SuperCoach BBL: Mark Howard's one aim this season – knock Shane Warne off his SuperCoach perch!

I have one thing I want to achieve this summer and one thing only – I just want to knock Shane Warne off his SuperCoach perch!

Mark Howard of Fox Cricket commentary team has unleashed his SuperCoach BBL team - is it the one to take Warnie down?

I have one thing I want to achieve this summer and one thing only – I just want to knock Shane Warne off his SuperCoach perch!

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The ribbing is endless; you might hear it on commentary on Fox Cricket when the matches are on, but that’s not even half of what we cop off-microphone … Warnie was called the king of spin for good reason, and boy oh boy can he spin a story or three out of his SuperCoach side.

But that’s all going to change in BBL|09. I’m ready to take the great man down a notch.

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Callum Ferguson of the Thunder finished the season well last time – here’s hoping his form continues!

BATTING

I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible and my main aim is to get off to a rip-roaring start for the season with a heap of Thunder and Sixers players in my batting line-up, primarily because they all have multiple matches in the first Round of the SuperCoach BBL competition.

Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja from the Thunder have been in rip-roaring white ball form in the Marsh Cup, so they pretty much pick themselves from the get go. I’ve got a couple of Dual Position Players from the Sixers in there too, with Josh Philippe (who doubles as a WKP) and their international import Tom Curran as part of my starting 6.

D’Arcy Short is highly priced but worth every cent in SuperCoach BBL

The only non-double scoring player I have to start with is D’Arcy Short – he’s arguably been the best Big Bash League batsman and sure he costs a packet but you can’t argue with history, so I have to have him.

On the bench I’ve got a couple of Renegades – the young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk and experienced campaigner Marcus Harris, who was a big-time player when it counted last season and I hope I can use him to build some bank early in the campaign.

SUPERCOACH BBL STUDY GUIDES:

> Adelaide Strikers SuperCoach BBL|09 preview

> Brisbane Heat SuperCoach BBL|09 preview

> Hobart Hurricanes BBL|09 preview

> Melbourne Renegades BBL|09 preview

> Melbourne Stars BBL|09 preview

> Perth Scorchers BBL|09 preview

> Sydney Sixers BBL|09 preview

> Sydney Thunder BBL|09 preview

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Tom Banton is the big name big hitting signing for the Heat

KEEPING

As I mentioned earlier, the beauty of picking wicketkeepers is that they’re also available as batsmen. Tom Banton has been in ripping form in competitions outside Australia, and he’s another player with two BBL matches in Round 1 of SuperCoach.

If he doesn’t take the gloves then my bench option of Jimmy Peirson should be the man behind the stumps for the Brisbane Heat, so I think I’m covering as many bases as I can here.

Kane Richardson (left) celebrates with Dan Christian for the Renegades last season

BOWLING

I’m taking a bit of risk by not selecting any players with double matches in Round 1 in my bowling stocks, but I’m pretty confident that the players that I have selected will make up for it in later rounds.

Kane Richardson and DPP BAT / BWL option Dan Christian were massive in the Renegades’ march to their maiden BBL premiership last season, and I reckon they can back it up this time around too.

I’m going for a couple of DPP Points of Difference from the Hobart Hurricanes, with veteran campaigner James Faulkner and Simon Milenko both unlucky not to play off in the Big Bash decider last season. They were important players for their side and can impact with both bat and ball, so I’m backing them in.

James Faulkner of the Hobart Hurricanes lets out a big appeal during the Big Bash League last season

Will Sutherland is super popular as a bench option, while Harry Conway – who has a bye in Round 1 – has replaced Ben Laughlin at the Strikers but is at basement price and allows me to have a little bit of cap space left over for future upgrades / downgrades as the SuperCoach season progresses.

So, that’s how it’s looking for Hoping 4 Hundreds to start the SuperCoach season. What do you think cricket fans?

MORE SUPERCOACH BBL NEWS:

> SuperCoach BBL: International Watch

> Which SuperCoach BBL bargains will play?

> Pick a gun side in 5 minutes

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ADD HOWIE TO YOUR SUPERCOACH LEAGUES: soon all celebrities playing the SuperCoach BBL game will be available to add to your leagues … stay tuned for more celebrity sides!

Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Mark Howard's one aim this season – knock Shane Warne off his SuperCoach perch!