Melbourne, June 19 : Pakistan stars Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf emerged as the most sought-after picks in the Big Bash League (BBL) overseas draft, with Afridi going No. 1 overall on Thursday. In total, seven players from Pakistan were selected.

Almost every club in the BBL overseas draft had their eyes on Afridi, who entered the draft for the first time with full-season availability. Brisbane Heat, holding the first overall pick, didn't hesitate to snap up the left-arm quick, adding him to an already formidable pace unit featuring Spencer Johnson, Michael Neser and Xavier Bartlett.

Rauf will be back with the Melbourne Stars after the club used their retention pick to fend off the Adelaide Strikers, who attempted to grab him with pick No.2.

Mohammad Rizwan was selected at No.4 by the Melbourne Renegades, despite the team already pre-signing dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert.

The Adelaide Strikers caused a mild surprise by using their No.3 platinum pick to secure England left-arm pacer Luke Wood after missing out on Rauf. That allowed fellow Englishman Sam Curran to fall to the Sydney Sixers at pick No.7, while the Sydney Thunder retained Lockie Ferguson at pick No.8.

Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes both confirmed their platinum pre-signings in the first round - Finn Allen and Chris Jordan, respectively.

The Renegades made a bold move with their second pick at No.11, selecting uncapped USA allrounder Hassan Khan. Khan featured in one game for the Renegades last season and has been a standout performer early in the MLC for the San Francisco Unicorns, a franchise run by Cricket Victoria's high-performance unit'the same group that manages the Renegades.

Sydney Thunder traded up in the second round to secure Shadab Khan at pick No.12. This marks Shadab's fourth stint with a BBL franchise, having previously played for Brisbane Heat (2017), Sydney Sixers (2021'22), and Hobart Hurricanes (2022'23).

Rishad Hossain was the only Bangladeshi player selected in the draft, going to the Hurricanes at pick No.13. Though chosen last season, he was later withdrawn due to not receiving an NOC.

The Hurricanes further strengthened their spin options by picking England leg-spin allrounder Rehan Ahmed in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Laurie Evans and David Payne will return to the Perth Scorchers, where both previously won BBL titles. Last season, they played for the Renegades and Strikers, respectively, after not being retained.

The Strikers added another notable Pakistan pacer, Hasan Ali, with their third-round selection. England wicketkeeper-batter Tom Alsop will return to the Brisbane Heat, and leg-spinner Jafer Chohan will rejoin the Sydney Sixers after being a surprise pick in last year's draft.

Adelaide Strikers: Luke Wood, Jamie Overton, Hasan Ali

Brisbane Heat: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Colin Munro, Tom Alsop

Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan, Rishad Hossain, Rehan Ahmed

Melbourne Renegades: Mohammad Rizwan, Hassan Khan, Tim Seifert

Melbourne Stars: Haris Rauf, Tom Curran, Joe Clarke

Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen, Laurie Evans, David Payne

Sydney Sixers: Sam Curran, Babar Azam, Jafer Chohan

Sydney Thunder: Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Sam Billings

/IANS