The Melbourne Renegades have boosted their overseas contingent for the upcoming Big Bash League after signing two wrist spinners including the likes of Imran Tahir and Noor Ahmed. Tahir will be joining the squad post Christmas and Ahmed is expected to fill his shoes until then. As the Franchise has gone for two players who belongs to different age group where Tahir is 41 and Ahmed is 15.
This Big Bash news is BIG.
Meet the two new spinners we’re unleashing on #BBL10.
Fair to say we're grateful they're on our side #GETONRED
— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) October 29, 2020
“Imran Tahir has excelled in the T20 format right across the world and he’ll provide another genuine wicket-taking threat,” Renegades coach Michael Klinger said. “We’ve [also] been tracking Noor Ahmad closely for more than a year now and although he’s in the early stages of his career, he’s an exciting prospect and he has a few tricks that’ll make life difficult for batsmen.”
However Renegades still have one spot from the overseas spot vacant despite the return of Afghanistan all rounder Mohammad Nabi based on the recent rules which allows Franchise to have maximum three foreign players in their Playing XI. Tahir is currently playing for CSK in the ongoing edition of IPL 2020 and he will be making his debut in BBL despite playing over 300 T20 games in all over the world.
“I’ve watched the Big Bash from afar [and] have admired how competitive it is,” he said. “I’m looking forward to joining my new Renegades team-mates and working hard with them to produce a successful season.”
Ahmed who performed exceptionally well under the leadership of Mohammad Nabi in the Shapageeza T20 League last year for MIS Ainak Region where he took eight wickets with a impressive economic rate of 6.48. This season, he took 11 wickets as the Knights ended as runners-up. In 15 T20 games so far, Ahmad has 19 wickets at an average of 21.42 and an economy rate of 7.11.
Ahmed was all set to play for the Caribbean Premier League after being drafted to play for St Lucia Zouks but didn’t participated in the tournament after failing to secure a transit visa through the UK.
“The Renegades fans and followers of the Big Bash may not know much about Noor at this stage, but I can tell you [that] he is a very exciting talent who I feel has a big future in the game,” Nabi said of Ahmad. The upcoming season of Big Bash League will start from December 3rd 2020, with Renegades playing their first match against Adelaide Strikers in the opening game of the season.
