SuperCoach BBL: No byes, no doubles... what should you be looking to do this round?

For the first time since the second round of the season, when the Strikers debuted in BBL|09, there are no teams on a bye and there are no teams on the double – which means it’s a ‘clean’ selection round starting with the Thunder versus the Hurricanes.

Haris Rauf of the Stars celebrates his hat trick, the second of two on the same day

It was an incredible Round 7, with two hat tricks – on the same day! – from Rashid Khan and then Haris Rauf, some classy batting from the Glenn Maxwell (twice!), brilliant bowling from veterans like Scott Boland, and one very controversial catch.

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$1000 to be won every round: register for SuperCoach BBL now!

For the first time since the second round of the season, when the Strikers debuted in BBL|09, there are no teams on a bye and there are no teams on the double – which means it’s a ‘clean’ selection round starting with the Thunder versus the Hurricanes.

There’s a lot of movement at the SuperCoach station, with a heap of international stars now out of the competition for several weeks as they head to India to take on the subcontinent powerhouse in an ODI series. With Perth Scorchers playing two matches in the subsequent round they could be a team to target now – their DPP BAT / BWL English import Liam Livingstone is averaging 57 points every time he takes the field, while Jhye Richardson is looking seriously quick and has also shown that he can wield the willow too.

BOOM OF THE ROUND: TOM CURRAN | SYDNEY SIXERS | BAT / BWL | 165 points

Arguably the most successful English import to the Big Bash since the Stars had Kevin Pietersen, Curran is a true Dual Position threat, equally damaging with the bat and the ball. Against the Strikers it was his outstanding bowling that earned him 131 points (four wickets picked up 100, 6 for dot balls, then a further 10 for Wickets Bonus and 15 for Economy Rate Bonus), but then some lusty hitting and a catch to boot saw his individual round score soar. As long as he remains with the Sixers, you want him in your SC BBL squad – he’s one of the most valuable players in the competition.

BUST OF THE ROUND: ALEX ROSS | SYDNEY THUNDER | BAT | 0 points

It hard to pick on a bloke who didn’t seem to touch the ball in the round, yet Ross’ numbers are steeply declining in BBL|09, going from a high of 72 (in two matches) in Round 1 down to a donut in the most recent appearance where he avoided being one of the victims of Haris Rauf’s hat trick, facing just two balls. In Big Bash, lower middle order batsman seem more likely to be busts than booms, such is the nature of their roll – they don’t get the opportunity to face a heap of deliveries, and if they don’t contribute anything with the ball then their scoring opportunities in SuperCoach are extremely limited.

Scott Boland, on the left, has started his SuperCoach BBL late, but well

UNIQUE OF THE ROUND: SCOTT BOLAND | HOBART HURRICANES | BWL | 129 points | 4.8% ownership

The Victorian veteran missed the first five rounds of the SuperCoach BBL season but has roared into trade calculations with two very strong performances – his Round 6 debut against the Scorchers saw him score 83 points, but the old timer really sparked against the Heat, ripping through their batting line-up with three important wickets. Most vitally, it was his Economy Rate Bonus that really saw his score leap into the stratosphere, with 25 bonus points sitting sweetly alongside his amazing 14 dot balls. Still at a reasonably low price point, he should absolutely be a trade target for Round 8 along with those three mentioned below.

PLAYERS TO TARGET NEXT ROUND

With no teams on the bye, and no teams on the double, it’s wide open – yet there’ll likely be some debutants at either end of the price spectrum, with Australian Test batsman Travis Head likely to play his first game for his hometown team, while Jake Reed, a quick bowler who took 4/11 against the Thunder in BBL|04 in just his third match, has been added to the Hurricanes’ squad.

TRAVIS HEAD | ADELAIDE STRIKERS | BAT / BWL | $195,100

Fresh off a successful five summer Tests for his country, Head will return to short-form cricket with his debut for the Strikers set to take place this Sunday against the faltering Melbourne Renegades. His hometown team will need him, with Alex Carey one of the many players on their way to India – it would make sense if Head comes straight in to play at the same spot as Carey in the order. What will be interesting to see is whether or not he rolls his arm over – there’s an argument to be made to wait and assess his form after his first game back in blue, but the converse could easily be true, with Head too much of a top talent to ignore when he’s available.

Can English import Liam Livingstone match his exploits away at ‘home’ in Perth?

LIAM LIVINGSTONE | PERTH SCORCHERS | BAT / BWL | 57.1 avg. | $159,600

Already in 15% of all teams, Livingstone’s ownership should boom ahead of the double game week in Round 9 – but why not get him in now? The one note of caution is that perhaps the shape of Optus Stadium doesn’t suit his leg-side heavy style – Livingstone’s form at ‘home’ in Perth hasn’t been much to write home about, with no single match score greater than 49 points. If he can bring his form on the road back home then he’ll be a perfect buy with his DPP flexibility.

DANIEL SAMS | SYDNEY THUNDER | BAT / BWL | 73.5 avg. | $232,800

Sams’ bowling has saved his batting blushes, which include an average score of less than 4 runs per innings as well as four ducks in seven innings, with three of them coming on his first ball at the crease. With the yellow cap as the leading wicket-taker of BBL|09, Sams has captured 15 in eight games and his change-up ball is proving particularly effective – it allows his skipper, Callum Ferguson, to deploy an in-out field and have full faith that Sams can confound batsman with non-traditional deliveries delivered with aplomb. He’s the #1 player in SuperCoach BBL and a clear trade target for this round...if you can afford to get him in.

$1000 to be won every round: register for SuperCoach BBL now!

PLAYERS TO AVOID NEXT ROUND

The obvious answer here is anyone who is already in India! That rules out nine active BBL|09 players, including big names such as D’Arcy Short, who was a late call-up to the squad following the injury to Sean Abbott. The latter remains injured and unavailable for now, while Riley Meredith from the ‘Canes will miss the remainder of the BBL|09 season and Nathan Lyon’s debut for this season will be delayed for the time being.

MATT RENSHAW | BRISBANE HEAT | BAT | 55.4 avg. | $154,500

The former Australian Test opener had an outstanding start to his SuperCoach BBL season, with back-to-back 100+ point rounds, with his 137 points against the Sydney Sixers in Round 3 a real highlight. Since then it’s been low scores, with the ostensible batsman making more points by taking wickets with his dibby-dobblers than with his scything blade against the Hurricanes. With AB de Villiers due to debut for the Heat the likelihood is that Renshaw may get less opportunities with the willow in the coming rounds, presuming that the South African legend has no trouble adjusting to the pace of the Australian wickets.

MATTHEW WADE | HOBART HURRICANES | WKP / BAT | 83.0 avg. | $192,100

The Hurricanes’ skipper played his first match of BBL|09 in purple in the last round following on from his successful summer with the Australian Test side. Assuming leadership in lieu of Ben McDermott, the latter remained the man behind the stumps – Wade instead appears set for BBL|09 playing solely as a batsman. Although given his encouraging seam with the ball in hand, perhaps we might see him roll his arm over? It seems unlikely given the form of Scott Boland, which makes his position in your SuperCoach BBL squad a watch-and-see, particularly as he won’t be partnered with D’Arcy Short at the top of the order this season. With a score that was smaller than it could’ve been, thanks to being caught on / beyond the boundary, he’s at a price where he’s an awkward buy until you need to move on Tom Banton.

CALLUM FERGUSON | SYDNEY THUNDER | BAT | 57.3 avg. | $156,200

Ferguson’s failures are beginning to tally up, with three poor scores in a row. Since he returned to his native South Australia to help guide the Thunder to a win over the Strikers, Ferguson has failed to score more than 48 points since. Presuming that he returns to the sort of form that he’s had thus far this season, now could be the time to get the Sydney Thunder captain in – but when will he return to form?

Hat trick hero Rashid Khan is a safe captaincy selection this round

CAPTAIN’S CHOICE

With no teams on the double, the options are even across the board – and, as noted previously, perhaps we’re putting far more emphasis on players performing twice in a round regardless. If looking solely at this in form, it’s almost impossible to go past Rashid Khan, with the Strikers’ spinner in sublime form. Tom Curran from the Sixers continues to showcase will all-round talents, while his cross-town rival Daniel Sams, as discussed above, is yet to strike form with the bat but his bowling is nothing short of sublime. Or, of course, you could simply place the C on the leader of the team at the top of the table, with the Stars’ Glenn Maxwell in incredible form.

Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: No byes, no doubles... what should you be looking to do this round?