BBL12: Melbourne Stars, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and the biggest talking points of cricket summer
This star’s ability to sum up situations and react accordingly is something Australia could use in its middle order. And one innings in particular made selectors look silly.
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It’s been a BBL tournament to remember.
The action drew big TV ratings and bumper crowds as fans turned to the Big Bash to keep them entertained across the summer.
We take a look at the 12 biggest talking points.
1. Melbourne Stars need a massive overhaul
Where do you start with the Melbourne Stars? The franchise built to be the BBL’s answer to the LA Lakers, Manchester United and the New York Yankees have finished last, sixth and seventh in the past three seasons and were four points from seventh at the foot of the BBL12 table. In the last three seasons Perth Scorchers have 30 wins, Sydney Sixers have 28 and the Stars have 15, which emphasises the gulf between the BBL’s premier clubs and the Stars. If you want excuses, the Stars were hard hit by Covid in BBL11 and lost their talisman Glenn Maxwell for all of BBL12.
Tom Rogers was a find and Beau Webster had his moments, but it’s hard to find many positives. The Stars need pace reinforcements and could do a lot worse than trying to prise Victorian-based Striker Henry Thornton out of Adelaide or luring fringe quick Matthew Kelly out of Perth. Thornton was one of the leading wicket-takers midway through the tournament but couldn’t get a game by the end of BBL12. In a letter to supporters, general manager Blair Crouch said missing finals was “not acceptable” and added that list management and support staff would be part of a wide-ranging review. “We believe we underachieved in BBL12 with the talent on our playing list,” Crouch said. “There will be some personnel changes as we look to get back to where we belong. We want all of our members and fans to be able to share in our success and it’s my commitment to you that we will work as hard as possible to ensure we achieve that.” Maybe it will take a big call like jettisoning Marcus Stoinis, who hasn’t had a big impact in the past three seasons, to truly usher in change. Coach David Hussey has moved on and whoever takes over has a huge rebuild on their hands. The beauty is, change can happen quickly and if the Stars draft well, their recovery could be swift. It feels like they missed a trick by not getting more games into Campbell Kellaway too.
2. The BBL is back
After years of discontent about its demise, the Big Bash League is back in a big way. Average crowds are up by thousands, matches are closer and perhaps most significantly, people are talking about the BBL again. During the halcyon period where the competition drew 80,000 to the MCG for a Melbourne derby, the Big Bash was a topic of watercooler conversation most mornings. In recent seasons, it had hardly been a footnote. But night upon night of drama has completely transformed the competition. Headlines this summer included Michael Neser’s controversial boundary catch, Adam Zampa’s Mankad, Matt Short’s century in a record run chase and Sydney Thunder being routed for 15. It’s no surprise Fox Cricket ratings were up 30 per cent and BBL ratings lifted 10 per cent with so many unmissable moments. All bar seven matches drew at least 10,000 fans and more than 40,000 packed out matches between Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars against Adelaide Strikers.
3. It’s still the Scorchers, Sixers and a gulf to the rest
Maybe the BBL needs a domestic draft just for equalisation purposes. Although in some ways, it would be unfair to the Scorchers and Sixers who have built formidable squads and a culture where they retain almost all of their local talent. Perth Scorchers finished BBL12 with 22 points, the Sixers logged 21 points and the next best were the Renegades and Thunder (14 points). Perth lost its three imports (Phil Salt, Laurie Evans and Tymal Mills) on the eve of the season and had to replace Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth mid-tournament. Perhaps the greatest difference between the Scorchers, Sixers are their rivals remains their depth. How many other franchises could bring a player of the quality of Cameron Bancroft in from the wilderness mid-season? Or have the luxury of rotating Stephen O’Keefe, Izharulhaq Naveed and Todd Murphy?
4. Imports don’t need to be big names to have a big impact
As good as it was to have Andre Russell for four games and du Plessis for half a season, the imports who had the biggest impact would have been known by very few Aussie cricket fans. Brisbane Heat wouldn’t have played finals without the impact of Gold Coast-born Englishman Sam Hain, while Matt Critchley played several telling knocks for the Renegades. Usman Qadir took more wickets than Rashid Khan, Adam Hose made over 300 runs for the Strikers and Luke Wood finished sixth on the wicket-takers chart. It’s comforting the BBL can still attract quality even when it’s up against the mega rich UAE and South African tournament – regardless of whether they’re big enough names to fill stadiums.
5. Steve Smith should be opening in Australia’s T20 team
Steve Smith was reduced to a spectator for much of the T20 World Cup, in which Australia never truly threatened the world’s best teams. Aaron Finch and David Warner opened throughout that tournament but it’s clear now Smith should partner Warner when Australia next plays. Smith departed for India with 346 runs in five innings, an average of 86 and strike rate of 174. To put that in some perspective, Tim David’s strike rate was 160 and he’s paid more than $1 million in the IPL to clear the fence. Smith (25) averaged five sixes an innings and hit seven more than David (18) and player of the tournament Matt Short. The doubters who think Smith isn’t a T20 batter have gone very silent. His impact – and that of many other Aussie Test players – shows a clause is needed in player contracts that they must play BBL.
6. There was a silver lining to the Covid chaos of BBL11
Who knows where Paddy Dooley would have been playing this summer had he not been introduced to the BBL in bizarre circumstances during BBL11. Brisbane Heat was ravaged by a Covid outbreak and forced to name 10 new players for matches against the Renegades and Hurricanes. Dooley was plucked from Queensland grade cricket, took 0-25 on debut against the Hurricanes and clearly piqued Hobart’s interest. Fast forward 13 months and Dooley is much more than a cult hero. He took three more wickets than Adam Zampa (The second most-prolific spinner of BBL12) despite playing four less games. At one stage, Mark Waugh even suggested Dooley should be on the Indian test tour. Like Dooley, opener Tom Rogers got his call up to Melbourne Stars as one of four debutants when Covid ripped through their squad. The left-hander opener, who plays for Ringwood in Melbourne’s east, finished in the top-1 run scorers of BBL12 with 324 and only scored less than 20 twice in his last 10 innings. The next step will be turning those starts into the big scores Melbourne Stars need to rocket back up the table.
7. Ashton Turner still has an international future
Australia’s search for a T20 finisher might end up where it started. About 18 months after his last game for the national T20 side, Perth Scorchers skipper Turner has to be in the mix for Australia’s next squad. Turner led the Scorchers to a home final with 321 runs at an average of 48 and strike rate of 154. His ability to capitalise on the power play and change the tempo of matches makes Turner one of the best middle-order T20 batters in Australia. His ability to sum up the situation and react accordingly is something Australia could use in its middle order as opposed to opting largely for power hitters.
8. The future of Australia’s T20 team is in good hands
Australia’s underwhelming performance at the T20 World Cup has rightfully led to questions about where the national side is heading. What many of those questions don’t take into account is that so many of the breakout stars of BBL12 are at the right age to be part of the national set-up for years to come. The player of BBL12 Matt Short is only 27, Nathan Ellis has already has a taste and is 28, Tim David is 26 and future star Ollie Davies is only 22. Throw in all-rounder Aaron Hardie (24) and spinner Todd Murphy (22) and you have the nucleus of a strong T20 squad for years (and several World Cups) to come. Josh Philippe didn’t have a prolific BBL but is still 25, while Cameron Green is 23. Australia’s T20 stocks are only going to get stronger.
9. Chris Lynn is still good enough to dominate
It looked like Lynn might have played his last game in the BBL when he was released by Brisbane Heat. A lean return of 215 runs from 12 innings in BBL11 inevitably led to questions about whether Lynn was past his best and offers from rival BBL franchises weren’t forthcoming. That was at least until the Strikers threw him a lifeline and boy did he deliver. Before heading to the UAE, Lynn amassed 416 runs in 11 innings at an average of 41. We might not see the days of Lynnsanity again but anyone who doubted Lynn was still good enough for the BBL has been proven very wrong. It’s no coincidence his departure (and that of Rashid Khan) coincided with the Strikers’ season imploding.
10. Aaron Finch still has so much to offer
Finch’s international days might be behind him, but he has silenced any critics who suggested he wouldn’t last long (if he wants to) as a BBL talent. Finch shuffled down the order to No. 4 for the Renegades this summer, coming in at that position in all bar one regular-season game (when he batted three). Finch was the third highest run scorer during the home and away rounds with 418 – only 40 less than Matt Short. His gritty efforts haven’t been given the same plaudits because Finch has had to grind more than blast his way past the 400-run mark. The Renegades’ top-order struggled for runs all tournament and Finch has played an anchor/rescue role in most matches. His strike rate of 121.2 might not match the big hitters, but there’s good reason it was down. Most of the time Finch was timing his run to perfection to get the Renegades home after the loss of early wickets. He’s out of contract and if he doesn’t re-sign he’ll surely still be involved as a commentator after his brilliant on-field insights on Fox Cricket this summer.
11. Ollie Davies could make big money as a T20 gun-for-hire like Tim David
Davies has been spruiked as one of Australia’s best white-ball batting prospects since blasting a double century in a 50-over match in the Under-19 National carnival in 2019. He burst onto the scene in the BBL with scores of 36 from 22 balls and 48 from 23 in BBL09 but then only reached 20 once in his next 10 innings. If the jury was out after that run, it isn’t now. In fact, Davies is surely courting interest from overseas T20 teams. He was the shining light in a team bowled out for 15 and 62 this season, finishing with 333 runs at a strike rate of 133. Those are the sort of numbers that earned Tim David a $1.5m pay packet in the IPL, but at 22 years old Davies has all the talent to become a T20 gun-for-hire – if he wants. Teams in many international leagues are looking for middle to lower-order batters rather than top-order players, which only adds to Davies’ appeal. Just look at how much money was shelled out in a bidding war for David, who bats in similar spots to Davies.
12. Spencer Johnson has a huge future
Who would have thought a bowler who had been on the fringes at Adelaide and Brisbane would end the tournament as one of Australia’s most exciting death-bowling prospects? There’s something special about Johnson. The Heat made a bold call to leave out Mark Steketee and play the left-armer which helped rocket them into finals. Johnson helped close out a win against Hobart in Brisbane and with Stoinis and Cartwright at the crease against the Stars. Johnson only conceded five runs when Hobart needed 18 off the last over and eight when the Stars needed 14. He’s had injury troubles, which is why at 27 he’s only played six BBL matches.
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Originally published as BBL12: Melbourne Stars, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and the biggest talking points of cricket summer
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