Photo Credit: ICC
Experienced allrounder Colin de Grandhomme is set for his maiden Big Bash season after the Strikers secured the right-hander with their second selection at the BBL|12 Draft.
A consistent talent across all three formats for New Zealand, de Grandhomme is a powerful cricketer who can sway a match’s momentum with both bat and ball.
Making his international debut in 2012 in both T20I and ODI formats, de Grandhomme then earned a Test cap in 2016, snaring 6/41 in a stunning performance against Pakistan – the best figures by a player on Test debut for New Zealand.
The versatile de Grandhomme is built for the T20 arena with almost 4,000 runs, 15 half-centuries and 69 wickets in the shortest format, spanning campaigns in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and New Zealand’s Super Smash.
A fiery strike rate of 157.9 across T20 cricket illustrates his game-changing strength when wielding the willow.
Just as influential with the ball, De Grandhomme claimed incredible figures of 3/4 from just 10 deliveries in a dominant IPL performance for the Kolkata Night Riders in 2017.
More recently, the 36-year-old crushed 240 runs and two-half centuries as Northern Brave’s leading run-scorer last summer in New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition.
Head Coach Jason Gillespie said de Grandhomme would play an important role for the Strikers this season.
“We think he complements our squad perfectly,” Gillespie said.
“We feel with our squad and what will complement our local players most effectively is someone that can bat in the middle, offer some overs and is good in the field. He’s very experienced and has played a lot of cricket all around the world.
“Colin was high in our thinking. We’re absolutely delighted we’ve managed to get him.”
Englishman Adam Hose is also a Striker after the club landed the big-hitting batsman with its third pick at Sunday night’s Draft.
The 29-year-old starred in this year’s Vitality Blast representing the Birmingham Bears, finishing as the competition’s third-highest run-scorer with 558 runs at an imposing strike rate of 160.9.
Hose, who will bring his thrilling style of play to the Big Bash for the first time this summer, has played 87 matches in T20 cricket with two centuries, 15 half-centuries and a high score of 119.
Possessing a reputation as a devastating T20 cricketer ever since his debut innings for Warwickshire, where he crushed 76 from just 43 balls at Edgbaston in the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast, Hose is set to light up Adelaide Oval and bring
the crowd into the action with regularity.
Speaking with his new coach following the Draft, Hose was thrilled to have heard his name called out.
“I am completely over the moon to be honest. I sort of consider Adelaide a second home for me, so to get back there and play with what is a really exciting squad, I’m so happy.
“There is a lot of power through the batting line up. I played with Colin [de Grandhomme] at the Bears for a couple of years and know how dangerous he can be, and then obviously Weathers, Shorty and Lynn up top is just awesome.”
Gillespie couldn’t wipe the smile off his face following the Draft, with the cards falling the Strikers way as intended.
“We’re so delighted. We’ve been tracking you for a while and you are someone that was high on our priority list and so to be able to secure you, I know there were a couple of other franchises sniffing around, so for us to get you where we did, we’re just delighted. We’ve got a squad that can really challenge hard this year.”
No stranger to South Australia, Hose has spent time in Adelaide playing Premier Cricket with both Tea Tree Gully and Kensington, something that has seen him form bonds with the likes of Travis Head, his new Big Bash skipper.
