Pavel Florin, the Romanian cricketer with a distinctive bowling action that saw him rise to prominence and earn cult status, has thrown his hat into the ring for this year’s Big Bash League (BBL) after nominating himself for the competition’s inaugural overseas player draft.
The Transylvanian, who is a professional bodyguard by day, made headlines in 2019 when his love of the game prompted the likes of Shane Warne and Joffra Archer to send messages of support, after his unconventional style was initially mocked on social media.
Since then, Florin has enjoyed a stint in Australia playing for Surrey Hills Cricket Club in Victoria, received VIP treatment in the President’s Box at an Ashes Test at Lord’s, and debuted for Romania in a Twenty20 international, despite only taking up the sport at the age of 31.
Now 43, the bowler has set his sights on playing in one of the biggest Twenty20 leagues in the world and going up against a host of world cricket stars for a place on the final draft list to have a chance of making one of the eight teams’ rosters.
Much like his bowling action, Florin’s application was somewhat unorthodox. While the majority of professional nominees leave their agents to apply on their behalf, Florin went it alone and got in touch personally with BBL general manager Alistair Dobson to state his case.
Posting a screenshot confirming his self-nomination, and with a dose of his trademark enthusiasm, Florin wrote on Twitter: “Nothing is impossible!”
Impossible, perhaps not, but it is unlikely Florin would be picked as one of a select number of overseas players chosen by BBL teams for the tournament’s upcoming 12th season.
Competition is stiff, with about 200 nominations made, comprising up-and-coming county players all the way up to established stars of the T20 circuit.
The latest swathe of foreign players to make the draft list was revealed yesterday, with Liam Livingstone headlining alongside other English short-format specialists such as Alex Hales, Tymal Mills and James Vince.
The reveal was the latest in a drip-feed of announcements in the lead-up to the first draft of its kind in the BBL on Aug. 28. Ninety-eight players from five countries have been confirmed so far, including the likes of New Zealand’s Colin Munro, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis and West Indies trio Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sheldon Cottrell.
The full list is to be completed next month, allowing teams to make their selections and fine-tune preparations before the season starts on Dec. 13.
It means Florin is soon to find out whether he can make his dream a reality, but even if he does not make it into a BBL squad, other opportunities could await the charismatic player-president of Romania’s Cluj Cricket Club. It is understood he might be offered an ambassadorial role during the Australian summer.
Still, for now, Florin has his sights firmly set on a spot on a BBL roster.
“Maybe many people see me as a weak player but in my head I am the best player,” he wrote on Twitter yesterday. “You know why? Because I do what I like and I love what I do....cricket.”
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS