SuperCoach BBL: Fearless predictions for the Big Bash League season ahead
Paige Cardona, Tim Michell, and Andrew Weaver look ahead to the Big Bash League and cast doubts aside to declare their fearless predictions for the season ahead.
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Paige Cardona, Tim Michell, and Andrew Weaver look ahead to the Big Bash League and cast doubts aside to declare their fearless predictions for the season ahead.
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The Big Show fires on BBL return
Taking time out to deal with mental health concerns, Glenn Maxwell’s return to BBL action for the Melbourne Stars will be vital for him to press his claims for the ODI tour to India in January as well as for the T20I World Cup coming up in Australia in 2020. If he doesn’t fire in BBL|09 he could be in serious doubt for selection in what is ostensibly thought of as his bread-and-butter format of cricket. His BBL|08 form was solid, and his leadership of the Stars was occasionally inspired, and he was a vital part of his side’s climb from the bottom of the BBL|07 ladder to grand finalists last season. With his availability as both BAT and BWL set, he might be a big winner for SuperCoach BBL players this season.
Perth Scorchers struggle again
Losing Shaun Marsh to the Melbourne Renegades when he seemed certain to be a permanent part of the Big Bash League this season was bad enough, but since then the Scorchers have also lost their primary strike force to injury, with both Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff gone for the entire season. To top it off, Mitch Marsh and new recruit Kurtis Patterson have both been hit by injury, either self-inflicted or unfortunate. The addition of Liam Livingstone gives them an all-rounder who will command a spot in many SuperCoach sides, but Fawad Ahmed is hardly likely to strike fear into opponents in the same way that their injured quicks did. The old WACA was a furnace for the Scorchers, but the new Perth Stadium is fast turning into a house of horrors.
Qais Ahmad will be the leading wicket-taker
Seven wickets in three games spoke volumes of Ahmad's quality and he's back in Hobart for a full season. He removed Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson in the BBL|08 semi-final so it was hardly as if he was taking cheap wickets. Hobart lacks bowling depth without Jofra Archer which will almost guarantee the Afghani leg-spinner four overs a game. Expect him to continue the history of wrist spinners bamboozling BBL batsmen.
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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Sandeep Lamichhane to dominate
The Nepalese spinner quickly became a fan favourite at Melbourne Stars and snared an impressive 11 wickets in eight matches either side of playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He was one of the most miserly bowlers in BBL|08 with an economy rate of 6.6 and a wicket every 16 balls on average. He even took wickets in the T10 league which was thankless for bowlers.
Daniel Sams to be included in next Aussie T20 squad
The Australians play their next T20s against South Africa in late February and a standout BBL09 will put Sydney Thunder all-rounder Sams in the squad. He was one of the form players in BBL|08 after 4-5 games before trailing off. He mixes deceptive slower balls with his ability to clear the ropes when batting, a prototype T20 all-rounder. Watch this space.
Moises Henriques to be the No. 1 run scorer
Henriques has been in a rich vein of form this season and has four scores of 91+ in his past 11 innings. It's the rate he's been scoring at which suggests a big tournament beckons. Henriques has averaged 56.6 in the Sheffield Shield with a strike rate of 69.5, well above his career first-class strike rate of 56. He's one of the genuine SuperCoach BBL bargains.
Melbourne Renegades’ bottom five never visit the crease...
When a side has a top order than includes Australian ODI and T20 skipper Aaron Finch, experienced campaigner Shaun Marsh, and Marcus Harris – who is dirt cheap in SuperCoach this season, and should be under serious consideration for most sides – then it’s hard to see how many of their lower order will ever get to the crease in a scant 20 overs. With the likes of Sam Harper and Tom Cooper in after that trio, not to mention the forever young Daniel Christian, the strength and depth of their batting line-up is unparalleled in the competition. While their home ground of Marvel Stadium tends to favour the bowlers, it’s hard to see how the likes of Harry Gurney will ever get a chance to face a ball there such is the strength of the batting line-up at the ‘Gades.
...Marsh & Finch to share three 100+ run stands...
We're talking about the player with the best average of any BBL player with 1000+ runs (Marsh) and the Australian T20 skipper. Marsh will likely play the anchor role while Finch goes after the bowling from the start. My only reservation is that they play at the lowest-scoring ground in the BBL in Marvel Stadium, but their class is enough to counter a tricky batting wicket. Marsh will be the recruit of the summer after following new ‘Gades coach Michael Klinger from Perth.
...but the ‘Gades fail to strike in BBL|09
While their batting line-up is stacked, the big difference this season will be in their bowling stocks. The Renegades have recently lost Usman Khan Shinwari and Faheem Ashraf on the eve of the competition start for the entire season, which places real pressure on their English imports Harry Gurney, who will now be in attendance for the duration of the tournament, and Richard Gleeson, who will play the first half of the season before being replaced by Afghani import Mohammad Nabi. Coupled with Kane Richardson’s likely ODI commitments in India in January, it robs them of serious strike power...and as has been said in the past, “batsmen win you games, bowlers win you tournaments”.
Good Will hunting a breakout season
It was only 12 months ago that emerging teenager and son of former Cricket Australia CEO Will Sutherland looked set to fire, but unfortunately injury derailed his BBL|08 campaign. Having opted to turn his back on the AFL Draft and choose a career in cricket, Sutherland has seen even younger players – such as Renegades’ teammate Jake Fraser-McGurk – take the headlines as one of the big boom youngsters likely to emerge in the BBL. Sutherland is primed to put his stamp on BBL|09, which is fantastic for SuperCoach players as he’s a pretty cheap Dual Position Player option.
Conway to commentate himself with every ball bowled
This guy is an enigma wrapped in an enigma. Despised for his village idiocy in Shield cricket and loved for his sheer ‘IDGAF’ attitude to cricket in equal parts – Adelaide’s Harry Conway has been on the scene for a while but he’s really begun to make a name for himself after his stare-down send-offs, self-commentary and general carry on after carving through Victoria’s tail end recently. We’re banking on him making a name for himself one way or another this BBL SuperCoach season.
Nathan who?
Still largely unknown to many, recently signed Hurricanes young-gun Nathan Ellis will get an opportunity to impress in purple after a monster lead-up campaign into the BBL this year. The right-arm quick who has a habit of carving through batsmen filled the last spot for the ‘Canes left vacant by another terrifying quick Jofra Archer – and the two share similarities in their approach. Ellis is the only quick on Hobart’s books and is a bargain-basement cheapie price at $42,000.
Khan he do it again?
The Afghani spinner was the seventh leading points scorer in SuperCoach BBL last season with 989 points from 14 games at an average of 70.6 – but we’re backing him to dial that up this season. With bonus scores in place for low economy rates, it’s where Khan can do his best damage given in BBL|08 he had the best ER (6.14 runs per over) of any player with more than 15 wickets in the BBL last season.
Liam Livingstone to be the most sought after POD
The English import who’ll make his debut in the Big Bash will absolutely dominate at the top of the order for Perth and as such will have SuperCoaches absolutely scrambling for him in their teams. The 26-year-old has 1982 career runs at T20 level with a monster strike rate of 139. He’s also pretty reliable with the ball too having ripped through 29 wickets at 17 from 85 games.
Alex Hales to collect more BBL jerseys than have impact
Yep, we went there. Alex Hales is now at his fourth BBL club and is still yet to establish any form of dominance in the league and we’re tipping it to continue. The English batter has had promising form in the Vitality Blast and the Mzansi Super League but the fact still remains; he has scored 50 just once in 14 BBL innings. The word ‘potential’ is a dirty word in SuperCoach however he has plenty of it. He’s underpriced, but you’ve been warned in advance!
SUPERCOACH BBL CELEB SIDES:
> Warne is good on the lip, but is he ready to take on BJ?
> Vaughan's opportunity awaits – it's time for Warne to be hit out of the park
> Watch out Warnie – Isa is coming for you
> Mark Howard's one aim this SuperCoach BBL season
> The side everyone wants to beat: Warnie reveals his squad
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Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Fearless predictions for the Big Bash League season ahead