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A rundown factoring player availability, team dynamics, and the order of the picks

Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-2022

Adelaide Strikers

Current list: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake WeatheraldLast season’s overseas: Rashid Khan, Ian Cockbain, George GartonDraft picks: 5, 13, 20 and 29Related

• BBL overseas draft: Livingstone to Renegades, Boult to Stars, du Plessis and Russell unpicked

• When, where, how? All you need about BBL overseas players draft

• Full BBL overseas player draft list – 332 names confirmed

• PCB grants NOCs to 43 players for BBL draft

• Platinum rundown: Livingstone, Boult and du Plessis could be early picks in BBL

What might they want?
Rashid Khan will surely end up back at Strikers – the retention rule has been colloquially named after him – even though he won’t be available come January due to South Africa’s own T20 league. Getting Chris Lynn for 11 games is a very good result, but having lost Matt Renshaw back to Brisbane Heat, they will likely still want some top-order cover before Travis Head and Alex Carey arrive from Test duty.An extra pace bowler could be another route, with the variation of a left-armer – they had George Garton last season – always sought after in T20s. Mohammad Amir should be available all tournament, and could be of interest to a few teams.Usman Khawaja signed with Brisbane Heat after leaving Sydney Thunder•Queensland Cricket

Brisbane Heat

Current list: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack WildermuthLast seasons overseas: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ben Duckett, Tom Abell, Fakhar ZamanDraft picks: 3, 11, 22 and 27What might they want?
Not renewing Lynn’s deal was the biggest off-season domestic move, coupled with the signing of Usman Khawaja from Sydney Thunder. They would appear in the market for at least one more top-order batter – particularly for the period Khawaja is on Test duty – with talk they will go after Faf du Plessis.Heat could use their retention card for Mujeeb Ur Rahman to get him before his ILT20 stint, but their spin resources should be boosted by greater availability of Mitchell Swepson, with Covid bubbles no longer required. Another allrounder for that No. 6 or 7 position – or a quick bowler – would also look a decent fit.

Hobart Hurricanes

Current list: Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Matthew WadeLast seasons overseas: Sandeep Lamichhane, Jordan Cox, Jordan Thompson, Harry BrookDraft picks: 8, 16, 17, 32What might they want?
With Ricky Ponting in charge, Hurricanes will be one of the most interesting sides to watch. However, they were dealt a tough hand by coming out last in the weighted lottery for the draft order. Spin-bowling will be high on their list, with only 20-year-old legpsinner Wil Parker among their current squad, aside from D’Arcy Short’s left-arm wristspin.Sandeep Lamichhane has been part of their side over the last two seasons, and could be retained before he goes to the ILT20 but they will likely need more as well. England legspinner Matt Parkinson, who is yet to be acquired by another league, could fit the bill, or perhaps Shadab Khan from the platinum group.The top order is well stocked, and won’t be hit by international calls, but there could be room for another allrounder – maybe a pace-bowler who could hit with the bat too. David Willey or Chris Jordan with their death skills could fit well for them from the platinum set instead of Shadab.Melbourne Renegades could also use the retention option – if needed – on Reece Topley•Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades

Current list: Nic Maddinson, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Jon WellsLast seasons overseas: Unmukt Chand, Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan, Reece TopleyDraft picks: 1, 9, 24, 25What might they want?
It has been said for a few seasons, but the only way for Renegades is up after three consecutive wooden spoons. And they have the No. 1 pick. On paper, at least, they have a decent batting order boosted by the recruitment of Jon Wells from Strikers. In a recent interview on Seven, Aaron Finch noted how conditions at the Marvel Stadium had sometimes made it tough to attract overseas top-order batters.It is understood that they could go after Liam Livingstone, who would certainly bring some power before leaving for South Africa. From a bowling point of view, Trent Boult will be very tempting.They could also use the retention option – if needed – on Reece Topley, whose stock has risen after an excellent season with England – again, though, he would leave by January. They also need a spinner – or two – and may yet come to regret releasing Cameron Boyce.

Melbourne Stars

Current list: Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Adam ZampaLast seasons overseas: Andre Russell, Joe Clarke, Qais Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Syed Faridoun, Ahmed DaniyalDraft picks: 2, 10, 23, 26What might they want?
Unless Renegades go for him first, as pick No. 2, Stars will get first dibs on Andre Russell, and so may not need to burn their retention card to keep him. That would open the door for using that with Joe Clarke if needed. Clarke, who is a gold-only pick, has availability all season, and would provide the wicketkeeping role which he did last season.Another option would be to aim for Sam Billings in the platinum group instead of Russell, although Thunder may then opt to retain him, and he is only available for part of the season. With Billy Stanlake’s fitness status still uncertain and the injury record of Nathan Coulter-Nile, another fast bowler could be on the list – maybe Boult as their platinum pick – or a spinner to support Adam Zampa.

Perth Scorchers

Current list: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew TyeLast seasons overseas: Colin Munro, Tymal Mills, Laurie EvansDraft picks: 6, 14, 19, 30What might they want?
The defending champions will be another very interesting team to watch given their list-management philosophy. They were considered a strong contender to skip the platinum round given their preference for season-long deals, but the full availability of Willey could be very tempting as a former Scorchers’ player.After losing Kurtis Patterson to Sydney Sixers, they ideally need a top-order left-hander, and while they could retain Colin Munro, he has a deal in the ILT20. The likelier retention option, if he was taken by another side, would appear to be Laurie Evans, whose middle-order role was vital last season with a match-winning hand in the final – he could also be a value pick as a bronze player if still available by then.A pace bowler with good ball speed is another potential option in case Jhye Richardson is on Australia duty.Josh Philippe scored 429 runs for Sixers in the 2021-22 season•Getty Images

Sydney Sixers

Current list: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Daniel Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan SilkLast seasons overseas: James Vince, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Shadab KhanDraft picks: 4, 12, 21, 28What might they want?
Another team whose list strategy favours loyalty. James Vince’s ILT20 deal could make it a tricky decision over whether to bring him back for the first part of the competition, but he has formed a compelling partnership with Josh Philippe, and they could hold hoping to get him at silver.Either way, they will likely want a top-order batter. Cover in the spin department appears needed, too, with Nathan Lyon on Test duty and Steve O’Keefe having had injury problems last season. Could they opt for Shadab as their platinum? In previous seasons, they have also targeted a specialist pace bowler in the death overs. Tom Curran could well return; along with Jordan, both are possible retention options.Given they have the fourth pick in the draft, plenty of platinum players will remain available for them regardless of who has already been taken.

Sydney Thunder

Current list: Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David WarnerLast seasons overseas: Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Mohammad Hasnain, Saqib MahmoodDraft picks: 7, 15, 18, 31What might they want?
Sam Billings being a platinum pick, and Alex Hales, it is understood, being available down in silver if he is still not drafted by that point could make things interesting. Would Thunder use their retention pick on Billings if needed, or keep it for Hales? They could, of course, get both if things fall their way.They know David Warner will come in for the last five games to bolster the top order. But having lost Khawaja, they could be on the lookout for two top-order batters.Having had Saqib Mahmood and Mohammad Hasnain last season, another quick bowler would also appear a good fit.

The gulf between Root and his team-mates highlights his brilliance

George Dobell24-Jan-2021You could have been forgiven for thinking batting was easy.As Joe Root, for the second Test in succession, passed 150, you might have thought that he was batting without pressure, in conditions where bowlers were unable to gain any movement or purchase. So comfortable did he seem, so serene was his progress, that it would have been easy to underestimate the size of his achievements.It’s only in contrast with his team-mates that it becomes apparent how good a batsman Root is. Having scored 54 percent of England’s first-innings runs in the first Test, he has so far scored 55 percent of them in the second. He has scored 305 – yes, 305 – more runs than any other England player in the series.England have had other batsmen of recent vintage who have scored heavily in Asia, of course. With Alastair Cook, you could feel the struggle: the dogged determination to survive and limited number of scoring shots made every innings something of a battle. With Kevin Pietersen, the talent was so extravagantly obvious – remember those slog-sweeps in Mumbai and Colombo? – that you knew you were in the presence of genius.It’s not like that with Root. For much of the time, his batting is so unobtrusive it can lure you into thinking what he is doing is straightforward.Think of the way he plays back to the spinners, for example. You won’t see many of those singles or dot balls on highlights packages. But they allow him to rotate the strike, release pressure and mess with the bowlers’ lengths.More eye-catching are his sweeps. So broad is Root’s repertoire of sweep that he can hit the ball in front or behind square on both sides of the wicket. As a result, he is desperately tough to contain. Even on the second evening of this game, coming to the crease with England 5 for 2, he scored so freely that he reached stumps unbeaten on 67 off 77 balls. Individually those strokes may look routine; collectively, they amount to a masterclass.But maybe it was fitting, during the innings in which he passed Pietersen’s Test run tally, that he also produced several switch-hits to remind us that, underneath the determination to play the percentages, there lurks an extravagantly talented player. To pick the length, to switch his hands, to time the ball to perfection: Root effectively hit more boundaries left-handed than Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence managed between them.ESPNcricinfo LtdRoot also went past the run tallies of David Gower and Sir Geoffrey Boycott – both greats of English cricket – in this innings. There is every chance that, by the end of the year, only Cook will remain ahead of him in terms of England players. For a 30-year-old, these are extraordinary heights to have scaled.Pietersen once said that of the trio of incredible Test centuries he hit in 2012 (Colombo, Mumbai and Leeds), he rated the one in Sri Lanka the best because the heat and humidity was so demanding. It’s not just hard to concentrate in such heat, it can be hard to see with sweat in your eyes, and to grip the bat with damp gloves.As Root’s innings progressed into its ninth hour, the physical demands started to show. He was past 170 before, with body starting to creak where it had earlier eased into position, he gave a chance. And perhaps, a less stiff body might have regained its ground when he hit the ball at short leg only to see the fielder, Oshada Fernando, pull off an almost miraculous stop and throw down the stumps. Root, who had been given a banana and a sugary drink every 45 minutes since lunch – that’s seven of each – was just 14 runs short of becoming the first England player to register double-centuries in consecutive Tests since Wally Hammond in 1933. Hammond did it in 1928, too.Such weariness was understandable, though. Root has, to this point, spent all but 39.1 overs of this series on the pitch. In this heat and humidity, that is a remarkable reflection of his determination as much as it is his dominance. It’s telling, too, that of his three dismissals in this series, two have come from run-outs and one came when he was left with the last man in the first innings of the first Test and perished to a boundary catch as he tried to thrash a few quick runs. A lesser player might have had an eye on the not out.Joe Root gets low to reverse-sweep•SLCSo, what is Root doing differently? Well, from a technical point of view, the obvious change is that he is currently going back and across as part of his trigger movement. In recent months, he had slipped into the habit of merely going back and, as a result, his balance wasn’t as good. He also opened his stance, extravagantly at times, to allow him to manoeuvre the turning ball square of the wicket.But how much of this splurge of runs is down to technique and how much is temperament is hard to say. He went through 2020 without a Test century – the first time in his career he has been through a full calendar year without scoring one – and dropped out of the top 10 in the rankings as a result. That will have hurt.He admitted, after the first Test, that he spent the weeks from the end of the English season until this tour, thinking about his batting as much as working on his technique. Not just which shots to play, but on the importance of being ruthless and turning more of those fifties into hundreds. At present, he seems able to compartmentalise his batting from the captaincy. This version of Root appears to have the hunger to complement his talent and to understand his side’s need for him to contribute far more heavily.Related

• Joe Root stars with 186 as Lasith Embuldeniya takes seven in tightly-fought contest

• Root passes Boycott as fluent form sets the agenda

• With Root at the helm, have England ever had it so good?

• Anderson's enduring class masks fears about spin support

• Root casts off shackles to thrive in low-profile surroundings

There are, no doubt, tougher challenges to come in the next few weeks. It’s not that India necessarily have a better left-arm spinner than Lasith Embuldeniya, or that their pitches will necessarily turn as much. But India do have better seamers and a better offspinner. And they do have much better batsmen. There will, as a result, be fewer release deliveries, and Root and co. will find themselves in the field a good deal longer than they have here. Indeed, the last time they visited Chennai, they were in the field for 190 overs. Even then, India had to declare to end the torture. The burden on Root – with the bat and in the field – will be immense.You just had to witness the struggle at the other end from Root in this series to know that. England’s openers, for example, have now contributed 28 runs between them in six innings. While Root has gone back on his stumps, they have groped forward as if searching for their way in the fog. In this innings, only one other man in the top seven reached 30. There have been times on this tour when it seems some of his team-mates have never seen bowling like this.Of course, they haven’t, really. Crawley has never faced a spinner with the new ball in the county game; Sibley has done so just three times. It will never have been on a surface like Galle, where some balls turn and bounce and others skid on. Ultimately, until the ECB put in place a domestic structure that encourages the development of spin bowling as part of the County Championship programme, it will remain desperately tough for England to challenge in Asia. And yes, that includes not penalising counties who produce turning wickets. If you dedicate the prime weeks of summer to a white-ball competition, you are compromising your red-ball development.Root, at least, provided an example of how such conditions can be overcome. He is carrying this team, making light of the conditions, the absences and the match situation. It’s nowhere near as easy as he has made it look.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fortaleza recebe o Ceará nesta quarta-feira (20), pela sexta rodada da fase de grupos da Copa do Nordeste. A bola rola a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília), na Arena Castelão, com transmissão da ESPN, Star+ e DAZN.

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✅FICHA TÉCNICA
Fortaleza x Ceará
6ª rodada da fase de grupos da Copa do Nordeste

Data e horário: quarta-feira, 20 de março de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Arena Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE)
Onde assistir: ESPN, Star+ e DAZN

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

FORTALEZA
João Ricardo; Tinga, Brítez, Titi e Bruno Pacheco; Zé Welison, Kauan e Kervin; Moisés, Pikachu e Lucero. Técnico: Vojvoda.

CEARÁ
Richard; Raí Ramos, Ramon Menezes, Matheus Felipe e Matheus Bahia; Richardson, Guilherme Castilho e Lourenço; Aylon, Erick Pulga e Facundo Barceló. Técnico: Vagner Mancini.

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CearáCopa do NordesteFortalezaOnde assistir

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will be looking to mastermind his first-ever win in European football against Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night.

After a 3-0 win against Kilmarnock away from Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night, the German boss will be hoping that his players are full of confidence and ready to secure that first win of the league phase.

Several players will need to raise their levels, though, because too many members of the squad have failed to perform on the European stage this season.

The worst Rangers performers in the Europa League this season

When looking at the worst performers for the Gers in the Europa League, it is impossible to look past Mohamed Diomande as the standout player for the wrong reasons.

The Ivorian central midfielder has been sent off two times in three appearances in the competition, remarkably, and it is hard to get much worse than that.

Youssef Chermiti, who was signed for £8m from Everton, has challenged Diomande for that spot, though, with no goals and four ‘big chances’ missed in five starts, per Sofascore, in the league phase.

1

Mohamed Diomande

2

Youssef Chermiti

3

Thelo Aasgaard

4

Oliver Antman

5

Jayden Meghoma

Summer signings Thelo Aasgaard and Oliver Antman also rank in the worst five performers, as they have both failed to deliver a goal or an assist and both average under one key pass per game, per WhoScored.

The attacking duo have also struggled in the Premiership, with one goal and two assists combined, but they are not the only attacking players who have underperformed, as Djeidi Gassama must be dropped for Thursday’s game.

Why Djeidi Gassama should be dropped by Danny Rohl

The summer signing from Sheffield Wednesday made an electric start to his career at Ibrox with four goals in six games in the Champions League qualifiers.

Since then, though, the French forward has found it tough to make an impact on a regular basis, with one goal in 15 Premiership games and one goal in five outings in the Europa League, per Sofascore.

At the end of last month, Rangers fan and scout Kai Watson posted that Gassama “deserves just as much criticism as Antman & Aasgaard”, which is a fair comment when you look at their respective performances in the Premiership.

As aforementioned, the Frenchman has not delivered much in the way of quality in the league for the Gers, and he blanked again in the 3-0 win over Kilmarnock, with no goals, assists, or ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore. He also lost the ball a whopping 23 times.

Games

15

22

Goals

1

1

Big chances missed

3

3

Big chances created

1

2

Assists

1

2

As you can see in the table above, Aasgaard and Antman’s combined output in the Premiership is better than Gassama’s, which shows that he has not been at a level above the pair this season in the league.

These statistics show that all three of those summer signings have failed to provide goals and assists on a regular basis for the Light Blues, and that is also reflected in their combined return of one goal and no assists in the Europa League.

With this in mind, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Gassama from the starting line-up for Thursday evening’s clash with Ferencvaros because he has not offered enough quality in the final third of late.

Instead, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager should bring Mikey Moore back into the fold after he marked his return from injury with an impressive goal against Kilmarnock.

The Spurs loanee has scored two goals in his last two appearances for Rangers, and it would have been three if not for VAR ruling out his second goal against Killie for an innocuous foul in the build-up.

Moore is starting to show that he can be a difference-maker in the final third, with two goals and one assist in the league, and should be given an opportunity to shine from the start ahead of Gassama on Thursday.

Rangers dud was as "rotten" as Miovski, now he's Rohl's most improved player

This Glasgow Rangers flop who looked as bad as Bojan Miovski is now Danny Rohl’s most improved performer.

ByDan Emery Dec 8, 2025

The 2025 Major League Baseball season begins in earnest today. Teams will hit the ground and hope to get running right from Opening Day. The Baltimore Orioles have high aspirations in a tough American League East and outfielder Colton Cowser is ready to go. He broke spring training with his arm in tip-top shape and wasted no time showing it off during his team's batting practice Wednesday at Rogers Center in Toronto.

When a fan hanging out in the hotel high above centerfield wanted to get his mitts on a souviner baseball, Cowser went to extreme lengths to get the job done. His precision heave up several stories found its target and a core memory was made.

If you have a normal arm with normal shoulder ligaments, footage of the impressive toss will trigger some immediate soreness.

Excellet work. Batting practice is for having fun and making the people happy. When you're out shagging fly balls, the incredible urge to throw the ball way up there inevitably strikes. Cowser saw an opportunity to do something classy while satisfy it and acted.

Baltimore squares off against the Blue Jays at 3:07 p.m. ET. If a situation where someone needs to make a ball go 80 feet into the air with accuracy arises, Cowser will be up for the job.