look news india
Adelaide, August 22 (HS). England's current acting Test captain Ollie Pope has signed with the Adelaide Strikers for the Big Bash League (BBL).
Pope, who is captaining England against Sri Lanka due to Ben Stokes' hamstring injury, will be available for the Strikers after the Test tour of New Zealand ends on December 18, meaning he will miss at least the first match.
Pope will look to extend his T20 record of 1295 runs at an average of 28.77 and a strike-rate of 132.82. He had a poor outing in the recent Hundred for London Spirit, where he scored 35 runs in five innings.
He will get the chance to play alongside Ashes rivals Travis Head and Alex Carey, who have signed new four-year deals, when they will be available for a short spell for the BBL after the Test series against India.
“Ollie Pope is an exceptional talent with a proven track record at the highest level. His dynamic batting style and wicket-keeping abilities are a fantastic addition to our squad,” said Strikers' new head coach Tim Paine.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the Strikers have not picked up all-rounder Jamie Overton as their pre-draft signing, but will be able to exercise their retention option during the draft itself if they want to bring back the England all-rounder who made a huge impact last season.
AAP reported that Rashid Khan has not enrolled for the draft, which means he will miss the BBL for the second consecutive season after missing out due to injury last year. Afghanistan has international cricket scheduled during the first part of the BBL, then Rashid has signed for SA20. The BBL draft will take place on September 1.