A bit of a surprise to me but Chris Lynn has just one more game in the Big Bash for the Adelaide Strikers before he heads off to play for the Gulf Giants in the UAE T20 League. I'm not so sure how happy a County or Hundred side here would be quite so happy if an English player did that but I suppose, at the end of the day, money dictates.
The Big Bash has been absolutely wonderful so far this season
I do believe that T20 cricket has, perversely, got better because the wickets, a lot of the time have got worse. It's meant that good bowling and batting is rewarded rather than batsmen always being on top and turning things into, each and every game, a one sided run fest. You want it to be a contest.
Absolutely. Every now and again its great fun to watch a side whack 220/230 on an absolute road. But most of the time the lower scoring games that offer a bit of assistance to the bowlers make for better viewing.
The Big Bash has been absolutely wonderful so far this season
I do believe that T20 cricket has, perversely, got better because the wickets, a lot of the time have got worse. It's meant that good bowling and batting is rewarded rather than batsmen always being on top and turning things into, each and every game, a one sided run fest. You want it to be a contest.
Absolutely. Every now and again its great fun to watch a side whack 220/230 on an absolute road. But most of the time the lower scoring games that offer a bit of assistance to the bowlers make for better viewing.
This post aged well
It's like I knew As a Strikers fan i'm delighted. We needed that badly
Fantastic chase by Adelaide, although you have to say the death bowling from Hobart was poor to fail to defend 230.
Anyone else doing the Fantasy League? I've been doing the KFC Supercoach now for a few seasons. A great way to follow the Big Bash (and the NRL). Its a really good Fantasy League to play. You choose your squad, then enter into a 10 team league and play head to head matches. Download the KFC Supercoach app in the App Store if you fancy a go.
The Big Bash has been absolutely wonderful so far this season
I do believe that T20 cricket has, perversely, got better because the wickets, a lot of the time have got worse. It's meant that good bowling and batting is rewarded rather than batsmen always being on top and turning things into, each and every game, a one sided run fest. You want it to be a contest.
Absolutely. Every now and again its great fun to watch a side whack 220/230 on an absolute road. But most of the time the lower scoring games that offer a bit of assistance to the bowlers make for better viewing.
This post aged well
It's like I knew As a Strikers fan i'm delighted. We needed that badly
Their bowling will be somewhat weakened with the loss of Rashid Khan. Chris Lynn will be off too but their batting will be compensated with the return of Travis Head and Alex Carey
I do quite enjoy the BBL, you do sometimes get some incredibly dodgy performances but it's usually good fun.
Wonder if Paddy Dooley the young Hurricanes spinner with the weird action is a proper talent or someone that once they've faced him for a season will get picked by batsmen?
Manenti whilst clearly not on the level of Rashid Khan is a reasonable bowler and handy bat. Head & Carey will be a welcome boost too. Typical that Lynn is off just as he finally finds some form
I do quite enjoy the BBL, you do sometimes get some incredibly dodgy performances but it's usually good fun.
Wonder if Paddy Dooley the young Hurricanes spinner with the weird action is a proper talent or someone that once they've faced him for a season will get picked by batsmen?
Well, we need to see if he's done his shoulder first! He looks like he only really bowls the googly tbh
I do quite enjoy the BBL, you do sometimes get some incredibly dodgy performances but it's usually good fun.
Wonder if Paddy Dooley the young Hurricanes spinner with the weird action is a proper talent or someone that once they've faced him for a season will get picked by batsmen?
Well, we need to see if he's done his shoulder first! He looks like he only really bowls the googly tbh
Ah yes fair point, that did look quite serious. The BBL does produce these out of nowhere spinners like Hazogolu last season with the Scorchers.
So, we will have not one, not two, not three but four T20 franchise tournaments going on at the same time - the Big Bash, the Bangladesh PL, the South Africa T20 and the International League T20. This only serves to dilute the quality of the cricket on offer and the biggest sufferers of that will be the Big Bash with most of their overseas recruits and even a few of their home players (the likes of Chris Lynn) missing the final few weeks of that tournament. Money talks as they say.
So, we will have not one, not two, not three but four T20 franchise tournaments going on at the same time - the Big Bash, the Bangladesh PL, the South Africa T20 and the International League T20. This only serves to dilute the quality of the cricket on offer and the biggest sufferers of that will be the Big Bash with most of their overseas recruits and even a few of their home players (the likes of Chris Lynn) missing the final few weeks of that tournament. Money talks as they say.
The only plus side with the BBL is all the Aussie test internationals are available now , think even Steve Smith is playing for the Sixers for the first time in a long while.
The only - ONLY - ultimately feasible solution is for players to be registered to a single T20 club side which plays in a worldwide league. This requires Pakistan and India to kiss and make up, though
The SA20 running whilst England playing SA is wonderfully idiotic
It is the way of the world sadly. Cricket has reached saturation point where less is no longer more. The only thing that it does mean is that some average cricketers are getting the chance to play on a bigger stage when they wouldn't otherwise have been able to do so.
never had any interest in franchise cricket 20 over cricket as a format needs to be in short sharp contests, these drawn out "tournaments" rapidly become repetitive, The novelty of wham, bam 10 runs per over is long gone. This many simultaneous contests is clearly unsustainable. Money is indeed talking but the vast majority of that arises in India. The bubble I think is soon for bursting. The ECB's handling of their own invention in English domestic cricket was shamefully moronic and shortsighted
So, we will have not one, not two, not three but four T20 franchise tournaments going on at the same time - the Big Bash, the Bangladesh PL, the South Africa T20 and the International League T20. This only serves to dilute the quality of the cricket on offer and the biggest sufferers of that will be the Big Bash with most of their overseas recruits and even a few of their home players (the likes of Chris Lynn) missing the final few weeks of that tournament. Money talks as they say.
Make that five T20 comps concurrently running - the NZ Super Smash is currently taking place (and televised by BT too). This is very much a domestic comp but there are some well known players taking part but, again, not helped by the fact that there is currently a NZ tour of Pakistan with the 3rd ODI starting in an hour
The ICC never got a grip on this, and with the power of the BCCI and the IPL franchises, it's too late for a rational and organised T20 fixture schedule.
At a minimum, surely Australia, NZ and South Africa can get together to avoid future clashes?
Roelof vd Merwe has just returned the rather splendid figures of 6-20 in the SA20. This, after his own side set a total of 210-2 thanks in no small measure to the innings of Rossington who hit 72 off 30 balls
Like him or not (and quite a few non Australians do) Steve Smith has been in simply unplayable form on his return to the Big Bash. His scores have been 36 (27), 101 (56), 125* (66) and 66 (33). That's 328 runs at an average of 109.33 and strike rate of 180.21. To put that into perspective, the leading runs scorer in the BB has 458 runs at an average of 38.16 and SR of 145.85
We did see the selfish/single minded attitude of Smith today though in reviewing an LBW decision that was always going to be smashing into the stumps. So much so that he was seen walking off the pitch as soon as he saw the replay on the big screen!
Comments
Anyone else doing the Fantasy League? I've been doing the KFC Supercoach now for a few seasons. A great way to follow the Big Bash (and the NRL). Its a really good Fantasy League to play. You choose your squad, then enter into a 10 team league and play head to head matches. Download the KFC Supercoach app in the App Store if you fancy a go.
Wonder if Paddy Dooley the young Hurricanes spinner with the weird action is a proper talent or someone that once they've faced him for a season will get picked by batsmen?
Ah yes fair point, that did look quite serious. The BBL does produce these out of nowhere spinners like Hazogolu last season with the Scorchers.
The only plus side with the BBL is all the Aussie test internationals are available now , think even Steve Smith is playing for the Sixers for the first time in a long while.
20 over cricket as a format needs to be in short sharp contests, these drawn out "tournaments" rapidly become repetitive, The novelty of wham, bam 10 runs per over is long gone.
This many simultaneous contests is clearly unsustainable. Money is indeed talking but the vast majority of that arises in India. The bubble I think is soon for bursting.
The ECB's handling of their own invention in English domestic cricket was shamefully moronic and shortsighted
At a minimum, surely Australia, NZ and South Africa can get together to avoid future clashes?
We did see the selfish/single minded attitude of Smith today though in reviewing an LBW decision that was always going to be smashing into the stumps. So much so that he was seen walking off the pitch as soon as he saw the replay on the big screen!