SuperCoach BBL: Your guide to the best all-rounders of BBL09

The biggest points in SuperCoach BBL come from all-rounders. Get them right and you will go a long way to success. Here’s our guide to the best selections of BBL09.

Much like the midfielders in SuperCoach AFL or the fullbacks in SuperCoach NRL, all-rounders are the heartbeat of every strong SuperCoach BBL team.

D’Arcy Short (637 runs, 10 wickets) and Marcus Stoinis (533 runs, 14 wickets) were 161 points clear of the next best player in BBL08, another all-rounder in Dan Christian (254 runs, 15 wickets).

The savvy SuperCoach will load their team with as many all-rounders as possible, preferably in the five batting spots.

Six of last season’s top-10 scorers were bowlers, while Callum Ferguson was the top-ranked BAT at 24th for overall points.

Picking all-rounders instead of batsmen limits your potential for disaster.

Should Stoinis or Short be out cheaply in the first innings of a game, they could still score enough points with the ball to salvage their match.

All-rounders are akin to a SuperCoach insurance policy.

Should a match be washed out midway through, you’ll almost certainly have banked points when other coaches with batsmen in the second innings will miss out.

Tom Curran has been given BAT-BWL status after his efforts with the bat for Sydney Sixers. Picture: Phil Hillyard.

Or, in the event a team is rolled cheaply batting first and your all-rounder doesn’t get a bat, the likelihood is they will have contributed in their opposition’s earlier downfall.

All-rounders are the most expensive players in SuperCoach BBL, with good reason.

Stoinis ($278,900) and Short ($262,800) will punt a huge dent in your $2 million war chest, however there are cheaper options who present value starting selections.

South African import Chris Morris ($125,000) is one of the standout value picks, while Englishman Tom Curran ($210,000) has gained BAT-BWL status after his batting exploits for Sydney Sixers last season.

10 all-rounders to consider

1. Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) 2018 SCBBL average: 73 $210,000

Curran’s death bowling was a feature of his success in his first season with the Sixers and his 185 runs were a bonus. Will he get as much opportunity with the bat this season?

VERDICT: Sydney Sixers’ Round 1 double game week makes Curran a must-have. He looms as the best captaincy pick and the Sixers play five matches in the opening three rounds.

2. D’Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) 2018 SCBBL average: 91.3 $262,800

Short carried on the form he showed in BBL08 in England’s Vitality Blast with 483 runs and 13 wickets for Durham. Can you find a way to squeeze him and Stoinis in?

VERDICT: If he’s going to be bowling regularly as he did in England, he’ll be worth the high starting price.

D’Arcy Short will be capable of justifying his high price if he bowls regularly.

3. Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars) 2018 SCBBL average: 96.9 $278,900

The most expensive player in SuperCoach BBL this year after a campaign which yielded scores of 194, 199, 194 and 188. His omission from the Australian side was a win for SuperCoaches if he’s going to be available all tournament, although he could be on Australia’s ODI tour to India in mid-January.

VERDICT: You’d want a guarantee he’ll be opening the batting before parting with almost 15 per cent of your budget.

4. Dan Christian (Melbourne Renegades) 2018 SCBBL average: 68.7 $197,600

One of the matchwinners in the BBL08 final, Christian carries a high starting price for a player who only bowled four overs four times and isn’t guaranteed to bat.

VERDICT: Hope his price falls to about $150,000 then jump on.

5. Ben Cutting (Brisbane Heat) 2018 SCBBL average: 63.6 $182,900

One of the most destructive cricketers in the BBL when on, Cutting only scored below 40 once last year in a consistent SuperCoach campaign. The highlights were a 173 and 180 which book ended his season.

VERDICT: If his floor is a 40-point game, that’s a great sign. Tom Banton, Chris Lynn and Max Bryant will likely be the top-three for the Heat and hopefully Cutting bats at No.4. Don’t leave him out with a Round 1 DGW.

Ben Cutting clears the boundary for Brisbane Heat last summer.

6. Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) 2018 SCBBL average: 59.1 $170,200

After switching from the Sixers to the Thunder, Sams announced himself in the BBL with SuperCoach scores of 168, 149, 114 and 98 in his opening five matches. However, his tournament tailed off as his average plummeted from 91.8 after Round 5 to 59.1.

VERDICT: I’m an unabashed Daniel Sams fan, but I was hoping he’d be cheaper than his asking price. He’s still likely to be in my side for his Round 1 double game week.

7. Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers) 2018 SCBBL average: 28.3 $195,100

Head’s value increased when he was named a BAT-BWL option for BBL09, although it remains to be seen how many games he’ll play after being named in the Test squad to face Pakistan. The left-hander only scored 63 runs in three BBL08 innings and bowled one over. Hope his value falls then pounce later in the tournament if he’s available.

VERDICT: Not at that price. Head could yet be picked in the Test team to face New Zealand and is unlikely to bowl enough to justify spending almost $200,000 should he feature early in the BBL.

8. James Faulkner (Hobart Hurricanes) 2018 SCBBL average: 54 $155,400

The man once known as ‘The Finisher’ didn’t have a great impact with the bat in BBL08, only contributing 38 runs. But his work with the ball was hugely impressive as he snared 18 wickets bowling in the power play and at the death.

VERDICT: Only consider him for Hobart’s double game week, which isn’t until Round 12.

Daniel Sams enjoyed a flying start to BBL08 after switching to Sydney Thunder.

9. Mohammad Nabi (Melbourne Renegades) 2018 SCBBL average: 51.9 $149,200

Nabi’s bowling role was diminished last summer by the arrival of Cameron Boyce and he often bats too low in the order to be a significant SuperCoach factor. You don’t want to be relying on collapses.

VERDICT: Nabi had too many scores under 50 last summer to be in the mix for BBL09 SuperCoach teams.

10. Chris Morris (Sydney Thunder) debut season $125,000

An experienced South African all-rounder, Morris joins the Thunder as a relative unknown despite having played 182 T20 games. The 32-year-old is a right-arm seamer who averages 22.3 with the bat.

VERDICT: One of the more obvious selections of the season. Well priced and at the very least should be a prominent bowler for the Thunder, who play twice in Round 1.

Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Your guide to the best all-rounders of BBL09