BBL finals: Andy Bichel says Spencer Johnson could be the next Mitch Starc

With Mitch Starc’s international T20 future in some doubt as his career wanes, a former Test quick believes the Brisbane Heat have found his natural replacement for Australia’s T20 side.

Spencer Johnson could become Australia’s next Mitchell Starc according to a former national selector trying to help the pace ace find a path to the Indian Premier League.

Brisbane Heat bowling coach Bichel, a 19-Test fast man, feels Johnson could eventually follow another tall, pacey left-armer, Starc, into the national T20 team.

Late-blooming 27-year-old Johnson is looming as a key man in the Big Bash elimination final against the Sydney Sixers at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday after being a potent force throughout the competition with his 145kph thunderbolts.

“Mitch (Starc) has murmured recently about what formats are important to him and if he decided he did not want to play T20 cricket Spencer would be an ideal replacement,’’ said Bichel, a national selector when Starc started his international career.

“That is how I see him making it. He has got the skills for that. He could be a like for like replacement in that (like Starc) he can come around the wicket and bowl those yorkers.’’

“The English talk it out it all the time – bowlers who are in eye-line and out of eye line. He is out of eye line.’’

Johnson has been a force for the Heat in this season’s BBL. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Johnson’s calmness has been a major feature of the Heat’s late season revival and Bichel is planning on talking to Andy Flower, head coach of the Lucknow IPL team for which Bichel was the bowling coach last season, to see if there is an avenue for Johnson to join them, even as a net bowler with a view to gaining a contract as an injury replacement.

“Just going to watch those IPL games and getting the feel for the grounds would be helpful. “It is not an instant thing where you are playing well in the Big Bash and you get picked up. Those IPL owners need to see Spencer playing well for Australia. That is a different currency.

“It could be a two year process but that is OK. Either that or he gets picked up cheaply as a replacement player in this year’s IPL.’’

Could Johnson be a natural replacement for Mitch Starc if he should focus on solely Test matches in the latter half of his career? (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Heat face a challenging final as they will be without their four Indian tourists – Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Swepson and Matt Renshaw – with fringe players Nathan McSweeney, Sam Heazlett and Max Bryant likely to be recalled to play for their short and long-term futures.

Bryant has struggled this season but the Heat have dissected his failings and are hopeful of improvement in the most important match of the season.

McSweeney scored an impressive 84 and 28 not out in two of only three Big Bash outings after coming into the Big Bash on the back of 118 for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield game.

LYNN’S FINALS MESSAGE FOR HEAT AFTER BITTER BBL AXING

Chris Lynn has sent his congratulations to the Brisbane Heat in a sign both parties have found peace with their shock split last year.

The Heat have been the Big Bash surprise packet, advancing to Thursday’s Challenger final against the Sydney Sixers for the right to play the Perth Scorchers in competition final.

On face value it justifies the Heat’s decision not to offer Lynn a new deal to join the Heat after his $1 million five-year contract expired last season.

But Lynn also had some form of vindication for his talents.

He headed to the Adelaide Strikers and the change seemed to refresh him as he sits fourth on the competition’s run-scorers list with 416 at a strike rate of 141 from just 11 games played before he left to play for the Gulf Giants in another tournament in Dubai.

Heat chairman Ian Healy said he and Queensland Cricket boss Terry Svenson had received congratulatory texts from Lynn following Brisbane’s shock revival.

Chris Lynn in happier times with the Heat.

“He sent us a lovely text to congratulate us for going so deep in this tournament,’’ Healy said.

“I don’t know whether (Lynn’s departure) has worked out that well for us. My feelings are a lot of players let Lynny down. They did not do enough around him but they are doing it this year.

“I suppose it (making the finals) justifies the move but maybe it has been a mental switch for our young players to get going. I was always hoping it would work out well for him.’’

Brisbane will be without Indian tourists Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Swepson and Matt Renshaw for the final with batsmen Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett and Nathan McSweeney set for promotion.

Lynn’s first season in Adelaide was a huge success.

The absence of Khawaja will be keenly felt in the high pressure atmosphere of an elimination for his knack of creating a calm on field vibe has been seen as a key factor in the Heat’s revival.

Competition organisers are embarrassed by the fact that the Heat will lose a third of their team in the final week of the Big Bash but this problem will be addressed when the next television rights deal starts in two years time and featured a shorter Big Bash season.

Despite the absence of their four internationals, the Heat still have their reliable swing man Michael Neser who sits third on a competition’s wicket-taker’s list with 24 victims for the season.

Neser was left out of the Indian Test touring squad, a decision Australia may regret as Cameron Green fights to prove his fitness from a broken finger.

Australia, finding it difficult to strike the right balance if Green is ruled out, could have used Neser as a possible bowling all-rounder batting at No.7.

Originally published as BBL finals: Andy Bichel says Spencer Johnson could be the next Mitch Starc