Adelaide Strikers assured of Grandhomme's availability for BBL 12

Grandhomme has been picked by Adelaide Strikers in the BBL draft. (PC-Twitter)

Adelaide Strikers management is confident Colin de Grandhomme will be available to play for them in this summer’s Big Bash League despite being centrally contracted with New Zealand Cricket.

Strikers swooped on the Zimbabwean-born New Zealand cricketer with pick 13 in the second round of the inaugural draft of the high-profile Australian domestic Twenty 20 men’s cricket competition.

De Grandhomme is one of the twenty centrally-contracted players with New Zealand Cricket, he wasn’t expected to be eligible for the draft, unlike non-contracted team-mates Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham. Still, he chose to draft his name in the first-ever BBL draft conducted on Sunday.

For a player with a New Zealand Cricket contract to play in an overseas league, they need a no-objection certificate from NZC. However, in recent seasons, NZC has granted contracted players annual leave to take part in the Indian Premier League, as part of the Master Agreement with the Cricket Players' Association.

De Grandhomme for NZ

There are doubts over Grandhomme's availability for this year's BBL as he will require NOC from New Zealand Cricket and discussions are going on between the all-rounder and the board.

Strikers confident of Grandhomme's availability

Even after knowing Grandhomme's situation, Strikers management is optimistic about having the Kiwi international for the entire season.

“Our understanding as we selected him was that he was available for 14 games and as far was we understand that’s still the case. Obviously now we wait and see what happens, but we believe he’s available for 14 and wait to be told otherwise – which we don’t believe will happen,” Adelaide Strikers head of media and communications Aiden McNicholas said late on Monday.

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