The Sylhet Sixers have recruited South African spinner Imran Tahir for the 2019 Bangladesh Premier League.

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who represented the Cape Town Blitz in the recent Mzansi Super League, has also joined the Sixers. Tahir played for the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in the MSL.

‘We are pleased to announce that Mohammad Nawaz will be a part of the Sixers family for the upcoming BPL tournament. Welcome aboard the Sixers family, Mohammad Nawaz,’ the Sixers revealed on social media.

‘The marvelous googly specialist from South Africa, the one and only Imran Tahir, is now a Sixer.’

South African batsman AB de Villiers, too, will playing in the BPL. He has signed for the Rangpur Riders.

De Villiers will be joined by countryman Christiaan Jonker and Robbie Frylinck in the tournament. Jonker and Frylinck will play for the Rajshahi Kings and Chittagong Vikings respectively.

Former Australian captain Steven Smith was scheduled to play for the Comilla Victorians, but has since been barred.

Smith was recruited by the Victorians in late November as a replacement for Sri Lanka’s Asela Gunaratne. But replacement players are supposed to be selected from players who were in the original draft – Smith was not.

Smith is currently serving a ban from international cricket after his involvement in the ball-tampering saga that marred Australia’s Test tour of South Africa earlier this year.

The ban, however, does not prevent him from competing in domestic T20 tournaments around the world.

He recently represented the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada and Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League.

Photo: Gallo