David Warner, James Neesham, Asif Ali and Carlos Brathwaite are among the direct signings for the second season of the six-team Zim Afro T10 league.
The franchises picked their icon and global superstars as direct signings ahead of the draft, which is set to take place on September 8. The 15-member squad will have an additional 16th player as their global icon. The squad will feature as many as six local Zimbabwe players; the icon and global star can also be from Zimbabwe. The tournament will run from September 21 to 29 in Harare.
Warner and Brathwaite were picked by Bulawayo Braves Jaguars while Cape Town Samp Army signed up David Willey, Dawid Malan, Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmed. Colin Munro and Mark Chapman were also among the direct signings along with Yasir Shah, who all went to Durban Wolves. Zimbabwe's beanpole fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani was signed by New York Strikers Lagos while Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain will team up with the likes of Neesham and Dasun Shanaka at Harare Bolts.
Rishad, 22, earned a deal with Hobart Hurricanes, who have Ricky Ponting as part of their strategy team, at the BBL draft earlier this week. Rishad had emerged as Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker at this year's T20 World Cup, with 14 strikes in seven matches at an economy rate of 7.76.
Vaas, Moin, Owais Shah among the coaches
The franchises also announced their head coaches on Saturday and the roster includes Moin Khan, Chaminda Vaas, Owais Shah, among others.
Moin, who has coached the Pakistan national team and Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, was roped in by Durban Wolves. NYS Lagos brought in Vaas, who has also had coaching experience at the international level, with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
Bulawayo Braves Jaguars appointed Shah, who has coached the UAE national team and Dambulla Viiking in the Lanka Premier League. Cape Town Samp Army will get the services of James Foster, who has worked in the IPL, the T20 Blast in England and the Bangladesh Premier League, whereas Jo'Burg Bangla Tigers brought in Julian Wood, who has worked with some of the big hitters in the game. Harare Bolts handed over the coaching responsibilities to Sri Lankan Pubudu Dassanayake, who has worked with USA, Canada and Nepal as their head coach.
The Zim Afro T10 will be followed by the second season of the US Masters League, Abu Dhabi T10 and the inaugural Lanka T10 will conclude the season in December.
Direct signings in Zim Afro T10
Harare Bolts: Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka: Global Superstar), James Neesham (New Zealand: Icon), George Munsey (Scotland), Rishad Hossain (Bangladesh), Shehan Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Kennar Lewis (West Indies)
Bulawayo Braves Jaguars: David Warner (Australia: Icon), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Nick Hobson (Australia), Kobe Herft (Australia)
Durban Wolves: Colin Munro (New Zealand: Global Superstar), Mark Chapman (New Zealand: Icon), Will Smeed (England), Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan), Muhammad Irfan (Pakistan), Yasir Shah (Pakistan)
Cape Town Samp Army: Haider Ali (Pakistan: Global Superstar), David Willey (England: Icon), Dawid Malan (England), Gulbadin Naib (Afghanistan), Qais Ahmed (Afghanistan), Adam Rossington (England), Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan)
NYS Lagos: Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe: Global Superstar), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka: Icon), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan), Binura Fernando (Sri Lanka), Akhilesh Bogudum (USA), Oshane Thomas (West Indies)
Jo'Burg Bangla Tigers: Chris Lynn (Australia: Global Superstar), Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka: Icon), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan), Adam Milne (New Zealand), Luke Wood (England), Karim Janat (Afghanistan)