West Indians Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford were among a number of players selected by various franchises in the player draft for the 2024-25 edition of Australia’s premier T20 showcase, the Big Bash League, on Sunday.

Hope, picked in the BBL draft for the first time, will represent the Hobart Hurricanes.

He was their pick in the platinum category, with the influence of head coach Ricky Ponting, who was Hope’s coach at the Delhi Capitals in the 2024 IPL.

Rutherford, who will also be experiencing the Big Bash for the first time, was selected by the Sydney Thunder in the silver category.

All-rounder Fabian Allen was snapped up in the silver category by the Adelaide Strikers while Akeal Hosein, who took 15 wickets in 10 games for the Melbourne Renegades last season, will be representing the Sydney Sixers this time around as one of their pre-draft signings.

Barbados-born England all-rounder Jacob Bethell is also set for his first BBL stint after being selected by the Melbourne Renegades.

The 2024-25 Big Bash League will run from December 15 to January 26.

The Hayley Matthews led Melbourne Renegades slumped to their sixth loss in a row and seventh in eight games in the 2023 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) after a six-wicket defeat at the hands of the Adelaide Strikers at the Karen Rolton Oval on Wednesday.

Jess Duffin hit 54 and Harmanpreet Kaur 45 as the Renegades made 148-5 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

Tammy Beaumont also contributed 26 at the top while skipper Matthews made a first ball duck, continuing a lean run of form so far this season with just one score over 30 in her eight innings.

The five wickets were shared among five different Strikers bowlers.

Katie Mack (24), Laura Woldvaart (28), Tahlia McGrath (26), Bridget Patterson (36) and Danielle Gibson (17) then all got starts to help the Strikers reach 149-4 off 19 overs.

Georgia Prestwidge took 2-19 from her four overs while Matthews took 1-24 from her three overs.

The Renegades will next take on the Perth Scorchers on Saturday.

The Melbourne Renegades got their first win of the 2023 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) campaign by dismantling the Adelaide Strikers by 86 runs at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.

The Renegades, who tasted defeat in their season opener against the Brisbane Heat, posted 167-3 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Strikers.

The opening pair of Tammy Beaumont and captain Hayley Matthews put on just 19 before the West Indian went for 12 in the third over.

Beaumont and number three batter Josephine Dooley added 51 for the second wicket before Beaumont went for 30 in the ninth over.

One over later, Dooley fell for 23 to leave the Renegades 74-3.

An unbroken 93-run fourth wicket stand between Harmanpreet Kaur and Courtney Webb then propelled the Renegades to their total.

Webb led the way with a 34-ball 49* while Kaur ended 43* off 33 balls.

Zimbabwean Anesu Mushangwe was the Strikers most economical bowler with 1-21 in her four overs.

The Strikers then lasted just 14.5 overs before they were bowled out for 86.

Only skipper Talia McGrath (31), Laura Woldvaart (14) and Danielle Gibson (10) were able to reach double-figures.

Hayley Matthews (2-20 from three overs), Ella Hayward (2-18 from four overs), Georgia Wareham (2-23 from three overs) and Harmanpreet Kaur (2-11 from 1.5 overs) all played a part in the bowling effort.

The Sydney Thunder hit 10 times as many runs against the Adelaide Strikers as they managed the last time the two met, but still came up short on Tuesday.

Unwanted history was made by the Thunder when they were all out for just 15 in the Big Bash League on Friday, the lowest total ever recorded in men's professional T20 cricket.

Unsurprisingly, they lost that game at the Sydney Showground Stadium to the Strikers, who had set a target of 140.

All eyes were on the Thunder to see if they could respond when the two teams met again in Adelaide, and an ironic cheer went up from the home fans as openers Alex Hales and Matthew Gilkes went past 15 after just two-and-a-half overs.

T20 World Cup winner Hales went on to hit 68 from 50 balls, including six fours and three sixes, while Ollie Davies added 42 from 30 as the Thunder posted a far more respectable total of 150-5 from their 20 overs, exactly 10 times as many as last week.

It was not enough, though. Jake Weatherald fell early for Adelaide in their chase, but they were rarely troubled after that as Matt Short (65) was ably supported by 28 each from Chris Lynn and Adam Hose (not out).

Despite a late run out of Colin de Grandhomme, the Strikers eased to the target with six wickets and eight balls to spare to maintain their winning start to the season, while the Thunder have won just one of their four matches.

The Sydney Thunder made astonishing cricket history when they were all out for 15 in the Big Bash League, the lowest total ever recorded in men's professional T20 cricket.

Friday's humbling at the Sydney Showground Stadium came at the hands of the Adelaide Strikers, who had briefly been concerned their 139-9 would come under threat.

Instead, it turned into a rout as the Thunder made a shocking start and failed to recover, with Brendan Doggett their top scorer with four runs, hitting the only boundary of the innings.

Doggett was the last man out as the home team were dismissed in 5.5 overs, with paceman Henry Thornton completing bowling figures of 5-3 in 2.5 overs. Fellow quick Wes Agar weighed in with 4-6 from two overs.

Thornton suggested he might as well retire on the back of his five-wicket feat in the 124-run victory, because he would never top the experience.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Thornton said: "I honestly cannot believe what just happened. Everyone here probably doesn't know what's going on either.

"It was amazing. We thought they bowled really well, considering what the wicket was doing, and we thought if we hung in there long enough we'd create chances.

"That's unbelievable. We thought if we bowled at the top of the stumps... we'd be in the game.

"We're really happy. I'm really happy for Wes, he bowled really well tonight, super disciplined, and yeah, great performance.

"Honestly, I'm shocked, I can't believe it."

Thunder openers Alex Hales and Matthew Gilkes both fell for ducks, and Thornton had been expecting middle-order batter Daniel Sams to be a threat with the bat, but he made only one run.

"They're an amazing team. Halesy is a great player and Samsy down the lower order as well," Thornton said. "We thought if we got to 150-plus we'd be in the game, and it was enough I guess.

"I feel like I need to retire now, I don't think I'm getting better than that. That was an amazing game of cricket, so I'm really happy, and the mood around the crew's great, so I couldn't be happier."

Team-mate Chris Lynn top-scored with 36 in Adelaide's innings, and Lynn was wearing the on-field TV microphone as the Sydney wickets tumbled.

"I suppose you just soak it all up," Lynn said at the end of the match.

"Fifteen! I don't know what to say. Everyone's looking, laughing and giggling away. We play them in a couple of days' time down in Adelaide. It's a momentum booster, but hopefully there'll be a few scars there and we can go back-to-back.

"I'm a bit sort of 'what's going on?'."

Sydney's score was 42 worse than the previous lowest in BBL history, the 57 record by the Melbourne Renegades against the Melbourne Stars in 2015.

Former West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin was the star of the show as she helped the Adelaide Strikers to their first ever Women’s Big Bash League title with a 10-run win over the Sydney Sixers Women in the final Sydney on Saturday.

The Strikers posted 147-5 after winning the toss and batting first thanks to a top score of 52 not out from Dottin. Her knock came off 37 balls and included six fours and two sixes.

Australian opener Katie Mack also made 31 as English left arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone picked up two wickets for the Sixers.

With the ball, Dottin produced a crucial spell of 2-30 from her four overs, including the wicket of player of the tournament Ashleigh Gardner for a four-ball duck, to set up the win for her team.

Pacer Darcie Brown also took two wickets as the Sixers were restricted bowled out for 137 in 20 overs.

Dottin was named player of the match.

Former West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin’s cameo with the bat was not enough as her Adelaide Strikers lost by 17 runs to the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League at the Ray Mitchell Park in Mackay, Australia on Friday.

The Sydney Sixers Women won the toss and elected to bat, posting 152-2 from their 20 overs thanks to a brilliant 67-ball 82 not out from New Zealander Suzie Bates. Her knock included eight fours and two sixes. Sixers captain Ellyse Perry supported well with 58 from 44 deliveries including five fours and two sixes. Dottin took 0-21 from her three overs.

With the bat, Dottin was the second highest scorer of the innings with a 16-ball 25 including one four and three sixes as the Strikers were restricted to 134-9 from their 20 overs. Aussie Katie Mack top-scored with 34 while South African Laura Wolvaardt added 22 against English left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s brilliant 4-17 off four overs.

Dottin announced her retirement from international cricket in August.

After a long string of low scores, Andre Fletcher finally came good with a man-of-the-match performance that saw the Melbourne Stars score a massive 111-run victory over the Adelaide Strikers in Melbourne on Thursday.