by The Professor » Fri Dec 29, 2023 7:06 pm
The second round of the draft begins in momentous fashion. Across the years there have been a number of shortlisted female cricketers but none selected until this year. Chamari Athapathu gets the nod.
Arthur is next up and partners Phil Salt with a returning veteran of our Lists, Steve Smith. Can he be more consistent in 2024 than he was in 23?
While we're on returning antipodeans, Durham snags 2021's champion Marnus Labuschagne to form a team who have 3 years worth of Cricketer of the Year between them.
The Red Twins partner Jos Buttler with Virat Kohli in a duo that would make IPL social media channels drool.
Red Junior has played the game cannily; retaining Jadeja and managing to dodge through the draft to reclaim Moeen Ali to name an unchanged duo.
MIB completes the set of young Indian batting prodigies with Yashasvi Jaiswal joining Gill for an explosive IPL season for him.
The Professor is the first person to not get one of his choices. Kohli was his second choice but instead has to go for his (fairly left field) third choice, James Vince.
GingerPele is deprived of his second choice too (Jaiswal) and then has to go for the up and coming Australian allrounder Aaron Hardie.
DiligentDefence is also deprived of his desired second choice but instead swoops in for English discard Sam Curran to complete his team.
And to round us off Red Devil looks to go back to back to by recalling Glenn Maxwell, the 2019 Cricketer of the Year.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."