Curran & Bell among new names in Big Bash draft
England all-rounder Sam Curran has entered the Big Bash draft as he looks to play in the tournament for the first time.
The 27-year-old has played franchise cricket in the Indian Premier League, SA20 and ILT20 but is yet to play in Australia's 20-over tournament.
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Seamer Lauren Bell is in the women's draft having last played in the competition in 2023.
Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder), Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Hobart Hurricanes) were also listed in the first round of nominations and will be able for retention.
West Indies' Deandra Dottin (Melbourne Renegades), South Africa's Shabnim Ismail (Thunder) and India's Jemimah Rodrigues (Adelaide Strikers) can also be retained.
Alex Hales was the other Englishman on the first take of the men's list and can be retained by Thunder alongside New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, while Pakistan's Haris Rauf could stay at Melbourne Stars.
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Rauf was joined on the list by compatriots Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan, with all three players available to every side.
The draft for the 2025-26 Big Bash tournaments takes place on 19 June.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Shaq Announces He's Not Watching Rest of NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder played a complete game from start to finish on Sunday evening, tying the NBA Finals at one game apiece with the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder were able to defend their home court with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, getting their first win of the series after their thrilling and dramatic Game 1 loss. Advertisement The Finals have delivered on the hype so far, with stars like Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up big numbers and making iconic moments. Basketball fans are eagerly awaiting the next game in the series, but one former NBA champion says he won't be watching. After the Thunder tied the series on Sunday night, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith joined NBA TV for post game coverage. O'Neal took the opportunity to express his gratitude that he could leave after Game 2, as Charles Barkley would join post game coverage for the next two games in Indiana. 'Indiana stole one. I'm just glad it's not the old format, that 2-3-2. Remember that format? That 2-3-2? So now we have a series. I won't even be watching,' O'Neal admitted. Advertisement The old Finals format would have resulted in three straight games in Indiana, which could have had adverse effects on Oklahoma City - the higher seed - playing three straight games on the road. 'I'm gonna be in the Bahamas," O'Neal said. His fellow panelists reminded him that he could still watch the game from his vacation, but he doubled down. 'Not in the ocean,' O'Neal said, affirming his stance. Some fans were able to enjoy O'Neal's candor as a funny moment, but some have expressed concern and outrage about how he's covered the league this season. Earlier this year, O'Neal admitted to not watching the Detroit Pistons despite the fact that they were a playoff team and had been one of the most compelling stories in basketball. Advertisement O'Neal, Barkley, Smith and Ernie Johnson will be heading to ESPN next year for a revival of "Inside the NBA." The show has come under fire for the lack of actual basketball analysis from some, but O'Neal's comments seem to indicate that more of the same could be on the way, even at a new network. Shaq Announces He's Not Watching Rest of NBA Finals first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2025
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
NBA Finals Latest Odds Entering Game 3: Series Winner, MVP, Series Leaders
After two games of the NBA Finals, regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to winning Finals MVP while leading the series in scoring. After two games of the NBA Finals, regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to winning Finals MVP while leading the series in scoring. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As far as oddsmakers were concerned, there were three sure things going into the 2025 NBA Finals between the Pacers and the Thunder: 1) The Thunder had the upper hand (to say the least) 2) It was going to take something shocking for anyone besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win Finals MVP 3) SGA was also going to lead this series in scoring As expected, the Thunder are in firm control of this series at it heads to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. And barring injury, Gilgeous-Alexander -- who has already scored 72 points in this series -- is going to comfortably lead the Finals in scoring. In fact, SGA's odds to win Finals MVP and score the most points in the series are no longer available at a number of sportsbooks. NBA Finals Winner Odds (as of June 10) The Pacers' Game 1 comeback showed they're no pushover. Still, the top sportsbooks all see Indiana as major underdogs as the series shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy for Games 3 and 4. DraftKings FanDuel bet365 Thunder -525 -550 -550 Pacers +400 +410 +400 NBA Finals Series Leader Odds (as of June 10) NBA Finals Series Made Threes Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (3-pt shooting through Game 2) DraftKings FanDuel bet365 Aaron Nesmith (7-of-15) +135 +105 +120 Lugentz Dort (6-of-12) +180 +240 +220 Tyrese Haliburton (5-of-15) +210 +310 +275 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4-of-10) +2000 +1800 +1800 Each of the four players listed above has a compelling case after two games. Nesmith, the current favorite, has been red-hot from deep throughout the playoffs. He's shooting 49.5 percent from 3 this postseason, including just under 47 percent vs. the Thunder on plenty of volume (7 3PA in Game 1, 8 3PA in Game 2). The balance of the Thunder, plus Dort's own inconsistency from outside, makes him a wild card. In 18 playoff games this year, he's drained at least four threes five times, but he's also had seven games where he made one 3-pointer or fewer. Haliburton's high usage rate makes him a good bet to get plenty of looks. But against a Thunder team that has held him to just 9-for-26 shooting (34.6 percent) from deep in four matchups this year, he doesn't offer a ton of value at his current odds. Best bet: Nesmith (+135 at DraftKings) NBA Finals Series Assists Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (assists through Game 2) DK FD bet365 Tyrese Haliburton (12) -200 -170 -200 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11) +155 +125 +160 Jalen Williams (11) +2000 +1300 +1600 Andrew Nembhard (10) +5000 +3200 +3300 There's no denying Haliburton's ceiling as a passer, but he's hardly carved up the Thunder in any of the four games he's played against them this year. Since dishing out eight assists the first time these teams met back in December, Haliburton has recorded 3, 6 and 6 assists in the most recent IND vs. OKC matchups. Before we go any further, consider Haliburton and SGA's head-to-head assists-per-game numbers in 2024-25, including both the regular season and the Finals: Haliburton apg vs. OKC: 5.5 in reg. season; 6.0 in Finals; 5.75 apg overall Gilgeous-Alexander apg vs. IND: 8.0 in reg. season; 5.5 in Finals; 6.75 apg overall With that in mind, SGA strikes us as the best bet here, though he's much less tempting at the current best price of +160 at bet365 than he was when we recommended him at +500 at DK prior to Game 1. OKC's star point guard finished Game 1 with just three assists as the Pacers made him into a shoot-first player in the series opener (he tied his playoff-high with 30 field-goal attempts), but he was back to facilitating in Game 2, with 8 assists and 21 FGA. Another reason to like SGA is his consistency. He has had at least eight assists in five of OKC's last seven games dating back to the Western Conference Finals vs. Minnesota. He has also had at least six dimes in 14 of 18 playoff games this year. Unless Haliburton explodes for a couple monster assist nights in this series (which we certainly shouldn't rule out), I like SGA's consistency to allow him to win this battle. Best bet: Gilgeous-Alexander (+160 at bet365) NBA Finals Series Rebounds Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (rebounds through Game 2) DK FD bet365 Isaiah Hartenstein (17) +140 +140 +150 Pascal Siakam (17) +145 +145 +150 Chet Holmgren (12) +225 +390 +350 Aaron Nesmith (16) +2000 +1300 +1200 There's another intriguing battle unfolding on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Pascal Siakam all have a real chance to lead the series in rebounding. Hartenstein has been coming off the bench in this series. But that hasn't stopped him from putting together by far the best per-minute rebounding numbers of any player in this series. After grabbing nine boards in just 17 minutes in Game 1, he pulled down eight more in 22 minutes in Game 2. As long as you trust Hartenstein to hold up well enough defensively against the Pacers to consistently log 25 minutes or so per game, he's a great bet to lead the series in rebounds. And after posting a plus/minus of +2 in 17 minutes in Game 1 and +17 in 22 minutes in Game 2, it's hard to imagine him falling out of the rotation any time soon. Holmgren bounced back from an awful night offensively in Game 1 with 15 points on 6-for-11 FG shooting in 28 minutes, but he grabbed just six rebounds apiece in Games 1 and 2. Barring Indiana's spread attack rendering Hartenstein unplayable for OKC, I like him to out-rebound both Siakam (6.5 rebounds per 36 minutes in the playoffs) and Holmgren (10.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in the playoffs) the rest of the way. Hartenstein's per-36 rebounding numbers have been incredible all season, and although we're working with a small NBA Finals sample size, it's worth noting that he's been an even more effective rebounder in this series: Hartenstein reb/36 (regular season): 13.8 Hartenstein reb/36 (playoffs): 12.2 Hartenstein reb/36 (NBA Finals): 15.7 Best bet: Hartenstein (+150 at bet365) Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pacers need more from Tyrese Haliburton in Game 3, but that's more than simply scoring
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