logo
Afridi, Shamar Joseph headline list of BBL nominees

Afridi, Shamar Joseph headline list of BBL nominees

West Australian20 hours ago

Pakistan superstar Shaheen Afridi is poised to play in the Big Bash League for the first time, after headlining a list of first nominees for next week's draft.
Afridi was one of several Paksitan stars to be unveiled on Tuesday, along with Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan.
The quartet are expected to be available for the entire season, with Pakistan having a sizeable gap in their schedule across the Australian summer.
Brisbane Heat will become immediate favourites for Shaheen's signature, after winning the first spot in the June 19 overseas player draft.
West Indies phenomenon Shamar Joseph has also nominated again after going unsold last season, when he could not play the full tournament. This year, he should be available for the entire campaign.
England duo Alex Hales and Sam Curran are also available, and will be cleared to play the majority of the season plus finals if they are picked.
A similar scenario applies for New Zealand pacemen Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson, while Sri Lanka entertainer Kusal Perera is another nominee.
English pair Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone are the biggest names to nominate for the WBBL, with Lauren Bell, Shabnim Ismail and Deandra Dotton also available.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Teen schoolgirl awestruck after winning unexpected Australian title
Teen schoolgirl awestruck after winning unexpected Australian title

Perth Now

timean hour ago

  • Perth Now

Teen schoolgirl awestruck after winning unexpected Australian title

An emotional 16-year-old schoolgirl is being hailed as the future of Australian swimming after earning world championship selection. Sienna Toohey left seasoned campaigners including Kaylee McKeown and Cate Campbell in awe with a stunning swim at Australia's selection trials in Adelaide on Tuesday night. The Albury teen, who only started swimming because she wanted to play water polo, triumphed in the women's 100m breaststroke. Toohey's victory, in a personal best time of one minute 6.55 seconds, secured her berth at the world titles in Singapore from July 27 to August 3. 'All of these people being my idols, now I get to be on the team with them,' Toohey said. 'These are people that I was watching two years ago, saying I want to be like them.' The daughter of the relieving principal at Albury High School, Toohey initially wanted to be a water polo player. 'My parents told me that I couldn't do water polo if I didn't swim, so I started swimming,' she said. 'And then my water polo progressed and my swimming was too at the same time. I got to the point where I had to choose swimming or water polo. Obviously, I chose swimming — it was the right choice.' Cate Campbell comforts Sienna Toohey after the awesome feat. Credit: AAP Five-time Olympic gold medallist McKeown was among those impressed with Toohey's feat at the South Australian Aquatic Centre. 'I was 16 when I made my first team and it really taught me a lot being with the older guys,' McKeown said after winning the 100m backstroke final on Tuesday night. 'I'm excited to see young swimmers coming through the ranks. 'The more experience that they can get leading into LA (the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics), we have a really good chance of doing Australia proud.' McKeown, who has told of the mental toll during her decorated career, offered some advice to the precocious Toohey. 'Just to enjoy yourself,' McKeown said. 'The more you be serious, the more you're harsh on yourself, you keep just digging yourself in a bit of a hole and it's quite hard to get out of.' For Toohey, she now will revise plans which had centred on the goal of swimming at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. 'The team I was first aiming to get on was definitely that one,' she said. 'Now that I've made this one, we'll have to push up the timeline a bit more.' Also on Tuesday night, Alex Perkins threatened the national women's 50m butterfly record by clocking 25.36 seconds, 0.05 shy of Holly Barratt's benchmark set six years ago. Injury-plagued Ed Sommerville, 20, made his first senior long-course national team by winning the men's 200m freestyle in 1:44.93 ahead of Sam Short (1:45.71). Joshua Edwards-Smith prevailed in the men's 100m backstroke in 54.28 and and Matt Temple took out the men's 100m butterfly in 51.00.

Hall of Fame inductee Erin Phillips brings famous father Greg to tears in emotional speech
Hall of Fame inductee Erin Phillips brings famous father Greg to tears in emotional speech

7NEWS

timean hour ago

  • 7NEWS

Hall of Fame inductee Erin Phillips brings famous father Greg to tears in emotional speech

Australian football Hall of Fame inductee Erin Phillips brought her famous father to tears during an emotional acceptance speech on Tuesday night. Phillips became just the second woman inducted into the Hall of Fame — followed closely on the night by Daisy Pearce who was third — and completed the first father-daughter combination, joining dad and Port Adelaide great, Greg Phillips. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Erin Phillips delivers tear-jerking Hall of Fame speech. The two-time AFLW best and fairest, who won three premierships with Adelaide before crossing to Port Adelaide when they entered the competition, thanked her dad in a tear-jerking tribute. 'To Dad, I can't imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn't play the game that she loves anymore,' she said, with emotion in her voice. 'And 27 years later, she's standing next to you in the Hall of Fame. 'Thank you for teaching me a game that I loved, and even though you knew it was never going to take me anywhere at the time, you still taught me anyway.' When she was turned away from footy, as all girls were at the time, Phillips turned to basketball, where she became one of Australia's greatest ever. She won two WNBA championships, a World Championship gold medal, and a WNBL championship, among a host of other accolades which already made her one of the country's most celebrated athletes, before her footy career even started. As it turned out, she was eventually able to chase her original footy dream when it became possible in 2017, for which she credited trailblazing women like Debbie Lee — the inaugural female inductee, four years ago — with making possible. 'You kicked down this door so others could walk through,' Phillips said. 'I'm so proud to be by your side and I can't wait to kick down more doors with you, Deb.' Phillips ended her stellar playing career at the end of 2022. The five-year player eligibility rule for the Hall of Fame was changed for women last year; AFLW players can now be inducted within a year of retirement and she was an obvious candidate. Her father, Port Adelaide great Greg, was inducted in 2020. Fos and Mark Williams, Hayden Bunton Sr and Jr, and umpires Jack McMurray Sr and Jr are the father-son inductees. Phillips was Adelaide's inaugural captain and the first women's best and fairest winner, playing in three Crows flags despite needing a knee reconstruction. She then switched to Port Adelaide when they joined the league in 2022. When the women's league started in 2017, marquee players such as Phillips were crucial for its profile and credibility. South Australian goalkicking machine Ken Farmer was elevated to legend status at Tuesday night's annual dinner in Melbourne. St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt, whose induction was delayed because of his family move to the United States, joined the Hall of Fame, along with four-time Hawthorn premiership hard nut Luke Hodge and former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon. South Adelaide ruckman Peter Darley, a key member of the club's most recent SANFL premiership in 1964, Tasmanian team of the century vice-captain John Leedham and seven-time East Perth premiership player George Owens are this year's historical inductees. Pearce's last AFLW game was the Melbourne 2022 grand final victory and she called it the best day of her life, even though her twin children Sylvie and Roy were in the room, hamming it up for the TV cameras. 'It's controversial to say this, as a mother ... don't get me wrong, they're the best thing that's ever happened to me, but on a technicality, the day itself is not that good,' she said. 'Give me grand final day every day of the week.' Pearce returned from having the twins in 2019 to captain Melbourne to the flag. Farmer, who died in 1982, is the SANFL's most prolific goalkicker, with 1417 for North Adelaide from 1929-41 in 224 games at an extraordinary average of 6.33 per game. He was never goalless in a game and coached the Roosters to two premierships. Riewolt went agonisingly close to a premiership, playing in St Kilda's draw and two losses across 2009-10. He said he had made his peace with not being able to help the Saints win their elusive second flag 'Rather than feeling like I walked away with the game still owing me something, I walk away feeling like the game gave me absolutely everything,' he said.

Nick Kyrgios loses high-profile Wimbledon commentary role after BBC ‘disgrace'
Nick Kyrgios loses high-profile Wimbledon commentary role after BBC ‘disgrace'

7NEWS

timean hour ago

  • 7NEWS

Nick Kyrgios loses high-profile Wimbledon commentary role after BBC ‘disgrace'

Nick Kyrgios appears set to miss Wimbledon entirely after it emerged he had been dropped by the BBC just days on from his latest injury setback. The 30-year-old has not played at the All England Club since losing the 2022 final to Novak Djokovic, having suffered a combination of knee, foot and wrist injuries. He had hoped to play doubles at the French Open but withdrew because of a knee injury and has since confirmed he would have to sit out the grass season. 'Just wanted to give everyone a quick update — l've hit a small setback in my recovery and unfortunately won't make it back for grass season this year,' Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. 'I know how much you've all been looking forward to seeing me out there, and I'm genuinely sorry to disappoint. 'This is just a bump in the road though, and I'm already working hard to get back stronger than ever. 'Thank you for all your continued support — it means everything to me. See you soon!' When Kyrgios missed Wimbledon through injury last year he picked up a commentary gig with the BBC alongside Australian tennis legend Ash Barty. But while Barty's return was greeted with much fanfare, it was a different story for Kyrgios as his 2021 court case involving former partner Chiara Passari returned to the spotlight. He was accused of pushing her to the ground but the case was dismissed by a magistrate. 'The BBC should hang its head in shame at this appointment,' Women and Equalities Committee chair Caroline Nokes said last year. 'It's a disgrace and shows the utter contempt our national broadcaster has towards women. 'Not content with consistently underpaying their own female staff and forcing out women once they hit a certain age, they now bring a man who admitted assaulting a woman on board for Wimbledon.' The BBC opted against taking action at the time but it has now been revealed Kyrgios will not return to the commentary team for 2025. The Australian's previously solid plans to appear in the tournament likely played a role in the split, though last year he was announced by the BBC before he had ruled himself out of playing. The BBC's decision not to re-sign Kyrgios comes just weeks after it was embroiled in controversy surrounding football legend Gary Lineker, who subsequently left his role as the public broadcaster's highest-paid presenter. Kyrgios has also not received a call-up to work for ESPN on its US coverage of Wimbledon, according to the Telegraph. He previously worked for the network at the Australian Open. Kyrgios has long seen the commentary booth as a career opportunity, with injuries over the past three years accelerating his path. He returned to the court in the Australian summer but still faces an uphill battle to resurrect his tennis career. The former world No.13 has played only four singles matches this year, claiming his first tour victory in two-and-a-half years at the Miami Open in March. His Wimbledon withdrawal means his first-round exit at this year's Australian Open will remain his only grand slam appearance — of a possible 11 — since the start of 2023. Last week, would-be French Open doubles partner Jordan Thompson gave an insight into how much Kyrgios had struggled with his luckless injury run. 'He was pretty down. He told me he doesn't know how much more of these injuries he can take, and you've just got to feel for him,' Thompson said. 'Because as much as he says things in the media, I think he loves playing tennis and he loves being on court, so it's disappointing that he can't be here on the court.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store