Your ultimate guide to the best SuperCoach imports
Faheem Ashraf isn’t a name Australian cricket fans will be familiar with, but his T20 career suggests he’ll be an important signing for Melbourne Renegades. Tim Michell runs the rule over every overseas signing in our import guide.
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The Calypso flavour that has dominated recent years of the Big Bash League will be replaced by English and South African imports this summer.
The likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have been replaced by AB De Villiers, Dale Steyn, Alex Hales and David Miller.
In what has been one of the most active off-seasons in BBL history, former South African skipper De Villiers is the marquee signing after committing to Brisbane Heat for six regular-season games and finals.
SCROLL DOWN FOR PROFILES OF EVERY BBL09 IMPORT
Pace spearhead Steyn has joined Melbourne Stars, who will also have Nepalese spin sensation Sandeep Lamichhane in their ranks for a second year.
Englishmen Phil Salt (Adelaide Strikers) and Tom Banton will arrive in Australia after eye-catching Vitality Blast campaigns, while compatriots James Vince and Tom Curran will feature in magenta again for Sydney Sixers.
MORE BBL09 NEWS:
Brisbane Heat pull off major coup to sign Proteas star AB de Villiers
South African Dale Steyn itching to torment BBL batsmen after signing on with Melbourne Stars
The new faces in BBL09 to consider for your SuperCoach BBL team
Tom Banton joins Brisbane Heat for BBL 09 fresh from being hailed as England’s batting future
Adelaide Strikers coach Jason Gillespie has confirmed Phil Salt as second overseas signing
Curran was one of the leading SuperCoach BBL selections of 2018-19, snaring 20 wickets in 14 games and contributing 185 runs.
Experienced all-rounder Chris Morris is another new face, the South African all-rounder signing with Sydney Thunder alongside Alex Hales.
Few players have ignited the BBL like Afghanistan star Rashid Khan in recent summers, while compatriots Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Qaid Ahmad have quickly developed reputations as the rising stars of T20 cricket.
Harry Gurney and Mohammad Nabi will return for reigning BBL champions Melbourne Renegades, while Perth Scorchers are yet to announce their overseas signings after having David Willey and Usman Qadir in their squad last season.
TIM’S TOP-FIVE IMPORTS FOR YOUR STARTING SIDE
1. Tom Curran
2. Chris Morris
3. Tom Banton
4. Rashid Khan
5. Liam Livingstone
ADELAIDE STRIKERS
PHIL SALT
A swashbuckling batsman, the Strikers have signed Salt to fill the void left in their top order by South African Colin Ingram. The 23-year-old opened for Sussex in the Vitality Blast, although Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey have filled those roles for Adelaide. Salt looms as a No. 3 batsman and opener when Carey is on international duty.
RASHID KHAN
Khan was the seventh leading points scorer in SuperCoach BBL last season with 989 points from 14 games at an average of 70.6. His ability to strangle opposition batsmen and accumulate economy points makes him a ‘must-have’, especially when Adelaide has a double game round. Khan had the best economy rate (6.14 runs per over) of any player with more than 15 wickets in the BBL last season.
BRISBANE HEAT
AB DE VILLIERS (signed for six games plus finals)
Only seven players finished 2018-19 with a SuperCoach BBL price in excess of $200,000, headed by Marcus Stoinis ($265,600). De Villiers will command a high price, but his Twenty20 record is near impossible to ignore. He averaged just under 70 in England’s Vitality Blast this year with a strike rate of 182 and has an average of 40 with a strike rate of 151 from 154 Indian Premier League games.
MUJEEB UR RAHMAN (last six games)
Mujeeb had the best economy rate of any bowler with more than 10 wickets in BBL08 (6.04), a statistic made more impressive by his role bowling in the power play. He averaged one wicket per game, however his low economy rate guaranteed SuperCoach points for his owners. He’ll share spin duties with Zahir Khan, arriving for the last six games of the campaign after playing in the Bangladesh Premier League.
ZAHIR KHAN
A second Afghan spin signing for Brisbane, left-arm tweaker Khan has gained T20 experience playing in the Carbbiean Premier League and England’s Vitality Blast. He took eight wickets from seven games in the West Indian tournament, but has a career average of 20.2 and economy rate of 7.1 from 40 T20s. He’s definitely worth consideration with the success spinners have enjoyed in the BBL. Khan plays the first eight games for Brisbane before being replaced by Ur Rahman.
TOM BANTON
Top-order batsman Banton will feature in the opening eight games of BBL09 before being replaced by AB De Villiers. He has marked himself as one of the rising stars of English cricket, clubbing 549 runs at 42 with a strike rate of 161 in the Vitality Blast. Only Pakistan star Babar Azam scored more runs than Banton in the English T20 tournament and he’s primed to replace Brendon McCullum at the top of the Heat batting line-up.
HOBART HURRICANES
JOFRA ARCHER
Archer has become a household name in the past two seasons with Hobart Hurricanes, although his emergence as an international star will come at a price for the BBL. With Engand due to tour South Africa and Archer a certainty to be in the Test and short-form squads, expect the lethal quick to be replaced in the Hurricanes squad by another overseas player.
QAIS AHMAD
What a late-season impact Afghan spinner Qais Ahmad had on the BBL last season. Coaches who sensed a bargain when he was added to SuperCoach BBL with a price of just $62,500 were rewarded when he averaged 82 points per game during a short stint with the Hurricanes. He’s back in Hobart with a more permanent deal and will have a prominent role to play.
DAVID MILLER
The huge-hitting South African boasts an T20 strike rate of 138.8 and has played T20s around the world in countries including Canada, Jamaica, India and England. He is expected to be the international replacement for Archer and fill a role in the top-order. He averages 34.8 from 294 career Twenty20 games and has been playing in South Africa’s Mzansi League.
MELBOURNE RENEGADES
HARRY GURNEY
Harry Gurney is becoming one of the ultimate Twenty20 journeymen. A left-arm seamer with a host of tricks and renowned for his precision at the death, the Englishman was solid without being spectacular after replacing Pakistani speedster Usman Khan Shinwari midway through BBL08. Gurney will come into BBL09 in superb form after collecting 22 wickets in 12 games in the Vitality Blast and 13 scalps from eight matches in the Caribbean. Just don’t expect batting or fielding points from him. He’ll be with the Renegades from their sixth game of the tournament.
MOHAMMAD NABI
The Afghanistan all-rounder was somewhat of a SuperCoach BBL tease last season. He managed 228 runs at 22.8 and eight wickets, but was deployed too low in the batting line-up for much of the tournament to amass the scores his starting price demanded. His average of 51.9 was respectable but was largely due to three scores of 102+. Nabi also produced five scores of 34 or less. He won’t play until later in the BBL, replacing Faheem Ashraf after the Renegades’ eight match.
FAHEEM ASHRAF
A fast-medium bowler and middle-order batsman, Ashraf has been given BAT-BWL status in SuperCoach BBL. With a career batting average of 15 and a strike rate of 138, he should be a handy point scorer with both bat and ball. He’ll spend the first eight games of the season with the Renegades before being replaced by Mohammad Nabi. Expect him to bat about 6-8.
USMAN KHAN SHINWARI
The left-arm quick was a revelation in seven games for the Renegades last summer, finishing with eight wickets and an impressive economy rate of 6.14. He bowled four overs in every match he played, a significant plus for his SuperCoach BBL potential. Only playing in the first five matches limits his SuperCoach significance as he’ll feature in the first game of the Renegades’ Round 5 double before making way for Harry Gurney.
MELBOURNE STARS
SANDEEP LAMICHHANE
Lamichhane was a revelation during his debut campaign for the Stars with 11 wickets in seven games and an economy rate of less than seven runs per over. Players who exclusively bowl are sometimes fraught with danger in SuperCoach. While he scored two tons in seven games, Lamichhane also posted a nine, 35 and 36. He should definitely be on your watch list.
DALE STEYN
South African legend Steyn is an experienced T20 bowler, with 96 wickets and an economy rate of only 6.76 from 92 Indian Premier League matches. He only played two games in the IPL this year but showed how potent he can be with four scalps and a wicket every two overs he thundered in for on average. Top dollar is usually reserved for all-rounders in SuperCoach BBL but Steyn will be expensive with good reason.
PERTH SCORCHERS
LIAM LIVINGSTONE
A batting all-rounder, Livingstone is renowned as a hard-hitting top-order batsman who boasts a career strike rate of 140.7 from 78 Twenty20 internationals. He’s only taken 28 wickets in T20s, but half of his wickets were in the Vitality Blast this year. Whether he bowls regularly in a team which will feature Ashton Agar and Fwad Ahmed is a question mark.
CHRIS JORDAN
English paceman Jordan has played in the BBL twice, featuring for Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder. His returns haven’t been great on Australian soil, but it’s worth remembering he’s a top-10 T20 bowler in the world. He’s fairly priced at $162,500 for a player who has a double game week in Round 3. It's worth considering whether you should start him.
SYDNEY SIXERS
J AMES VINCE
James Vince was head and shoulders above the other batsmen for the Sixers last summer, averaging 44.83 with a strike rate of 136.5 batting in the top order. He also averaged above 40 in the Vitality Blast, but it is his proven record on Australian soil in T20 cricket which is encouraging. The risk attached to picking players who only bat should be obvious. Vince scored 114 and 108 in successive games in 2018-19 but also had three scores under 18. The coaches who prosper have a knack of trading the top scorers in when they fire.
TOM CURRAN
Tom Curran was the topscoring international in BBL08 with 1022 points from 14 matches. His role with the Sixers was very SuperCoach-friendly. Bowling with the new ball and in the death overs increased his likelihood of taking wickets and several early collapses enabled him to accumulate more batting points than expected. His ceiling is monstrous — he amassed 203 and 154 in consecutive games last year. That’s 714 points if you chose to captain him in those rounds!
SYDNEY THUNDER
CHRIS MORRIS
South African all-rounder Chris Morris will add 182 games of Twenty20 experience to the Thunder squad. His career statistics in the format are promising — a batting average of 22.3, strike rate of 149 and a bowling average of 22. He should be an important bowler for the Thunder, but you want to know what his role in the batting line-up will be before committing to him. If he’s listed at No. 6 or lower, there will be better all-round picks.
ALEX HALES
Hales has signed with his fourth BBL franchise after stints with Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes. The powerful Englishman hasn’t enjoyed much success in the BBL, only passing 50 once in 14 innings. However, there is no questioning his career averages of 31 from 60 T20 internationals and 29 from 228 overall T20 games. You’ll want Hales in your team when Sydney Thunder have the double game week as he’s capable of big things.
MORE SUPERCOACH BBL CONTENT
Star-studded squad lists / Top 10 young guns / Everything you need to know / Key dates to shape your season / Gun imports set to explode / New faces to target / How players earn points
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