SuperCoach BBL: Sydney Sixers duo Moises Henriques and Jack Edwards leave coaches with a headache
More than 25,000 SuperCoaches chose to start their BBL seasons with two key men. But after the opening three rounds, coaches have been left with a serious conundrum. TRADE GUIDE
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Supercoaches, we have a problem.
More than 25,000 of us chose to start Sydney Sixers duo Moises Henriques and Jack Edwards, while 21,000 opted for bargain-priced wicketkeeper Josh Phillipe.
The plan was simple. Let the trio accumulate money until their double in Round 3 when they would be ripe for upgrading.
What has unfolded in the opening three rounds has left coaches with a serious conundrum.
The Sixers don’t have another bye, but have played their only double game round of BBL08.
Phillipe had risen in value by about $15,000 and Edwards by $5000 at the start of Round 3. Henriques had fallen by $17,000.
Henriques is sure to bounce back at some point, but how long are you prepared to persist with the Sixers skipper?
Phillipe loomed as one of the bargain selections of BBL Supercoach after topscoring with 57 from 53 balls against a formidable South African attack playing for the PMs XI.
But the keeper-batsman is coming in at No.6 for Sydney Sixers and had a highest score of 12 after four innings. He’s worth holding for keeping insurance.
Edwards was mooted as a future Test batsman after compiling his maiden Sheffield Shield hundred for New South Wales in November.
Despite his obvious promise, the opener contributed 26 from his first three BBL innings.
Peter Handscomb, who responded from his Test axing with 70 from 35 balls — and 135 Supercoach points — represents an enticing sideways trade.
Rookie-priced prodigy Mackenzie Harvey is another batting option who made a welcome return to Melbourne Renegades’ squad in Round 3, while Jono Cook is the best of the cheap bowling picks. He’s got the double this round for Sydney Thunder.
What to do with the Sydney Sixers trio is one of the key issues for coaches heading into Round 4 as many plan to rush Rashid Khan back in and plot for life without D’Arcy Short and Jofra Archer for Round 4.
Sydney Thunder plays twice in Round 4, but as we have learned this does not guarantee triple-figure returns. Teams with the double game week were 0-7 after Sydney Sixers’ loss to Melbourne Stars and had only earned more Supercoach points in one of those seven games.
Hobart Hurricanes finally broke the curse with an epic run chase against Sydney Thunder.
Our starting strategy seemed so sound. Now it’s back to the drawing board.
TOP TARGETS
Rashid Khan
If you chose to trade the Adelaide Strikers dynamo due to his team’s Round 3 bye, you must bring him back in. He’s averaging 103.7 after three games and is one of the few BBL players you can guarantee points from each round.
Shane Watson
The former Australian all-rounder isn’t bowling for Sydney Thunder, but his BBL side has a Round 4 double and he will open the batting twice. Watson has started BBL08 with scores of 19, 22 and 20 but is ready to explode.
Jos Buttler
One of the cleanest hitters of a cricket ball in the world, Buttler has showcased his power with knocks of 89 from 54 balls and 63 from 37 deliveries in his past two innings. He’s only got a few games left before leaving for England duties but is a must-have for his double.
Fawad Ahmed
The Victorian leg-spinner is rated by some pundits as the best short-form tweaker in the country and highlighted his quality with 3-33 in the Sydney Smash. Adelaide and Perth’s middle order will need to be on notice.
Chris Lynn
Lynn can’t be classed as a point of difference (POD) due to his high ownership. But if you have the money saved, consider him with Brisbane Heat returning from the bye against a Sydney Sixers attack which has leaked runs in its past two games.
POD (Point of Difference) MOVES
Daniel Sams
Sams crashed back to earth in Round 3 after a flying start to his Thunder career and will be in excess of $200,000. His returns of 11 and 0-54 against Hobart would have a few people wary but that could benefit those who take a punt on the all-rounder.
Dan Christian
With an eye on Melbourne Renegades’ Round 6 double, start considering how you will bring Christian into your side. He’s carried his brilliant form from the South African T20 competition into the BBL.
Mohammad Nabi
Nabi is the other Renegade coaches will be clamouring to add to their team by Round 6. The Gades have doubles in rounds 6 and 9 and you’ll need the Afghanistan all-rounder to stay a contender during the middle of the season.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
The Brisbane Heat spinner is back this round after scoring 55 and 76 during his team’s opening-round double. The Heat avoids the bye for the rest of the campaign and still has two doubles to come. Ur Rahman is underpriced at $107,500 and only in 11,000 teams.
Jono Cook
Plucked from grade cricket in Sydney as an international replacement player, leg-spinner Cook has opened the bowling for Sydney Thunder in the club’s past two games. He finished with 0-31 on a tough night for bowlers in Hobart and 1-17 in the Sydney Smash, bowling four overs in both games. Cook is the obvious pick if your budget is running low.
Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Sydney Sixers duo Moises Henriques and Jack Edwards leave coaches with a headache
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