Speedster’s battle for title of South Africa’s best paceman in SuperCoach BBL

One is a South African paceman on the rise, the other is an out-and-out cricket legend whose retirement from Test cricket has paved the way for a dominative force in T20 cricket.

Matthew Kelly of the Scorchers bowls during the Big Bash League (BBL).

One is a South African-born paceman on the rise, the other is an out-and-out cricket legend whose retirement from Test cricket has paved the way for a dominative force in T20 cricket.

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Today, we’re taking a look at 24-year old Matt Kelly from the Perth Scorchers and 36-year old legend Dale Steyn. Between them, they’re set to create extreme fear for batsmen in the BBL this summer.

WHY KELLY?

When you combine the fact that Nathan Coulter-Nile has headed east to the Melbourne Stars, Jason Behrendorff has undergone back surgery and subsequently has been ruled out for the summer and Andrew Tye has a dodgy elbow, you’re essentially left with a lot of empty overs to be bowled by the men in orange. Enter South African Matt Kelly ($165,100).

Kelly’s season last year translated incredibly well for SuperCoach players. In just seven games, he managed 11 wickets and after a proverbial broom has been taken to Perth’s bowling attack, the South African-born player is set to see more action bowling his maximum overs alongside fellow quick Jhye Richardson.

Scorchers players congratulate Matthew Kelly (centre).

It could be a minefield of points for Kelly, particularly in economy rate (ER) bonuses. Simply, if a bowler bowls a minimum of two overs per game, then they qualify for ER bonuses. An ER of 4 or less will be a bonus of 25 points, anywhere between 4-5 will be 20, 5-6 is 15 etc.

There are also bonus points on offer for every three wickets taken in one match to the tune of 10 points, so assuming Kelly is to see more responsibility, this could presumably lead to a higher SuperCoach output.

Perth feature in the double game week in Round 3 and, as SuperCoach expert Tim Mitchell pointed out recently, Kelly has the third-best career strike rate of any bowler in BBL history, taking a wicket every 14.5 balls in the 12 matches he’s played to date in the tournament.

WHY STEYN?

An experienced paceman and South African superstar, Dale Steyn ($169,000) has had huge success in the Indian Premier League, and has taken 96 wickets with an economy rate of just 6.76 from 92 IPL matches over the journey – those are some decent numbers!

In fact, if you take a look at his career T20 statistics, he has an average of 21.2 from 209 games with an economy rate of just 6.7. Huge!

Since joining the Melbourne Stars ahead of his first crack at the Big Bash League, Steyn now forms part of a potent attack for the Grand Finalists and he’ll be taking his maximum overs.

But the catch is he’ll only bowl 24 deliveries at the MCG, which given the state of the wicket at the moment could be a good thing. The Stars who call the ‘G home have to start every game of the season on the road due to the Boxing Day Test taking precedence.

It means Steyn will be seeing more of the likes of Moe, Launceston, Homebush and even Gold Coast – if he makes it on time. He’s due to jet to Australia on December 18 which could mean he’ll miss the opener against the Heat depending on whether his team the Cape Town Blitz are eliminated before the final of South Africa’s Mzansi Super League.

WHY NOT BOTH?

Steyn is undoubtedly going to take the BBL by storm but his starting price coupled with the fact that the Stars don’t have a double game week until Round 5 – plus his lofty price – makes him a hard sell for even the most seasoned coaches. But if you’re the type of SuperCoach player who loves a point of difference, then he’s going to appeal for numerous reasons.

As for Kelly, he’s similarly priced and Perth will take the reins of the double game week in Round 3, but what makes him slightly more enticing is the mere fact that he’ll be relied upon heavily throughout the season to shoulder most of the bowling load with Richardson.

If I had to choose one, I’d lean towards Steyn. South Africa’s most prolific wicket-taker across all formats of the game should add some serious sizzle to the BBL this year and I’m tipping SuperCoaches will be scrambling to include him in their sides. Start with him and you’ve immediately got a unique option who can give you a leg up on the competition.

Originally published as Speedster’s battle for title of South Africa’s best paceman in SuperCoach BBL