Head, O'Connor re-sign for Strikers

Adelaide Strikers have moved closer to finalising their squad for the upcoming KFC BBL season, re-signing Travis Head and leg-spinner Liam O’Connor for the summer.

Head, who is currently with the Australian limited-overs squad on the Qantas tour of India, has been a Striker since BBL|03, while O’Connor has been rewarded after being a late addition to the Adelaide squad last season as injury cover.

The pair’s re-signing comes after the Strikers announced on Thursday they’d secured the services of boom Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan for this summer's Big Bash League season and Head said he was looking forward to playing alongside both Rashid and fellow overseas recruit Colin Ingram.

“I love playing here at Adelaide Oval with the Strikers, it’s a huge buzz with the massive crowds and all the noise,” Head said.

“I'm really excited for a bigger BBL and I can't wait to again play in front of the best fans in the competition at one of the best ovals in the world.

“We’ve picked up some good recruits. Our two new internationals are world-class.

“I'm really looking forward to getting out in the middle with Colin Ingram, another left-hander, and making some runs together.

“And I've heard nothing but good things about (leg-spinner) Rashid Khan … he is already performing so well in other T20 competitions."

Rashid, 18, has been a revelation in Twenty20 cricket this year after taking 17 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League under Australian skipper David Warner and claimed a hat-trick in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League.

On Friday, the Strikers announced they would travel to a new venue in BBL|07, with Traeger Park in Alice Springs to play host to BBL and WBBL matches for the first time this summer.

The Strikers have signed a two-year deal with the Northern Territory Government that will see the Strikers take on the Perth Scorchers in the BBL on January 13, while the two clubs will also meet in a pair of Rebel WBBL|03 matches on the same weekend.

The Strikers open BBL|07 at Adelaide Oval against Sydney Thunder on December 22.

Current Strikers squad: Alex Carey, Jono Dean, Travis Head, Colin Ingram, Rashid Khan, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Liam O’Connor, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald, Jono Wells.