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'The next Brian Lara' among the new BBL imports

Take a closer look at some of the internationals in this summer's Big Bash League who are playing in the tournament for the first time

A total of 31 internationals representing seven cricketing nations will take part in this summer's KFC BBL, by far the biggest influx of overseas talent the competition has seen.

Almost half that group has had a taste of Big Bash cricket before with Afghan spin stars Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, English big hitters Alex Hales and Liam Livingstone and Nepalese leggie Sandeep Lamichhane among those who are returning from last season.

A handful of BBL rookies are already well-established international stars; English pair Jason Roy and Dawid Malan, South African spin veteran Imran Tahir as well as West Indies duo Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite would be well known to Australian audiences for their feats on the international stage.

Trent Woodhill, the BBL's player acquisition consultant and an experienced T20 coach around the globe, takes a closer look at some of the internationals who may not be well known to Australian audiences just yet, but could quickly become household names this summer.

Nicholas Pooran – Melbourne Stars

The lowdown: An excitement machine who had a strike-rate of almost 170 in this year's IPL, West Indian Pooran will join the Stars for a six-game stint over the festive period. A diminutive left-hander who bats in the middle order, Pooran can keep wickets but he's also a dynamo in the field and made headlines this year with a spectacular boundary save in the IPL. More importantly, he scores at a rapid rate and can clear the boundary with ease.

Commentators lose it over Pooran’s boundary save

Trent Woodhill says: "He's the next Brian Lara, or – if you like – the heir apparent to Chris Gayle when it comes to six hitting. He hit the most sixes by an overseas player in the IPL this year (25 from 14 games) and not only that, three of those sixes were over 100 metres. He's a superstar and whether he's batting early on or at the death, there's no ground big enough to hold him. And he's also a gun fielder who's taken some spectacular outfield catches, so he's a super get for the Stars."

Imad Wasim – Melbourne Renegades

The lowdown: A canny left-arm spinner who is ranked inside the top 10 T20 bowlers in the world, Imad often bowls with the new ball and has bamboozled some of the world's best with subtle changes of pace and bowling smarts. Available after Christmas, the Pakistani will form part of a dangerous spin attack at the Renegades along with Imran Tahir, Cameron Boyce, Mohammad Nabi and Jon Holland.

Trent Woodhill says: "He's another great signing for the Renegades. He's a really experienced slow left-armer who's got a bag of tricks, he bowls a lot of arm balls with the new ball and also spins it away from the right-hander. He'll bowl two overs in the Powerplay, could bowl one in the Power Surge and he can smack them with his left-handed batting as well."

Adam Milne – Sydney Thunder

The lowdown: Long compared to Kiwi legend Shane Bond, ironically now the Thunder coach, New Zealander Milne will be one of the fastest bowlers in the competition this summer. Capable of bowling 150kph, injuries have held him back throughout his career, but he's proven himself to be a dynamic bowler when he's fully fit, and he's an impressive fielder as well.

Trent Woodhill says: "He's played two World Cups, in 2011 and 2015, he bowls 150-plus and if you're not on your guard, he'll trouble you. He's got a great yorker, a super bouncer and his change ups, especially at the back end of the tournament when wickets get a bit tired, are going to be hard to cope with. He's a world-class athlete, a world-class cricketer and we're lucky to have him in the tournament."

Rilee Rossouw – Melbourne Renegades

The lowdown: An attacking left-hander who had an acrimonious split with South African cricket three years ago, Rossouw scored more than 1500 runs for the Proteas, including an ODI century against Australia in 2016, before forging a career in domestic leagues around the world. He slammed a 44-ball hundred in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year batting at No.5 and will be available for the whole tournament to shore up the Renegades' middle order.

2016: Rossouw ton takes Proteas to 8-327

Trent Woodhill says: "Rilee has played over 200 T20 matches around the world and he's hit about 170 sixes in that time. He'll destroy bad bowling and he's such an astute get for the Renegades; because they're top heavy with Finch, Marsh, Harper and the like, he's someone who can bat at No.4 or No.5 and finish games off. And watch out for him in the Power Surge; any spinners bowling to Rilee in the Power Surge are going to go a long way."

Keemo Paul – Hobart Hurricanes

The lowdown: A clever seam bowler and powerful lower order batter, Paul will be available at the conclusion of the West Indies' tour of New Zealand in mid-December and it's hoped he’ll be able to play the bulk of the tournament. A 22-year-old from an isolated part of Guyana, an emotional Paul revealed his tragic and inspirational family story earlier this year and could well be a fan favourite at the Hurricanes this season.

Trent Woodhill says: "Keemo was the 2019 West Indies T20 player of the year and was also selected for Delhi in the IPL. He's still only 22 but he has 60 wickets in 62 matches, he has lots of swagger, he's a good fielder, he'll bowl change-ups through the middle and at the death and he has a massive six-hitting capability as well. He's a genuine allrounder and Hobart have done well to get both Jacks and Paul."

Lewis Gregory – Brisbane Heat

The lowdown: A seam-bowling allrounder who forced his way into England's T20 squad a year ago, Gregory will boost a Heat middle-order that has often been over reliant on the likes of Chris Lynn at the top. The 28-year-old is part of England's tour of South Africa and will look to make an instant impact when he becomes available after Christmas.

Trent Woodhill says: "He's a strong, strong man with a strike rate of 145-plus, an average of 20-plus with the bat and he's taken around 100 wickets in about as many games. He's a genuine allrounder, he clears the rope with ease, he'll fit in at No.5 or No.6 in the line-up and finish games off, and he also won't go away with the ball."

Colin Munro – Perth Scorchers

The lowdown: One of only three men in history to have scored three or more T20 international hundreds – the other two are Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell – Munro is a hard-hitting left-handed opener and a veteran of the T20 circuit. With 270 career games to his name, Munro will be part of a Scorchers top order that will also feature English pair Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone as well as Aussie big-hitter Josh Inglis, which will be a daunting task for all bowling attacks.

Munro smashes second-fastest T20 50

Trent Woodhill says: "We’re really, really lucky to get him. He's played a lot of IPL for Kolkata, he's played for franchises all over the world, he's a switch-hitting specialist and hits the ball extremely hard. He goes hard from ball one too, so Perth have done well to land his signature."

Andre Fletcher – Melbourne Stars

The lowdown: A powerful opening batsman and wicketkeeper, West Indian Fletcher earned a late deal with the Stars after Englishman Jonny Bairstow was forced to withdraw due to international duty. A veteran of more then 200 T20 games around the world and with 70 caps for the Windies, Fletcher looks set to form a dangerous opening partnership with Marcus Stoinis at the Stars, with the likes of Maxwell and Pooran to follow them.

Trent Woodhill says: "He opens the batting for the West Indies, and he's been around a little bit. The West Indian players are just so experienced with their T20 cricket so if you're playing for the West Indies, you must be doing something right. He'll bring some exuberance to the Stars team and I think he'll have a licence at the top to chase the bowling. I think he'll do something special early on in the tournament."

Joe Clarke – Perth Scorchers

The lowdown: The fifth-highest run-scorer in this season's T20 Blast with a strike rate of 175, Englishman Clarke will replace countryman Jason Roy at the Scorchers early in the competition. His involvement in a rape case last year – Clarke faced no criminal charges but was sanctioned for bringing the game into disrepute – has stunted the right-hander's progression, but he's been touted as an England player in waiting ever since he made his county debut as an 18-year-old.

Trent Woodhill says: "Joe's an interesting one. He's extremely talented, he's still only 24 but has 17 first-class centuries in 80-odd matches already, which tells you about his pedigree. But in T20 cricket he's starting to come into his own as well; he's got a really high strike-rate around 150 and he's already got a couple of hundreds in the Blast. He's someone who, on good wickets, will be really good back-up for the likes of Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone so it's a shrewd get for the Scorchers. He's the next big thing, he's obviously had some off-field issues, but he's done his time and he's going to be a really good player."

Will Jacks  Hobart Hurricanes

The lowdown: A powerful 22-year-old top-order player and handy off-spin bowler, Englishman Jacks comes highly recommended by Hurricanes assistant Michael Di Venuto, who coached the young Englishman at Surrey. With Matthew Wade set to miss a large chunk of the season due to Test commitments, Jacks looks set to form a potent opening partnership with D'Arcy Short at the Hurricanes.

Surrey batsman smashes 25-ball ton

Trent Woodhill says: "He's the standout of this young English group. He strikes at about 150, has played 36 games and hit 35 sixes and he can bowl four overs off-spin as well. He once scored a 25-ball hundred in a T10 match for Surrey, including six sixes in an over, and he's the current T20 Blast player of the year. He's one guy who I expect will leave these shores as a standout superstar."

Dan Lawrence  Brisbane Heat

The lowdown: Regarded as one of England's brightest young batting talents, Lawrence scored his maiden first-class century as a 17-year-old, an innings of 161 coming in just his second game for county side Essex. A polished right-hander and off-spinner who was on the fringe of England's Test squad this year, Lawrence averaged almost 100 against Australia A last summer and also boasts a strike rate of more than 140 in T20 cricket.

Trent Woodhill says: "He's very exciting and someone who will play a lot of Test cricket for England. A lot of English guys have played so many games compared to the Australian players at the same age; Dan's 23, he's played 60 games and hit 47 sixes in those games, which tells you what he's capable of, but he'll also give you two or three overs with the ball. He's similar to Glenn Maxwell with the ball in that he's underrated and he's a very good, tall defensive off-spinner. And he had a lot of success for the England Lions on their tour last year against Australia A."

Danny Briggs  Adelaide Strikers

The lowdown: The most prolific bowler in the history of England's domestic T20 competition, Briggs is a left-arm tweaker who will link up with his former Sussex coach Jason Gillespie at the Strikers. Briggs has played eight times for England but it's at domestic level where he’s made his name, taking 172 wickets in English T20 cricket.

Trent Woodhill says: "Danny’s only 29 but he's been around a while and played 169 matches and taken 186 wickets, which is a lot. He's the leading wicket-taker in the Blast by a fair way and he just doesn't go away. He handles the pressure really well; there's not a lot of mystery about him but where his success comes is he just repeats his best ball over and over again, especially under pressure. I think he's a really shrewd get for the Strikers because you're almost guaranteed four overs of consistent bowling from him. And that means someone like Rashid Khan can attack and their quicks can play their part knowing that someone like Danny at the other end is going to get 1-28 from four overs and tie down an end."

Noor Ahmad  Melbourne Renegades

The lowdown: The latest spinner to come out of Afghanistan, Noor Ahmad will fill in for Imran Tahir at the Renegades before the South African becomes available after Christmas. Aged just 15 and still in Grade 11 at high school, Noor is a pacey left-arm wrist spinner who has made an instant impression in domestic cricket at home and will be one of five Afghans in the BBL this summer.

Trent Woodhill says: "What a great story this is, a kid who's going to turn 16 during the BBL. He's only played 15 games but already taken 19 wickets as a left-arm wrist spinner. I admit I haven't seen any of him but have heard plenty and from all reports he's the next big thing out of Afghanistan, which carries weight on the back of their stars like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi."