The moments, matches and storylines which defined BBL14

From breakout centuries to stunning revivals, BBL14 has had it all. Ahead of the final, we rank the biggest moments of the summer. WATCH them and have your say here.

Mitch Owen celebrates his maiden BBL century against Perth Scorchers.

The 14th season of the Big Bash League has been one of the best.

It has heralded the arrival of two young stars in Mitch Owen and Cooper Connolly, the latter rocketing from Perth Scorchers hero to the Australian Test squad.

It was also the summer in which the Melbourne Stars recovered from a 0-5 start to play finals, Glenn Maxwell stunned with his boundary-line brilliance and Liam Haskett’s dad, Lloyd, caught a six off his bowling in the Adelaide Oval stands.

Almost nightly, the BBL has delivered a moment for the highlights reels.

We’ve ranked the 14 moments which defined BBL14.

Scroll down to watch them all and have your say.

Cameron Bancroft leaves the field after his collision with Daniel Sams

1. THUNDER STARS’ HORROR COLLISION

Daniel Sams was charging from one direction. Cameron Bancroft from the other. Those watching at Optus Stadium could see what was coming, but were powerless to stop it. The Thunder teammates collided at full speed attempting to catch a skied shot from Cooper Connolly. They were both hospitalised, with Sams entering concussion protocols and Bancroft ruled out of the BBL with a broken shoulder and nose. Hugh Weibgen and Ollie Davies entered the game as concussion subs and helped the Thunder secure a famous win over Perth Scorchers.

Mitch Owen scores BBL century

2. MITCH OWEN’S STUNNING ARRIVAL

Hobart Hurricanes’ push for a maiden BBL crown has been built on the back of Mitch Owen’s arrival as Australia’s newest T20 star. The 23-year-old, who hails from New Town Cricket Club in the Apple Isle, announced himself with a spectacular 64-ball hundred against Perth Scorchers. Owen has established himself as one of the BBL’s premier powerplay weapons, scoring 344 runs at an incredible strike rate of 191. Only Glenn Maxwell (27) has hit more sixes than Owen (25) in BBL14. Owen surely has a few big pay days in store in T20 leagues around the world after his BBL exploits.

Cooper Connolly hits a six during BBL14

3. THE RISE OF COOPER CONNOLLY

Most cricket fans knew Cooper Connolly as the surfer-haired kid who won a BBL final off his own bat for Perth a few summers ago. This season, Connolly has made a name for himself as one of the rising stars of Australian cricket. The powerful left-hander was the leading run scorer in BBL14, scoring 351 runs at an average of better than 50. By mid-season there were calls for the 21-year-old, who also took six wickets, to be included in Australia’s touring party for Sri Lanka. The selectors duly obliged, earmarking the WA all-rounder as a key part of Australia’s Test future. “We’re starting to see glimpses of some really good stuff (from Connolly) in the BBL … he looks like a real talent to me,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Channel 7.

Glenn Maxwell takes a screamer in the BBL

4. MAXWELL’S BOUNDARY CATCH

Melbourne Stars were 0-5 and staring at another season without finals when they travelled north to face Brisbane Heat. It would be a night where Marcus Stoinis and Dan Lawrence steered their side to a breakthrough win, but was remembered for a moment of sheer individual brilliance from Glenn Maxwell. Will Prestwidge must have felt like the most unlucky batter in Australia when Maxwell somehow hauled in a ball which was heading for six, threw it in the air and then completed the catch with little fuss. It was a genius making the outrageous look simple and a moment hailed the best catch in the BBL’s history. “The catch in Brisbane was the perfect example for me. All the work I have done, I was able to create a chance that was probably going to land a couple of metres over the boundary. But to be able to be in a position where I could run from inside, take off and execute something that was going to be six,” Maxwell told Fox Cricket.

Melbourne Stars go from 0-5 to BBL finals

5. RESURRECTION OF THE STARS

Melbourne Stars seemed destined to be consigned to finals spectators when they dropped their opening five games of BBL14. Then, from the ashes, Marcus Stoinis and his side staged an almighty resurrection. They won in Brisbane, downed the Renegades and claimed the scalp of the finals-bound Sixers in successive games. Still, a lot needed to fall their way to secure a top-four finish — and it did. As the Sixers, Hurricanes and Thunder established themselves as the competition’s clear top-three, the Stars’ rivals for fourth kept losing. The Stars would clinch fourth when they defeated Hobart in the last game of the regular season, only to lose to Knockout final to Sydney Thunder.

Bowled Liam Haskett, caught Lloyd Haskett

6. HASKETT’S DAD CATCHES SIX IN THE CROWD

There have been some brilliant crowd catches throughout BBL14, but only one made headlines around the world. That was when Liam Haskett was hit for six by Nathan McSweeney and a less than impressed spectator pouched a catch in the stands at Adelaide Oval. It quickly became clear why the fan didn’t celebrate his effort — it was Haskett’s dad Lloyd. “We thought he was just a cool customer but he was so disappointed that his son, on debut, had just been dispatched,” Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.

Steve Smith scores BBL century

Matthew Short's record breaking ton against Brisbane Heat

7. SHORT, SMITH’S SAME-DAY CENTURIES

Steve Smith made one of the most-eagerly anticipated BBL returns on January 11 when the Sixers took on the Scorchers. The Aussie star hit 10 fours and seven sixes in a knock of 121 not out from 64 balls, his third BBL century in 33 innings. Then a few hours later, Adelaide skipper and dual BBL MVP went on a rampage of his own. Short plundered 109 from 54 balls, scoring the fastest hundred in Strikers history as his side amassed 5-251 — the second-highest total in BBL history. “Consistently, some of the cleanest striking you will ever see,” Mike Hussey said on Fox Cricket.

Nick Hobson's bat gets caught in Marvel turf

8. MARVEL STADIUM SURFACE PRESSURE

Adam Voges called it “substandard”. Lisa Sthalaker labelled it “embarrassing”. And Darren Lehmann’s description was “very, very bad”. The critics lined up after the first game of BBL14 played at Marvel Stadium, which resembled a patchwork quilt when the Renegades hosted Perth Scorchers. The condition of the ground was roundly criticised and prompted calls for both Melbourne franchises to play home games at the MCG. To the curators’ credit, the ground condition — and in particular the pitch — improved throughout the tournament. So much so that in the last game played at Docklands, there were 395 runs scored between the Renegades and Heat.

Glenn Maxwell leads stunning partnership with Usama Mir

9. MAXWELL, MIR’S CRAZY PARTNERSHIP

There was a sense of deja vu from Headingley in 2019 as Glenn Maxwell farmed the strike and put on 81 runs, of which he scored 79, in an epic partnership with Usama Mir during the Stars’ second derby win of the summer. Harking back to when Ben Stokes took charge in a matchwinning stand with Jack Leach, Maxwell turned down singles, dealing in boundaries as he took the Stars from 7-75 to 165 with a knock of 90 from 52 balls. Maxwell was in complete command, even accepting dot balls in the power surge as he lined up the helpless Renegades bowlers during a one-man blitzkrieg.

Jamie Overton attempts a mankad against Finn Allen

10. JAMIE OVERTON’S BLOW UPS

Adelaide import Jamie Overton enjoyed another standout summer, impressing with bat and ball. But ultimately, it was his run-ins with Finn Allen and Tim David which stole the headlines. The fireworks kicked off early on New Year’s Eve when Overton threatened to mankad Allen and then appeared to have a few choice words for the New Zealander. “Heat of the battle, things can happen,” Allen later told Channel 7. “We both got in the fight, we both wanted to perform and he’s going pretty well for Adelaide. He’s a big boy, he’s got me covered, I reckon.” Overton met his match — at least in size — when he squared up to Tim David after the Hurricanes slugger got the better of him during a power surge only a few days later. David said of the incident: “He’s just getting stuck into everyone. You’ve got to give it back.”

Sam Konstas scores record 50 on Thunder debut

11. KONSTAS SHATTERS THUNDER RECORD

There was already a clamour to fast track Sam Konstas into the Test side when he pulled on the lime green for his first BBL match for Sydney Thunder. By the end of his debut innings, the fastest 50 in Thunder history, it had reached fever pitch. Konstas made 56 from 27 balls against the Strikers, outshining the man whose opening spot he would assume in the Test side nine days later David Warner. “If Nic Maddinson is fit and didn’t have a broken finger, he might not have played,” Mike Hussey said on Fox Cricket. Just over a week later, Konstas was the talk of the cricket world when he ramped Jasprit Bumrah on Boxing Day.

Nathan McSweeney scores fifty on BBL return

12. McSWEENEY’S PERFECT RESPONSE

After having his Test career curtailed three games in, Nathan McSweeney was a man under pressure when he returned to Brisbane Heat. Axed after six brutal examinations by Jasprit Bumrah, McSweeney was back at the franchise he captained to the BBL title exactly a month after making his Test debut in Perth. With the microscope on him and after being criticised for a lack of intent in the Test series, McSweeney responded with an unbeaten 78 from 49 balls to launch Brisbane Heat to a three-wicket victory over Adelaide Strikers. “Marnus just said it’s not where it starts, it’s where it ends. A good story always has its ups and downs. Hopefully when I finish and I’m all done I can look back on this and it was a great learning curve,” he told Channel 7.

Hurricanes routed for 74 by Renegades

13. CANES COLLAPSE IN GEELONG

A season which ended with the BBL final starting with a record low? Hobart Hurricanes’ campaign could hardly have got off to a worse start when they were all out for 74 in Geelong against the Renegades. A potential maiden title would have been the furthest thing from skipper Nathan Ellis’ mind when his side crashed to a humiliating 8-40. Ellis topscored with 35 but three wickets apiece to Tom Rogers, Fergus O’Neill and Will Sutherland helped rout the Hurricanes in 12.4 overs. The Hurricanes then went unbeaten for their next eight matches, staging an incredible turnaround.

Will Sutherland, Tom Rogers lead Renegades fightback

14. SUTHERLAND, ROGERS SAVE GADES

Five teams were still in contention for fourth spot going into the last two days of the regular season. But that grandstand finish would not have been possible had it not been for Sutherland and Rogers’ heroics out west. After Ashton Agar led Perth’s recovery from 6-86 to 146, the Renegades were teetering at 5-44. Missing Jon Wells, who tore a hamstring while fielding, the Renegades rallied thanks to career-best scores from Sutherland (70) and Rogers (49 not out). Had Perth been able to break the Sutherland-Rogers union sooner, it almost certainly would have leapfrogged Melbourne Stars to secure a finals berth. Instead, BBL organisers got a final round of match ups they could only have conjured in their wildest dreams.