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

England's interim Test captain, Ollie Pope, has officially joined Adelaide Strikers while West Indies' left-arm spinner, Akeal Hosein, has signed with Sydney Sixers for the upcoming Big Bash League season. These additions complete the pre-draft roster for both teams in the BBL.

Pope, who is leading England against Sri Lanka due to Ben Stokes' hamstring injury, will be available for Strikers after the Test tour of New Zealand which finishes on December 18 which means he will miss at least their first match.

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Pope will be looking to build on a T20 record of 1295 runs at 28.77 and a strike-rate of 132.82. He had a lean time in the recent Hundred for London Spirit where he made 35 runs in five innings.

He will have a chance to team up with Ashes adversaries Travis Head and Alex Carey, the latter who has signed a new four-year deal, when they are available for the BBL for a short window 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."

It was confirmed earlier in the week that Strikers had not taken allrounder Jamie Overton as their pre-draft signing but they will be able to use their retention option if needed during the draft itself if they wish to bring back the England allrounder who had a huge impact last season.

AAP reported that Rashid Khan has not nominated for the draft meaning he will miss the BBL for the second consecutive season after being ruled out by injury last year. Afghanistan have international cricket scheduled during the first part of the BBL then Rashid has signed for the SA20.

Akeal Hosein fills Steve O'Keefe's shoes

Meanwhile, Sydney Sixers have identified Hosein to fill the gap created by Steve O'Keefe's retirement although he is only due to be available for the first seven games of the season due to an ILT20 deal with MI Emirates.

From 2025-26 players signed under pre-draft agreements have to commit to the full BBL season but that is not the case for this season. Hosein took 13 wickets in nine matches for Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 and played one further 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.

BBL pre-draft signings

Adelaide Strikers: Ollie Pope
Brisbane Heat: Colin Munro
Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan
Melbourne Renegades: Tim Seifert
Melbourne Stars: Tom Curran
Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen
Sydney Sixers: Akeal Hosein
Sydney Thunder: Sam Billings