pairing at the top of the order.

“With her and Junior at the top of our order, I think we have arguably the most experienced and talented opening pairing in the WBBL,” she said. “She provided us with great versatility with our overseas pre-signing, and considering we had the number one pick in the WBBL draft it made sense for us to pre-sign someone who we know can play a role for us.

“She can change the game with the bat and in the field, having done so time and time again in international cricket for South Africa and in the WBBL.”

Hobart Hurricanes’ head coach, Jude Coleman, has said that they plan to bring in another top-order batter during the draft. The team also has retention rights for South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail, who took 13 wickets last season.

Katarzyna Nowak

Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for The Wicket Insider, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.