SuperCoach BBL: Will Josh Philippe or Alex Carey make the ‘keeper cut?

They’re the two go-to glovemen in SuperCoach BBL. Both are similarly priced and both present value for different reasons, but if you could only choose one between Sydney Sixers’ Josh Philippe and Adelaide Strikers’ Alex Carey, who would you go with?

Sixers' Josh Philippe stumps Strikers' Matt Short during last season’s BBL match between the Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers at the SCG

They’re the two go-to glovemen in SuperCoach BBL. Both are similarly priced and both present value for different reasons, but if you could only choose one between Sydney Sixers’ Josh Philippe and Adelaide Strikers’ Alex Carey, who would you go with?

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Josh Philippe of the Sixers appears certain to be one of the most-selected wicketkeepers in SuperCoach BBL this season

WHY PHILIPPE?

If you were closely watching and playing SuperCoach BBL last season, then Josh Philippe’s name is one you’ll remember with a bullet. Philippe didn’t quite burst out of the blocks to begin with, but he built up so much momentum that he went from gloveman and bit-part batsmen to opening up the order for the Sixers in what seemed like a blink of an eye.

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In six matches playing as an opener last season, Philippe put away 168 runs at an average run rate of 33.6 while his strike rate of 161.5 had him at the pointy end with some of the best hitters in the Big Bash League.

The other huge factor for starting the 22-year-old in your SuperCoach team is that Philippe’s Sixers will play five times in the opening three rounds. It’s the cherry on top of his modest $123,000 price tag.

To put it into context, he’s $16,000 less than much-loved gloveman Alex Carey at the Strikers yet the two are only separated by 5.9 SuperCoach points on average.

Sure, there will be doubters given six games as an opener isn’t a huge amount to go off, but the upside in the young gun in undeniable. You would have to be very brave not to start Philippe in SuperCoach this year.

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Alex Carey of the Strikers takes another spectacular catch

WHY CAREY?

He is one of SuperCoach BBL’s most reliable players as well as the Australian one-day and Twenty20 wicketkeeper, but he’s going to miss the opening game of the season. Ouch!

Adelaide is without a doubt home to a host of SuperCoach BBL relevant players and on that basis alone it's a sting for SuperCoaches for the Strikers to cop the opening bye.

While that piece of information alone might make Philippe more of a lock, there is still a strong case to be made for starting Carey. Sure you’ll need to use a bench option, but Carey can be used as a Round 1 loophole from the get-go and at the very least you’ll want him in your SuperCoach team by the Strikers’ Round 3 double.

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Plus, if he’s in your side from the start of the competition, not only are you a step ahead of your rivals but you’ll give yourself a point of difference and you’ll save on a trade you’d otherwise need to make.

But let’s talk about why he is likely to be the No. 1 ranked gloveman this year. Not only does Carey open the batting for the Strikers, but he also had a strike rate of 120 last season. The proven hitter is a known matchwinner and he has a ceiling few other ‘keepers are capable of achieving. He’s a proven opener and he’s capable on any pitch in the country.

The only downside is that he’ll be part of Australia’s tour of India in January during the ODI series. Still, start him, watch the points fly in and then offload him for just about anybody else.

WHY NOT BOTH?

The great thing about wicketkeepers is that they can be selected in two different positions and our subject matters are both fairly priced. Neither will break the bank and both can comfortably be slotted in and rotated during bye rounds and multi-games.

Philippe however is the absolute starter out of the two and that is purely on the basis that Carey misses with Adelaide’s opening round bye.

But the beauty is that both can realistically start in your SuperCoach team. Whack Carey on the bench in your batting line-up, loophole him if required, and then launch him onto your field in Round 2.

The pros for both are undeniable. Both are opening batsmen, at affordable prices, with the ceiling to contend with the best SuperCoach players in the competition.

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Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Will Josh Philippe or Alex Carey make the ‘keeper cut?