Orla Prendergast, the first Irish cricketer to be signed in a Big Bash draft, was snapped up by reigning champions the Adelaide Strikers in the fourth round of Sunday’s WBBL Draft.

The 22-year-old all-rounder made headlines last month after cracking an unbeaten 122 and taking three wickets during Ireland’s historic victory over Sri Lanka in Belfast.

Prendergast also impressed the Australian national team during last year’s bilateral ODI series in Ireland, scoring 71 in the third ODI in Dublin.

“We think she’s a superstar all-rounder,” Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath said.

“She hasn’t played a lot of franchise cricket yet, but she has a really big future ahead of her, so we’re excited to see what she can do.

“We played against her in Ireland last year and she showed a lot of talent.”

Keaton Jennings (ENG)

After the Perth Scorchers failed to retain former Big Bash champion Laurie Evans, the West Australian club was forced to turn to ‘Plan B’ — Keaton Jennings.

The 32-year-old, who played 17 Tests for England between 2016 to 2019, has been a consistent performer for Lancashire in the T20 Blast over the past five years, also starring for the London Spirit during this year’s Hundred competition.

However, Jennings is known primarily as a red-ball cricketer, making him arguably the most surprising choice from this year’s draft.

“He’s an experienced cricketer, he’s played international cricket,” Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.

“He’s a left-hander, which we don’t necessarily have at the top of the order, so to bring that in as another option for us will be very handy.”

LOSERS

Alex Hales (ENG)

Despite being the Sydney Thunder’s leading run-scorer in BBL history, England opener Alex Hales was not called upon during Sunday’s draft.

The 35-year-old, who recently retired from international cricket, has accumulated 2005 runs in 63 matches for the Thunder since his debut for the Sydney-based club in 2019.

Only two cricketers in BBL history boast a higher strike rate than Hales’ 149.08 — Glenn Maxwell and Tim David.

However, having signed Australian superstar David Warner during the winter, there was no need for an additional opener in the Thunder’s playing roster, with the club instead targeting middle-order batter Sherfane Rutherford from the West Indies.

Former Australian captain Aaron Finch confessed he was “very surprised” the Thunder ignored Hales, who wouldn’t have been available for the finals due to other commitments.

Corey Anderson (NZ)

The Hobart Hurricanes elected not to target former New Zealand representative Corey Anderson after an underwhelming 12 months for the American.

Signed during last year’s draft, the 33-year-old failed to live up to expectations in his maiden Big Bash campaign, managing 110 runs in nine matches with a strike rate of 92.43.

Anderson also had a forgettable T20 World Cup on home soil, scoring 66 runs at 16.50 as the United States qualified for the Super Eight stage.

Ricky Ponting’s Hurricanes instead went for West Indies wicketkeeper Shai Hope on Sunday.

Reece Topley (ENG)

Despite seemingly ticking all the boxes, England bowler Reece Topley was ignored by all eight Big Bash clubs on Sunday.

The left-armer has international experience, he’s tall and fast — but more importantly, the 30-year-old indicated that he was available for the entire tournament.

However, pace bowlers weren’t in high demand during the draft, with New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson the only specialist quick to be named, chosen by the Sydney Thunder.

“There’s a few sides that could do with a left-armed quick in their squad,” former Australian captain Aaron Finch said.

“I expected someone like Reece Topley to go early.”

Harmanpreet Kaur (IND

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, one of the most celebrated cricketers of the past decade, went unsold during Sunday’s WBBL draft.

The 35-year-old, who represented the Melbourne Renegades last season, was not available for the start of this year’s WBBL due to India’s bilateral series against New Zealand.

However, several of Kaur’s international teammates, including Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, earned Big Bash deals this season.

Kaur cracked 321 runs for the Renegades last year, but her tournament strike rate of 103.88 left a lot to be desired.

Haris Rauf (PAK)

Bad news Melbourne Stars fans — Haris Rauf won’t be returning for this summer’s Big Bash.

The Pakistan quick, who debuted for the Stars in 2019, is the club’s leading wicket-taker among international players with 36 scalps at 16.33 — no cricketer has taken more wickets at a lower average in BBL history.

However, Rauf went unpicked during Sunday’s Draft, with the Stars seemingly content with their winter signing of England all-rounder Tom Curran, a specialist death bowler.

The 30-year-old Rauf, who had a superb campaign with the Welsh Fire in this year’s Hundred competition, wasn’t available for the entirety of the Big Bash, perhaps contributing to his snub.