SuperCoach BBL: What does a settled Sydney Sixers squad mean for SuperCoach success?
They should have had a home final last year, but collapsed and had to travel – with a settled squad, will they make it to the finals in BBL|09, and does a settled squad make for SuperCoach success?
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They should have had a home final last year, but collapsed and had to travel – with a settled squad, will they make it to the finals in BBL|09, and does a settled squad make for SuperCoach success?
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It was only their capitulation to the Melbourne Stars in the final round of the regular season that saw the Sydney Sixers miss out on hosting a home final. They needed to score 20 or so more than they were capable of achieving in that game and they would have been at home against eventual champions the Melbourne Renegades, as opposed to having to face them at Marvel Stadium.
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The Sixers proved to be one of the surprise packets of the BBL|08 season – they didn’t have the big name English imports when compared to their city rivals, with the Thunder opting for a short-term taste of Jos Buttler and Joe Root. Instead, the Sixers had English compatriot Tom Curran in their ranks, who proved to be one of the players of the tournament.
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He will return in BBL|09, but just how available he will be remains to be seen, with England touring South Africa and Curran a chance to be part of their touring squad across all three cricketing formats.
For the most part, the Sixers look to have a relatively settled line-up, even if they would appear to be short of a big-hitting power player at the top of their order. They will be reliant upon the likes of English import James Vince and exciting youngster Josh Philippe to kickstart their innings alongside the raw talent of Jack Edwards.
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The big advantage that picking Sixers players gives SuperCoach players is that they feature in multiple double match Rounds in the first three Rounds of the game, and then have a third double week later in the season. It makes some of their players very attractive propositions to add to your squad indeed.
THE STAR: TOM CURRAN | BAT / BWL | 73.0 avg. in BBL|08 | $210,000 in BBL|09
Curran proved to be an out-and-out star in the Big Bash League last season, but there’s a massive concern ahead of this season – just how many games will he play? The likelihood is that, like his English counterpart Jofra Archer, he will be required for English duties for the majority of the back half of the BBL|09 season as they are touring South Africa at that time. He will, however, be around for the first part of the season.
THE BURN MAN: NATHAN LYON | BWL | 10.0 avg. | $145,500
Lyon is a super player, but to start with him is fraught with danger, as he will be otherwise occupied representing Australia at Test level for the majority of the first part of the summer. Once Australia’s ODI squad depart to tour India in January, it’s a different matter. By then the Sixers will have played two of their double match week rounds, although he will likely to be available for the Sixers in their double Round 10 fixture period, so Lyon might be a nice downgrade / upgrade option in the back half of the season.
THE YOUNG GUN: JACK EDWARDS | BAT | 15.1 avg. | $62,500
While his elder brother Mickey played just one game, adding to the one he played previously to give him two Big Bash appearances, teen wunderkind Jack suited up ten times for the Sixers last season. He’s slightly cheaper than his brother as Jack for the most part struggled as a lead-off batsman. His Marsh One-Day Cup form with the NSW squad is encouraging, including making 84 runs from 104 deliveries in their opening game of the campaign.
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THE POINT OF DIFFERENCE: SEAN ABBOTT | BWL | 67.9 avg. | $195,300
Sean Abbott is another player who is worth bringing in to your side as a specialist bowler in lieu of going for a lower-priced DPP option. He might not get to the crease that often – only twice in BBL|08 did he earn more than 30 points with his batting – but his guileful bowling makes him well worth having in your SC BBL squad as a specialist bowler. He’s expensive, but he’s worth it if you are looking for a player who stands out as a stand-alone BWL option, and who has multiple double-scoring opportunities in the first clutch of SuperCoach BBL Rounds.
THE BREAKOUT CONTENDER: JOSH PHILIPPE | WKP / BAT | 42.7 avg. | $123,000
If he’s named to play in the opening match of the BBL|09 season and you don’t have Josh Philippe in your squad, then you’re not playing SuperCoach BBL seriously. With DPP flexibility between WKP and BAT positions, Philippe looms as a player to build bank on in the first handful of weeks of the opening of the game, with the Sixers’ tasty double match week rounds immediately followed by a bye. If Philippe performs to expectations then he is a perfect player to have in your squad, with the option to ship him out immediately after Round 3.
THE MID-PRICER: DANIEL HUGHES | BAT | 40.1 avg. | $115,500
Dan Hughes’ form can’t be ignored – with two monster centuries and a 50 under his belt to start the white ball season, his form at the top of the order has been exemplary. He’s a star when it comes to the start of seasons – he started BBL|08 with two 90+ point games in his first five matches. Consistency will be key; he also had six scores below 20 last time around. The big query is around where he’ll come in for the Sixers – will he be an opener or a middle-order batsman?
MORE SUPERCOACH BBL STUDY GUIDES:
> Adelaide Strikers SuperCoach BBL|09 preview
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> Melbourne Renegades BBL|09 preview
> Melbourne Stars BBL|09 preview
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SYDNEY SIXERS BBL|09 SQUAD :
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Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: What does a settled Sydney Sixers squad mean for SuperCoach success?
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