Cricket Australia, and its management, are under siege.

Tim Paine was acrimoniously ditched, much the same as Robinson Crusoe lost his way at sea, marooned on an island with nowhere to go - for now, at least.

Coach, Justin Langer, was dealt a terrible hand, that bad it was un-bluffable - Cricket Australia (CA) consciously knowing it was offering a deal no forward-thinking coach could accept.

Then; a hero to villain; enters Pat Cummins; the all-Australian boy left to dodge a hail of incoming bullets, with no cover fire. It’s hard to see how CA could have handled things worse.

General Custer (George Armstrong Custer) did not stand a chance - he and his men fought gamely at the ‘Battle of the Bighorn’ - Ultimately though, this was a doomed ‘last stand’

So, with that said; it is a miracle that the 11th iteration of the Big Bash League played out to a finish, albeit ending as somewhat of a fizzer. The league is the property of Cricket Australia.

Currently, it is hard to imagine there will be much BBL whiteboard work-shopping at Jolimont. More likely, they are bunkered down waiting for the storm to pass. My take is Mr.Langer will be bellowing down his megaphone for some time yet. Yes, you’re correct, this has no connection to the BBL, other than it being a huge distraction to Cricket Australia, and a battle similar to the one fought by Mr.Custer.

So, to some white-boarding of our own, it will be.

What do we know that won’t change?

• There will be eight teams

• Same fixture window will be in place

• Australian national players will be unavailable for a large part of the season

• The TV commentary box will be full of egomaniacal self-promotors

• The Melbourne teams are likely to be insignificant

Apologies, the last two points are personal

What do we know that could change?

• An international player auction might appear (dependent on the standard of nominations) - NEEDED

• A form of DRS system will be introduced (slowing down the game further!) - NOT NEEDED - the umpire howlers will keep the BBL humble

• Expansion of double-headers, and day games

• Removal of the demeaning super-sub rule

• Dan Christian joins the Sydney Thunder for BBL12

I liked what Joe Burns (Melbourne Stars) had to offer … very magnanimous of him - including the M - in front of BBL. Still, the cricketing logic is sound. See his Twitter post below.

I think 10 is the optimum number of games (yes, not possible) - I would include Thursday games in his schedule. And, allowing shield cricket to co-exist in this window is an exceptional idea/concept.

Thinking a little more about Mr.Burns … ‘Uncle Drew’ comes to mind. Yes, that crazy series of commercials, and then film - depicting a trash-talking, ageing basketball legend, who comes to life on the pick-up courts. Played by the venerable, anti-vaxer - Kyrie Irving

Burns dreamt of playing ‘Uncle Drew’ on the pick-up courts of North Brisbane. Here’s an excerpt from the article. Burns is a hard man not to like, a contemplative character.

The young man on the basketball court is nobody. Lately, he has been coming here a lot, his night-time hustle on the floodlit concrete expanse an exercise in anonymity and release. The pick-up games in this nondescript suburb of northern Brisbane are fast and tinged with testosterone-fuelled tension. As the bearded white guy among a mostly Asian gathering, he does well to blend in with the crowd. Sometimes, however, his skill levels betray him.

"I can't hit a shot, and I play very little defence," says Joe Burns, a grin creeping onto his face. "The local Asian basketball community is just laughing at me every night."

‘Average Joe’ is his street-name in the North Brisbane hood. A link to the full article below.

Average Joe: Inside Burns’ private world

Back to Cricket Australia (CA), and the states should not escape scrutiny also.

On reflection, a hierarchal list of miss-handling’s by CA would rate their decision to not allow Steve Smith (aka - Stephano Smitherino) to play for the Sydney Sixers pretty low in the order. Smith wished his team good fortunes in the final, singling out their Italian import - Smitherino. I wonder if the ivory tower of Jolimont shook with mirth and laughter, at their own expense.

And then some more mirth and humour from the aforementioned Dan Christian. Christian urged members of the public to come forward to fill spare spots, free beer being the teaser, sadly for the Sydney Sixers, it wasn’t out of a large cup! The ‘no test cricketers’ a nice play

We are led to believe CA passed over the decision on whether Smith could play to the state associations, surely they precluded WA. And, sure as eggs are eggs, the decision came back as a resounding NO. We do currently live in a state-driven society, all states hopelessly drunk on power and control, so it’s hardly surprising that Christian was forced to recruit in the manner he did!

The Perth Scorchers prevail as BBL11 champions - Final summary.

They did stare over the precipice, and, to their credit, they found a way of steering the ship toward a defendable total. 6-171 (20)

Laurie Evans and Ashton Turner combined for a stellar 104-run match-winning partnership. Rescuing their team from 4-24. Evans batted through the innings to finish 76 not out (41 balls) and Turner, after falling to Steve O’Keefe, made 54 from 35 balls. Together they struck eight fours, and four maximums, Evans contributing three of the four sixes.

The Scorchers bowling had been outstanding throughout BBL11.

The bowling collective allowed a miserly three boundaries in the Sydney Sixers first 10 overs. A power-play comparison showed the Sixers slightly ahead (1-26); however, the river then ran dry for the Sixers. The evergreen Dan Christian was fourth out at (4-62); four overs later, the Scorchers had doubled their wickets tally, leaving the Sixers reeling at (8-77) - the end coming at (10-92) - with Richardson accounting for Steve O’Keefe.

This was their fourth win over the Sixers in as many games, validating to all that - they were BBL11’s best team, this despite only playing one game in Perth, thanks to Mark McGowan’s ludicrous iron curtain. Congrats to all concerned, minus McGowan

So, there we have it, a wrap on BBL insider for a while. We will wait to see what comes down the pipe from Cricket Australia. BBL12 will be eagerly anticipated, coming hot on the heels of the upcoming T20 World Cup, where Australia will defend - watch out for Stephano Smitherino in the Italian team - and, Australia will have a new coach.

As always, thank you for being here. And, I look forward to more ‘BBL Insider’ soon.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy the ‘Across Cricket’ content.Thanks for reading SpeakingNick! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The immediacy of T20 cricket forces your hand in these situations. Borrowing some poker-speak; calling and checking is not a viable option, more like a quick scan of the cards in hand, then all in on the river flop, sink or swim. It was a juncture in the game that presented a perfect storm for either team. A good dose of skill, and some fortune, meant the river worked in the Scorchers' favour.

Evans and Turner combined for a stellar 104-run match-winning partnership.

It started with brief consolidation and a dose of circumspection, which was quickly replaced with copious amounts of cavalier, and fearless stroke-play. Both right-handers finding boundaries with genuine cricket shots, it was refreshing to see batting orthodoxy rewarded. Two effortless cover- driven sixes will be with Evans for some time, I would imagine.

Evans batted through the innings to finish 76 not out (41 balls) and Turner, after falling to Steve O’Keefe, made 54 from 35 balls. Together they struck eight fours, and four maximums, Evans contributing three of the four sixes. They did stare over the precipice, and, to their credit, found a way of steering the Scorchers away from near-fatal collapse.

The Scorchers bowling unit has been highly dependable throughout the season. Jhye Richardson gives them accurate pace upfront. Jason Behrendorff affords skilful swing, and a ‘you miss-I hit’ length.  AJ Tye and his multiple aliases present numerous in-ball decisions for batters, and then there is the spin; Ashton Agar, Peter Hatzoglou, and Ashton Turner.

They did not miss their opportunity to showcase their wares.

The bowling collective allowed a miserly three boundaries in the Sydney Sixers first 10 overs. A power-play comparison showed the Sixers slightly ahead (1-26); however, the river then ran dry for the Sixers. The evergreen Dan Christian was fourth out at (4-62); four overs later, the Scorchers had doubled their wickets tally, with the Sixers reeling at (8-77) - the end coming at (10-92) - with Richardson accounting for Steve O’Keefe.

Richardson (2-20 from three overs) - Jason Behrendorff (1-12 from two) controlled the Sixers from the top- leaving AJ Tye to strangle the middle order with (3-15 from three) removing three dangerous hitters in; Christian, Sean Abbott, and Ben Dwarshuis. Each of the three spinners claimed a wicket; Turner, Agar and Hatzoglou, their combined spin-overs read (3-44 from eight) - all, in all, a clinical display by the Scorchers.

This was their fourth win over the Sixers in as many games, validating to all that - they were BBL11’s best team, this despite only playing one game in Perth, thanks to Mark McGowan’s ludicrous iron curtain. Josh Inglis will be chuckling in his celebratory beer, or choice of refreshment. They have been exiled since December 8, 2021.

Not that denying an opposition their own milestones should be an incentive; the Scorchers did prevent the Sixers from becoming the first team to win a hat-trick of titles. Perhaps an irony is that Victoria (the Scorchers second home) remains the only team to complete a domestic T20 hat-trick; this was when the competition was state-based.

So, what to do in the 7.30pm TV time slot!

The competition made it to the finish line, albeit with its share of challenges, kudos to all involved in the many intricate decisions made along the way.

I’m planning on a season wrap this week, stay tuned, please.

As always, I appreciate your time, and thank you for being here.

So why should we expect professional sports-people, athletes, to be different?

Only the most optimistic proponents of the ‘hindsight bias’ clan would have foreseen the eventual outcome.

Are they wired differently? Yes and no, but the reality is they are less likely to take the wrong road, they will intuitively take more risk because they have an intrinsic belief in their skill-sets, and judgment - this will lead them down the right path more often than not. Success in sport, so winning, will always be linked to the ‘probability of’

Alex Carey - Adelaide Strikers - missed stumping Hayden Kerr - Sydney Sixers - from the first ball of the innings. The Sixers were 0-0, Kerr was 0 - there were another 119 balls to bowl, and the Strikers had posted 4-167 - who would have guessed Kerr would go on to hit the winning runs from ball 123? Only the most optimistic proponents of the ‘hindsight bias’ clan would have foreseen the eventual outcome.

Add in a straightforward outfield chance from Kerr when his score was 16 - and you have a double fork, with neither proving to be the right road. Some mistakes are forgotten, lost in the flow of the game. They can be camouflaged by inspired individual action - instead, these two missed opportunities will only be illuminated by Kerr’s heroics.

Kerr was rightfully lauded for his match-winning innings - 98* from (58) with 10 fours and two maximums; this coming from a batter who had occupied a bottom four batting slot throughout the tournament.

Sean Abbott stood up when his team desperately needed him to. The 29-year old has been treading water with just one wicket in his last four games, adding in an over-par economy rate and some sketchy batting form; all was not well with Coach Shipperds’ blue stocks.

Extra bounce in the SCG deck was to his liking - this accounted for Matt Short who edged to slip. Next, he bowled Travis Head, who played too expansively, pegging back his middle stump, and then finished with the important wicket of Ian Cockbain.

When Dan Christian departed at 4-101 in the 14th over, the Sixers had plenty to do. Kerr and Abbott combined, taking the score to 5-156 - Abbott’s contribution of 41 from (20) - a partnership of 55 from 30 balls - leaving the last over thrills to Kerr. The rest is history; there was a lot in those last five balls!

Still, as the venerable David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, and Harry Conway say - “Start the car, that’s all she wrote” Next time Harry.

BBL11 Final - Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers

The Perth Scorchers play their home BBL11 final at Marvel Stadium, hosting the Sydney Sixers. That’s right - the Furnace is no longer, likely to be turned into a walking track. The Labor/Greens seem to like the idea of walking tracks - ask the horse-racing industry!

Remarkably, this will be the fifth final contested between them, with the 2-2 deadlock to be broken tonight. If the Sixers prevail it will be a remarkable three-peat.

The Scorchers have the wood over the Sixers, beating them three times in January, and face a weakened opponent who limped into the final after rookie allrounder Hayden Kerr inspired a dramatic victory over Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday night.

A depleted Sixers will be without openers Josh Philippe and Jack Edwards, who have tested positive for Covid-19, while veteran spinner Steve O'Keefe and batter Jordan Silk suffered injuries during the Strikers' innings.

Top-order batter Daniel Hughes could be a welcome inclusion, having not played since injuring an ankle during the warm-up ahead of the qualifying final. I would say he is likely to play, filling Silk’s role. It is hard to see them going away from Hayden Kerr at the top of the order.

Mitchell Marsh has arguably been the most in-form T20 batter in the world since the World Cup.  He is expected to line up tonight despite suffering hamstring tightness in their last game.  The Scorchers will be at full strength.

How do you pick against the Sixers, or not pick the Scorchers!! Probability always plays out - a win for the Scorchers, with M McGowan watching on!

Cameron White played 177 first class games.  His career transcended across the games shift to a white ball dominant genre.  Appointed Captain of Victoria in 2003-04, at the tender age of 20, he, more than most, has been at the coal face of this transition.

Named Australia’s T20 captain as far back as 2011 - White’s tactical acumen was off the charts, and always well received.  However, the tenure was short-lived, not due to a tactical void, just a shortage of runs.  T20 was very different, in 2011, there were very few domestic leagues to develop your skills, and the methodology was still intrinsically linked to 50-over cricket.

Two hundreds and 11 fifties in ODI cricket saw him play 91 games in this format.  The twilight of his career was littered with domestic success, both in shield cricket and the burgeoning BBL.  Maybe the sweetest of all titles was the one he stole from the Stars, propelling the Renegades to victory in 2018-19.  

I wrote some words on Cam White back in October 2013. You can see them below.

In many ways, ‘Athers’ (Mike Atherton) was quite the opposite to White – their backgrounds could not have been more different – yet  their minds, and the way they thought about the game, were so similar.

As promised, he picks his BBL11 tournament team. I should say - this was before last nights loss to the Sydney Sixers - in a thriller!

1. Ben McDermott

2. Glenn Maxwell

3. Mitch Marsh

4. Moises Henriques (Capt)

5. Ashton Turner

6. Sam Billings (WK)

7. Ashton Agar

8. Hayden Kerr

9. Daniel Sams

10. AJ Tye

11. Kane Richardson

Think he might of mis-read my brief, no Adelaide Strikers !

Will try to have some words on last night’s game in the morning, and look forward to the final. The Sydney Sixers look like they have plenty of work to do! Surely S.P.D Smith will be a consideration. Back-flips rain like confetti in the current climate; surely Cricket Australia must consider his participation.

I hear Coach Shipperd is in the nets as we speak; plenty of PUNCH, CRUNCH, SQUASH.

WHITE MAKES HIS CASE: BEAR ME IN MIND - October 2013

From Bairnsdale to Dandenong, the Bushrangers to Australia, Richmond to Somerset and Northamptonshire. Throw in the Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and you have a yellow brick road well trod by one of cricket’s great journeymen, Cameron White.

Enigmatic and often misunderstood, White was discovered at an early age then lost his way as an international player.

He will still trundle the modern-day cricketers’ highway, however the immediate questions about his career are: where to next, and what to do now?

White has started off this season faster than one of ‘Punter’ Ponting’s greyhounds on a cold winter’s night in Hobart. Consecutive match-winning batting performances in the Ryobi Cup has “The Bear” doing what he does best, winning games of cricket for his team.

But “Where to next” is the intriguing question that I hope is occupying much of his thinking.

My suggestion is the 2014/15 World Cup, where his combative white-ball skills, coupled with street-wise experience and genuine leadership acumen, would combine to deliver a credible middle order batting option for the national selectors.

It would seem, when looking at those players picked for the current ODI and T20 tour of India, that a determining factor in their selection was IPL experience. On perusal of White’s CV, he has this in spades; he will be hoping now that the Australian selectors widen their sometimes narrow thinking on player re-cycling.

White’s cricket assets are the same as they’ve always been: destructive middle order batter, better-than-useful over the top leg spinner and acutely intelligent thinker. But he is missing one piece of the jigsaw: the captain’s armband.

Cricket Victoria, no doubt encouraged by big brother, Cricket Australia, decided to relieve White of the captaincy after a decade in charge and hand the leadership this season to the embattled back stop – Matthew Wade. This at a time when the Bushrangers have never looked stronger.

On reflection, I do not see this as a misguided decision. On the contrary, it could prove a necessary shot in the arm for White, and a chance for Wade to demonstrate his acknowledged leadership qualities.

Anointed before his time by that cricket cleric, David Hookes, White was elevated to the Victorian captaincy when most were still waiting for him to fulfil his obvious potential. Even with the reassuring benefit of hindsight, such a profound and courageous choice could not have reaped more rewards for Victoria.

The promise was never in question. I watched on as a team-mate for Dandenong when the “young big man” spun a web around South Melbourne in a grade game at Shepley Oval.

From memory, his figures were six-for not many in the first innings, including a hat-trick, and in the nicest possible way he reduced the usually accomplished Wayne “Rowdy” Phillips to a state of silent panic – dismissing him twice for nought with wrong-un’s that a dead fish would not have picked.

Reflecting on Hookes’ profound leadership decision draws me to make a comparison with a one-time colleague of mine, Mike Atherton.

In many ways, ‘Athers’ was quite the opposite to White – their backgrounds could not have been more different – yet  their minds, and the way they thought about the game, were so similar.

Both were “cricket wise” beyond their years, however both were saddled with a level of responsibility that could be argued as being unrealistic at such a tender age.

It would be hard for me to quantify this burden in White’s case, but certainly for Atherton, leadership came at a cost. Personally and professionally, he became a guarded individual. The public perception of him changed.

White, I feel, has chosen a similar path, preferring the “my way” to the “this way”. It would not be unreasonable to draw comparisons to Atherton’s personality. Professionally both have prospered; sometimes, though, leadership responsibilities have weighed them down.

Undeniably strong in character, it is now time for White to join the troops and leave behind the baggage that comes with prolonged leadership challenges.

National selection has come before in all formats, although White’s holistic international record looks modest, I see enough upside to invest ballot paper in his ODI chances and a domestic trip to the 2104/15 World Cup.

If he gets even a hint of encouragement from the selectors, that should provide White the fuel he needs to launch into a domestic season like never before.

The once trendy role of the “finisher”, best practised by Michael Bevan a decade ago, is the spot White should be eyeing. Why not the role of the finisher/closer – the “Ice Man” cometh again in the guise of “The Bear”?

It’s time for White to employ a simple focus, swap trophy-gathering for run-gathering, play to his strengths – hitting long and straight – get runs on the board in all formats and vault his way into the most important tournament in world cricket.

https://speakingnick.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/white-makes-his-case-bear-me-in-mind/

Happy Thursday

The home and away season lasted 57 days - where did that time go - with the Perth Scorchers finishing a dominant minor premier.  They currently await  the winner of tonight's Strikers and Sixers clash. It should be a cracker!

BBL Insider team in batting order…

1. Ben McDermott - 571 runs @51.9 | SR of 153.9, is an impressive return - three fifties and two hundreds, with a season high of 127 will support his legitimate claims to a place in the Australian T20 side.

2. Glenn Maxwell - Maxi is the ultimate X-factor, capable of anything on his day; with bat, ball, or in the field. We have him bowling over #1 in the bowling power-play. He is arguably the best ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ fielder in world T20 cricket.

3. Mitch Marsh - Marsh totalled 314 runs at 78.50 | SR of 148.81, and a top score of 100* - this sees him in career-best form.  He is equally destructive against spin and pace.  When fit, his bowling would see some action in the middle overs.

4. Colin Munro - a left hander that compliments the power of the three RH’s above him. Munro was the Scorchers leading scorer with 337 at an average of 47.10 with two fifties and a century - and a HS of 114*.

5. Moises Henriques (Captain) - astute leadership comes easily to Henriques; he always seems to be two overs ahead of the game, this will be on view tonight. No. 5 is arguably the hardest spot in the order to bat. 403 runs, at 44.77, and a SR of 145.48, including two fifties and a top score of 73no

6. Sam Billings (WK) - the Englishman was excellent for the Thunder. Combining his on-field presence, with measured power hitting from the middle order, he fits perfectly into the six spot, and second pair of eyes for Henriques.

7. Ashton Agar - the most underrated spinner in the BBL.  Bowling through the middle, and the power surge, he has maintained a season economy rate under 7.00 - also taking 15 wickets.  An effective low-to-middle order batter, and safe field.

8. Daniel Sams - Sams would float in the batting order with Agar. An emerging three-dimensional player; explosive power with the bat, versatile with the ball, and an athletic outside fielder. He is the player for any situation.

9. Sean Abbott - the numbers do not tell the whole story - Wickets 16 | Econ. 8.48 | BB 4-31 | 75 runs | HS 37no - there is plenty of upside in Abbott’s game; he is an impact player, and can play his role easily on this team.

10. Rashid Khan - it is hard to dispute claims of Khan being the best/most difficult bowler in T20 cricket. Quick, into the stumps, leg-spin, with multiple variations, and an attitude to match - he is incredibly difficult to keep out of the game. 20 wickets, at 13.95 | Econ 6.34 and a best of 6-17 - he compliments Agar perfectly.

11. Peter Siddle - never keep a good man down. Legit claims to captain the side after doing a terrific job for the Strikers. Leading wicket taker with 23 wickets at 18 - always bowling the difficult overs. We have him bowling over #4, one in the power surge, and over #19 - water off a ducks back!

Power-play bowling overs

1. Maxwell

2. Abbott

3. Sams

4. Siddle

Power surge overs

11. Agar

12. Siddle

Back end overs

19. Siddle

20. Abbott

There you go … the BBL Insider team of the tournament, with a few extras, no vanilla please …

We look forward to your teams, or comments below. Thanks gain for being here

We wanted to delve a little deeper. Not just the normal vanilla team of the tournament, albeit a little later than other published teams. I hope this gets you thinking. We will … or, I propose …

• Just pick eleven, no X players

• Selection based on the regular season (not finals) form

• Pick in batting order, name captain and WK

• Allocate the bowling power-play overs (1-4)

• Name the two surge over bowlers

• Pick bowlers for over 19 & 20

I will take a run at this - with some brief commentary on selections, and numbers/stats. I can leave some links below to useful stats sites for you.

What you can do: is either; pick your team and the other categories above and post in the comments. NOTE - I will post my team later - PLEASE attach your team to that post - in the comments - this is at the bottom of the post. Or just keep it under lock and key!

Or, you can keep your selections with you and compare later.

Also, we have a team from a BBL11 coach, his side plays tonight, and a team from a player who could make claims to ‘Rookie of the Tournament’

Exciting stuff, no plain vanilla here!

We will disclose the Coach and Player later … see how your team stacks up against their selections.

Stats links here:

sportskeeda

bigbashboard

cricinfo

Thanks again for being here, and I will be back later with my team!

Think of the Adelaide Strikers? A commercial performance label? - or - a cognitive shift in their individual, and team thinking? I believe momentum to be a subjective experience; discard the examinations of perception; allow it to be, and roll with the hot hand.

The Strikers are fortunate to have three sets of hot hands at the wheel.

Peter Siddle has been irrepressible as captain. 27 wickets for the season sees him looking down on the rest. He bowls hard overs without flinching; his smiles outweigh the grimaces, these likely the result of a broken thumb. He does it all. A Latrobe valley ripper.

Jason Gillespie exhibits the patience of a saint. He held his nerve in the early going, and this when his side was struggling, patience and persistence have played out for him, and his assistant, Cam White, well, he possesses one of the sharpest minds in the game. The Strikers are very well served in this space.

I believe momentum to be a subjective experience; discard the examinations of perception; allow it to be, and roll with the hot hand.

Friday night saw the Strikers eliminate the Hobart Hurricanes. The Hurricanes came off a record loss to the Melbourne Stars, two nights earlier. Seemingly some key Hurricanes players had a calendar malfunction! - this was strongly denied by Matthew Wade, their captain.

The Strikers win streak extended to five, posting 6-188 from their 20 overs. This ultimately proved too much for the Hurricanes, who fell 22 runs short.
Matt Short and Alex Carey were outstanding at the top of the order. A 145-run partnership set up the batting innings; Short finished with 89 from (48) - and Carey 67 from (45) - in its last two bowling innings; the Hurricanes aggregated 461 runs at an RPO (Runs per over) of 11.5. Check your calendar, boys.

Sunday saw the Strikers turn their attention to the Sydney Thunder, arguably the most talented of all BBL lists; that is, talent relative to age.  Momentum, subjectively or objectively, was with the Strikers.  The snowball was halfway down the mountainside.

In sport, momentum can be viewed as an irrational phenomenon

A thrilling finish saw the Strikers hold their nerve, riding their momentum; they booked a place in the ‘Challenger final’ against the Sydney Sixers, that's an old-fashioned semi-final - BTW.  

The Thunder, chasing 6-184, finished agonisingly short, needing 14 from the last over, bowled by Harry Conway; they managed just eight, totalling 6-178.  The last over was not without incident. Henry Thornton narrowly avoided a chaotic collision with Alex Carey, still managing to pocket the catch.  The next ball saw Ian Cockbain easily accept an outfield catch, then an improbable hat-trick was spilled by Jono Wells as he rushed in to take a difficult, low outside catch.  Conway might have been miffed; however, the last over win will ease any pain he might have had.

For the Thunder, it all means another anguishing end to their campaign. They fell at the same hurdle last year, a bitter pill to swallow - two years in a row.

Saturday night saw the ‘qualifier final’ at Marvel Stadium, with the Perth Scorchers hosting the Sydney Sixers!  Yes, that is correct, a team from Perth hosting a Sydney team in Melbourne!

Josh Inglis headlined for all the right reasons. Although, I do agree with his sentiments on how the West is being run.

Inglis has been short of runs all season, interrupted in part by his inclusion in the Ashes squad; still, he has been relatively unproductive in what has been a clinical campaign by the Scorchers, in particular, their batting.

He might roll out his legendary batting trifecta; punch, crunch, squash - boys.

Inglis no longer goes under the radar. He will feature more prominently than he has on opposition whiteboards. Analytical wizards can catch up with young talent more easily than they have previously, taking away their preferred hitting areas, choosing instead to match more difficult balls with corresponding fields.  A reset is needed. Saturday night highlighted that.

Inglis top scored with 79 from (49) - nine 4s and one maximum, giving him a 53% boundary percentage.  Kurtis Patterson, his opening partner, contributed 64 from (41) - taking his season tally to 390 (SR - 143) - The Scorchers reached 3-189 (20) - which proved too much for the Sixers, despite some impressive late-order striking from Ben Dwarshuis 66 from (29) - the Sixers, all out 140 - and back to the Greg Shipperd whiteboard.  He might roll out his legendary batting trifecta; punch, crunch, squash - boys.

For the calendar:

Weds 26 Jan - Strikers v Sixers

Friday 28 Jan - Scorchers v TBC

Thanks again for being here.

The Adelaide Strikers firm from rank outsider to a contender. An uncharitable Cricket Australia rule against Steve Smith, and his Sydney Sixers. And, the Sydney Thunder fall short in the pick of the weekends' games. More on this later …

Time to focus attention on the Perth Scorchers

A win this Friday will give them four titles in 11 Big bash seasons’. Extraordinary consistency. Unfortunately for them, inconsistencies in their home state's border rules will result in them playing a home, away, final at Marvel Stadium.

A forceful tweet from Inglis was returned by McGowan with a pleasant email (Twitter)

Their Australian returning WK/Batsman, Josh Inglis, made his own views abundantly clear. Those views are, no doubt, his own, however, I am sure there is a similar sentiment in the Scorchers revolving locker room. Worth noting; Inglis was born in Leeds, England, a no-nonsense hood, with impeccable fish and chip shops. The two are not related.

Here is the tweet from Inglis, he doesn’t name McGowan, pretty obvious though?

Breaking News …

Yes, breaking news, unbelievably an errant email from Mr. Mark McGowans’ office has LANDED in the SpeakingNick inbox. I feel compelled to share this with you all. Here goes, share beyond this as you see fit.

Dear Scorchers,

Wherever you may be … 

I am told you have played your way into another Big Bash final. Congratulations. Alas, this might be the last time you represent my state – more on this later. Sorry to be so alarmist! 

I need to be open and honest. My reasoning is based on medical advice; I am told I am incredibly popular to the point of adoration amongst the good folk of Western Australia. I bat well above my average in the appearance polls, and my oratory skills are eloquent and measured, especially when the content is outsourced. 

My leadership is being courted by the top brass in the Labor party. I expect to be the next-but-one PM, of either Australia, or the Republic of West Australia.   

BTW, oh yes, I have started using popular acronyms, who is your captain again? (I could share some strategies, brief him on the value of bluffing, being contradictory, difficult to read - I’m sure these are all important attributes in your FIELD - let me know). 

Back to me. I really can do no wrong. Some say the polls obsess me. This is nonsense. If running popularity polls weekly is an obsession - well I would have to disagree. It is just validation of my acclaim and wisdom. I believe I am a true ALL-ROUNDER. 

Talking of all-rounders - I like the look of Cameron Green.  A West Australian; I think he plays for the Australian team? Maybe not the Scorchers - still - it’s his surname that ignites me. The Greens align perfectly with my centre-left preferences, or further left depending on the situation. Bravo … Cameron Green - Credere, obbedire, combattere. 

Now to Mr. Josh Inglis – I did read your disparaging comments on Twitter. I do like reading about myself on Twitter – thank-you. 

• I have had two years to sort this out, AGREED, but just a little longer please. In fact, just as soon as Labor wins the Federal election. 

• AGREED on how good I am - two years and beyond  

• We do have a lot of money, AGREED 

• I will pass on comment #4 

• You did do what I asked of you, AGREED 

• Pass on #6 and #7 also 

I thought there was a ‘clown’ reference - that might have been Mr. Joe Burns. Does he play for the Green team? I like the Greens. 

Anyway, I prefer being the ‘juggler’ - there are so many balls up in the air. Too many. Josh, you only have to worry about one, and I believe you are not always successful in keeping that off the ground!  My humour never waivers from a tight OFF STUMP line. Haha 

So, I will take your comments in the manner they were meant. It’s all water off a freshly starched slim cut, white business shirt to me. I co-exist with myself comfortably - mirror, mirror on the wall, you shall not lie at all. 

Lastly, getting back to my first sentence. It might be best if we ship you all off to Darwin - how does the Darwin Crocs sound? If you decide on some English players, Mr Joyce at Qantas, will be happy to plonk them on a direct flight from London. I am always thinking of others. 

BTW - did the English cricket team play here this summer? Or was that a parody like this!? 

Yours un-sincerely,

The Honourable Mark McGowan MLA 

Leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia 

Incumbent 

Assumed office 23 January 2012 

I am going to leave the weekends games summary for another post. Tomorrow.

Thanks again for being here, and hoping you enjoyed a little Monday banter!

A few words were penned this week on Ian Cockbain, son of Ian Cockbain, Liverpool-born, Gloucestershire-raised (cricket sense) - and extremely well-travelled. But now, it’s time for some humble acknowledgement. Well played indeed by that man.

The Adelaide Strikers did a number on the Sydney Sixers on Monday, extending their winning sequence to four and securing a top-five finish and BBL finals cricket. 

Cockbain, coming in at No. 3 with the score 1-45, dominated the next two partnerships to finish with an imperious 71 from 42 balls, a strike-rate pushing 170 and including five perfectly orthodox 4s and four cleanly struck maximums to push his side past the Sydney Sixers with ease. The resounding win came with 15 balls to spare. 

It’s been a meteoric rise for Cockbain; from local cricket in Melbourne (Langwarrin CC) to BBL star status, and now being reported a high profile overseas T20 contract. A remarkable chain of events. 

Cameron White, Strikers assistant coach, said of Cockbain: “Good on him, from Langy (Langwarrin CC) to the BBL! I wasn’t sure how it came about – happy to have him though” 

How did it come about?

It seems Dan ‘Frank’ Worrall is responsible for the inspired recruiting move - in part - Gloucestershire CC being the common link, where Worrall played previously, and Cockbain still does. Worrall suggested Cockbain as a viable option when Rashid Khan departed. I thought it might have something to do with his darts prowess – Frank Worrall is always on the look out for suitable darts partners and is a fair chucker himself.

He, Cockbain, can now add the Karachi Kings (PSL) to his ‘played for’ list . A nice pick up for the 34-year-old – Bootle-born - Gloucester man. Who can play - indeed. ‘Coey’ Senior will be well chuffed!

Read more on the Karachi Kings snapping up Ian Cockbain

Temps soar in West Australia, as do the Scorchers.

The Perth Scorchers finished their home-and-away campaign with an emphatic win over the Brisbane Heat. The wooden spoon beckons for the Heat. 

‘Home and away’ season should be exactly that. But no … home games have regrettably eluded the Scorchers! 

Mark McGowan, the West Australian Premier, essentially exiled BBL’s most successful franchise to the vanquished east. His states iron curtain remains ludicrously drawn, even for his own folk.

On further inspection you could assume McGowan would have multiple mirrors at home – he seems to co-exist with himself comfortably in his ‘one-person world’. How his long-term legacy will play out is up for conjecture, and when the curtain is raised, well, who knows!

Anyway, mischievously, I would like to introduce him to Brett Lee. 

Proposing a reincarnation of the 2013 Piers Morgan and Brett Lee nets duel?  

You could almost be mistaken that Mr McGowan was in the background! Where did Mark Nicholas go … ?

Sub out Morgan for Mr McGowan, roll out a Hobart green top, let Binger know how quick Mark Wood bowls, and ‘it's on like Donkey Kong’.  

Morgan was lucky to survive, Chairman McGowan might not make it back to his smoke and mirrors! 

Returning to Monday night's game between the Scorchers and the Heat. 

Having already sealed top spot, the Scorchers garnered considerable pre-finals momentum on the back of another blistering Mitch Marsh innings. Easily accounting for the Brisbane Heat, who batting first, posting a competitive total - 157 looked par or better - on a surface that might well slow up. Alas, they ran into a Bison head on.   

Marsh muscled his way to 59 from 34 balls. Six 4s and three maximums saw his strike rate (SR) climb to a withering 173. 

Circumspect early against the returning Mitch Swepson, he started his charge with an upper deck leg-side bomb from Matthew Kuhnemann - if true value was attached to the hit, I estimate a 10. Then some crushing blows in the ‘power surge’ saw his attention switch from spin to seam. Mark Steketee and James Bazley being put to the sword. Marsh looks in menacing touch. 

The Scorchers now sit 10 points clear at the top of the BBL11 table, assuming a position of lofty ascendency over their opposition.   

They look to have all three skill-sets working cohesively, with individuals running into form when needed. Couple this with clear, collective, on-field leadership and sound planning in the coaches box, and you have a robust, and resilient team. 

Curent BBL Ladder

Ashes heroes return to the BBL … finally pulling stumps on Hobart!

Usman Khawaja should captain the Sydney Thunder today in their last regular season game against Melbourne Renegades. A win could vault them into second place, and a double chance, afforded to first and second placed teams.

Nathan Lyon and Marnus Labuschagne will face off in the Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat clash. The Sixers will be hoping Lyon has recovered enough to secure second spot for his team. Labuschagne, will just be Marnus, I suppose!

Scott Boland will continue his personal hurricane with Hobart, eerily staring down his old team-mates - the Melbourne Stars - who will be free to enjoy their own revelries tonight. He might be able to point them in the right direction.

Jhye Richardson is set to bolster the Scorchers in their qualifier final Saturday night; their opposition will either be the Sydney Sixers, or Thunder, at Marvel Stadium - come on Mr McGowan - face up!

And, Alex Carey and Travis Head, will try to find a spot in the Strikers team Friday night. Both enjoying two extra days of recovery. Look out for a dusty Lion this afternoon!

Thanks once again for taking the time to be here. Happy hump day

Nick

Certainties to play finals remain; the Scorchers, Sixers, and Thunder.

The three-for-two wannabes league will see; the Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars all dueling to make fourth and fifth spots on the overall ladder.

The departed, or deported; Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades will each try to avoid the wooden spoon. This is harder to pick than the proverbial.

So, to the wannabes melting pot, with all three teams trying to exit and get to the nirvana of Finals action. Making for interesting viewing.

First attempt falls to the Adelaide Strikers. They come off a brace of impressive early morning wins on their home deck; can they back up with a win over the eerily dependable Sydney Strikers, again in Adelaide, this time at a more sociable hour. Coopers and cornflakes swapped for Coopers and Coopers!

Jono Wells and Matt Short will be looking to continue their good form with the bat. Also, I will be interested to see how Ian Cockbain plays tonight. Cockbain, the son of a former Lancashire team-mate, Ian Cockbain, yes, that is correct, hails from Liverpool, not the most fertile cricketing terrain in the county of Lancashire. Nonetheless, he has made an encouraging start.

Captain Siddle and Henry Thornton will be leaned on with the ball for the Strikers. Ohh Rashid, we miss you so …

On the other side of the fence, the Strikers are well covered in all areas.

Note: a return to batting form for Josh Philippe in their crushing derby win over the Sydney Thunder, this could spell danger. Sean Abbott and Moises Henriques will no doubt have their hands on the game at some stage also. Coach Greg Shipperd entrusts them both, with equal measure.

The rest of the wannabes; the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, will play out their own fate in the next couple of days. More on this tomorrow.

As for the departed, or deported - sadly, the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades will be in review and revise mode. For me - the Heat have disappointed more than the Renegades - it is splitting hairs though!

As the regular season winds down and the finals series is just around the corner, excitement is bound to build, and we should be in for three nights of mouth-watering BBL action.

As we speak; the Sixers have made solid progress, being 0/53 after six overs. Philippe set to launch on 22 from 18 balls. ‘NickViz’ has the Sixers at 65% win percentage - possibly ending the Strikers season.

Mr Cockbain, from Sneezer town, might have something to say later.

Thanks for reading, will see you on the morrow?

Nick

Today seems perfectly aligned with the upside-down nature of this current world we reside in - BBL cricket in the morning, followed by pink ball test cricket in the afternoon and evening.  Last evening saw hot Milo and test cricket as an awkward combination!  Conversely, this morning might see the ‘twenty-something's’ in Adelaide introducing their cornflakes to a Coopers ale.

The Adelaide strikers host a resurgent Melbourne Stars today in game 39 - both sides need the W to keep their finals aspirations alive.  As we stand;  ‘NickViz’ has the Stars ahead by a couple of goals, so to speak!  Back later to see if  artificial intelligence is working.

Quickly to Hobart …

Hats off to Travis Head, backing up his Gabba century with an equally valuable hundred last night, this on the greenest of all pitches.

Walking past Steve Smith, with the score at 3/12, you might feel some trepidation. 112 balls later, he raises his bat, kisses the badge, and has his team in a position of ascendency. Well played indeed T Head.

I hope to be back tapping the keyboard with more conviction tomorrow, and the days following. Enjoy your ‘upside-down’ day

Nick

Babe Ruth, the Boston Red Sox’s star player, was sold to the New York Yankees, their fiercest rival, at the end of the 1919 season. It wasn’t until 2004 that the mythical, or not, curse was exorcised. A World Series win returns the Red Sox back to Boston!

Fast forward to Melbourne 2011 - and the Big Bash League was born, with the original state-based competition expanding from six to eight teams - readily assuming the US-centric franchise model.

Melbourne was granted two licences, and the marketers were put to work; they emerged with a red team, the Renegades, and a green team, the Stars. There the curse of the Melbourne Stars was born!

In a world of reinvention, they, the Stars, might choose a less obnoxious name, maybe preferring a slightly more sympathetic descriptive, subtly outlining their superiority over the aptly named Renegades. Underdogs are widely accepted in Australian sport; tall poppies are ripe for harvesting.

This league, the BBL, might not be around in 86 years, and who knows how the world will look in 2088. Surely, though in an eight-team competition, a title will come the way of the Stars. What might make things interesting would be a sale of their marquee player, Glenn Maxwell, to the team in red! 

Harry Frazee, the 1919 Red Sox owner, will always be remembered as the guy who sold Ruth. “Bambino’’ was one of his many nicknames, and we would assume there is a marketer somewhere, tapping away on a keyboard, rueing his idea of branding the green team as  the Melbourne Stars. Attaching Eddie McGuire to this rhetoric would be creative and mischievous. Why not? He ‘might’ welcome the notoriety!

I fear BBL11 will elude the Stars, and they will have to wait another year, or 86.

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Tasmania, the hidden gem that is no more, has long since tolerated the role of the underdog.  Set adrift from mainland Australia, the sporting folk of the apple isle have continually revelled in their under-privileged position.

Tasmanians still await an AFL team, the Australian Football League, the league that represents Australian rules football across the continent.  Hard to follow.

Cricket is allowed, thankfully, and where would Australia cricket be without the contribution of Ricky Ponting, and before him David Boon, among many others.

The Hobart Hurricanes are still to win a BBL title, playing the role of bridesmaid in 2013 and 2017.

BBL11 sees them well resourced. 

Captain Matthew Wade, a quintessential Tasmanian, leads only from the front, bringing bags of experience and, recently, the value of a world T20 win.  His own form is patchy as we speak; I expect this to change. As is the case in this format, he is 10 or so balls away from firing again.

Ben McDermott (featured earlier) and the rest of the batting looks solid.  Finding the right partnership combinations is a fluid process;  they seem agile in their thinking, so a more productive and reliable top order is not far away.  Tim David is a ball-striker to watch, finding the optimum number  of balls for him to face will be crucial in their push to finals.

I believe the real strength, though, lies in their bowling and fielding.  They have pace and swing up front, combative quicks through the middle, excellent spin options, and nailed-on close out bowlers.  Couple this with Wade’s keeping and captaincy, acceptable inside fielding, and reliable outside catching and throwing.  A pretty decent package.

Of course, the tipsters’ curse hovers; they have lost their past two games, and now need a bounce back win against a depleted Brisbane Heat on Saturday.  This should be well within their grasp.

I would hazard a wager that the Hurricanes will win a title before the Stars!

Dan Shaughnessy wrote ‘The Curse of the Bambino’ - a great read

Back-to-back hundreds have catapulted Ben McDermott to top spot on the run-scoring ladder. (353 runs from 6 hits, @70.6 with a strike-rate (SR) 168 – amazing numbers) 

Reward is the symbolic ‘golden cap’ - first introduced in BBL09; it has been awarded to the competition’s highest run scorer at any given stage of the season. McDermott might want to ‘return to sender’ - the new couple managed a three-ball duck on debut.  It was unreasonable to ponder a trifecta of hundreds. More damningly, the Hurricanes suffered a costly home loss to the diminishing Brisbane Heat.

BBL10 saw McDermott unanimously named by the league’s coaches in the ‘team of the season’. Scoring over 400 runs with a (SR) north of 140, and fourth spot on the six-hitting ladder, it was an excellent return from the compact Queenslander. International T20 selection followed in the winter and it’s hard to not see an upturn in his numbers at this level here, set to improve with more opportunity at the top of the order. 

His stroke-play is clean and powerful. A bat swing that moves along the X and Y axis (horizontal and vertical) with similar effort. When he needs power, it comes from a hybrid swing (45deg), and when he needs extra yardage, he employs an effortless shift in bat speed. The combination is devastating. Marry that to an unerring propensity to find the sweet spot, and you have a pretty efficient product. There are not many places bowlers can ‘hide’ the ball when he is going. 

Boringly orthodox in his movements and set up - no doubt you are aware of the incessant commentary surrounding this, and the inability of the English batsmen to follow the orthodox line - McDermott presents a fluid, agile, and intimidating silhouette at the crease. 

His stroke-play is clean and powerful. A bat swing that moves along the X and Y axis (horizontal and vertical) with similar effort.

Andrew Symonds has his back (he is also a Queenslander), describing McDermott’s hundred against the Renegades as the best he has seen in BBL history – lofty praise from an equally talented ball-striker. 

Keep an eye on the ‘best batter’ in the McDermott family. Jimmy Ormond, never shall we forget a great comeback sledge! 

Frequently a coach has to balance the brilliance of an ‘impact player’, with the inconsistencies that brilliance can present. 

Short form cricket, T20 in this case, will allow more scope for impact play to be sheltered, allowing the player to ‘play his way’ - the coach knowing he will affect games dramatically when he delivers. The evolution of Sean Abbott is a combination of many parts. There is no doubt, though, Greg Shipperd, his coach at the Sixers, has played a significant part in this Darwinian evolution. 

Shipperd is a master, literally, at one-to-one player development, or nurturing, my preference. His track record as a ‘team coach’ is equally peerless. 

Sean Abbott is a beauty - guess I am presenting nothing you don’t know; he is though.

His Darwinian path started in 2010 as an 18 year old.

Fast forward 10 years and it would not be presumptuous to assume Abbott is engaging heavily in team discussions, strategy and the like. Both bat and ball. Shipperd would encourage this, want this, covertly shifting his internal focus to a holistic team view.

Sean Abbott has had plenty to deal with in his 10-year career. You do not need a title to lead, just a want, and will, and space to do that, his coach will make that happen; he himself is now flourishing in that space. 

Abbott sits on top of the BBL all-time wickets list with 118 poles, and in BBL11 he’s fourth, with 12 wickets. 

Bowling in different poses, he is now showing off his full skill set. There is pace to blow past the top order; defensive into the wicket variation, through the middle overs, and, now, a confidence to bowl at the back end.

You can visibly see the control he is commanding on length, the direction radar is matched up like a successful internet date, and then the execution percentage is climbing rapidly.

I asked Coach Shipperd how he weighed his bowling and batting ratio.

‘He could get to 55:45 with more opportunity’  ‘

“Today he plays a very important role at the back end of the batting innings”

This might change in time, but he will be ready, Shipperd will make sure of that. 

A three-peat awaits them both. 

Captaincy can be onerous. Balancing individual performance with team dynamics, and then the inevitable win/loss scrutiny that sides, and captains come under, wrapped together, it presents a taxing equation. Joe Root, and his English team, exhibit all of the above.

With this being said, T20 cricket might be the one format where there is less in-game captaincy responsibility, primarily due to the length of the bowling/batting innings, and the higher volume of coaching contribution, and analytics coming from the burgeoning stats sector. 

The Sydney Thunder have made an astute decision in giving the acting captaincy responsibilities to Chris Green.

Green, born in South Africa, and raised in Australia, debuted for the Thunder in 2015. The following season, BBL05, saw him contribute strongly, helping the franchise to their first Big Bash title.

Playing for the Thunder since, he’s gathered valuable T20 experience, allowing him to ply his trade across many of the world’s competitions; the Twenty20 cup in England, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League (PSL), and brief stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL)

His right, and left hand man, Thunder Coach Trevor Bayliss looks like the perfect foil for a ‘an acting captain’ - Bayliss has forgotten more about the game than most know; his resume is long and storied, at the heart of his beliefs is a penchant for the canonical; he is an orthodox thinker.

Add in a level of flamboyance from Green, and you have a robust, workable recipe.

The Thunder's list is young. Green is the perfect conduit between them and the wizened Coach. Any young coach would benefit from some wire tapping that included Bayliss, and Greg Shipperd. Eavesdropping might be a wiser option.

Green, 28 years young, looks well placed in his own playing career, and his teams development cycle, to land title No.2, in the near future, if he was to continue as captain.

I would urge him to maintain his own high playing standards, allocate the right amount of time to leadership, and delegate a good portion of the strategic thinking to his right hand man - Trevor Bayliss.

Look out for Thunder Nation.

So, that is the first half of this week’s 3:2:1.

The second half will be delivered tomorrow, featuring; the Melbourne Stars, Hobart Hurricanes, and some insight gossip on the Stars - Joe Clarke, do not miss this.

Cheers, Nick

Certainties to play finals are the Scorchers, Sixers and the Thunder; they sit in the top third and are likely to stay there. 

In what order is a question for later -  too many variables are present.

I have the Sixers and Scorchers on the top line, with the Thunder just below. Thunder nation will be hoping for Englishman Alex Hales to get back to his BBL10 form.

The middle is a melting pot that has the Hurricanes, Stars and the Heat all bubbling away, each intermittently popping up for air. Two teams rely heavily on their main players, the other looks better balanced across all skill-sets.

Lastly, the Strikers and Renegades seem to be in development mode - or in the Strikers’ case, toward the end of their competitive cycle. 

The Renegades could yet spring a surprise. Last night's win certainly helped their chances, and the return of Sean Marsh will be a much-needed boost.

Looking a little deeper, a sharp-eyed tipster is likely to have the Hurricanes climbing out of the melting pot to finish top four.  I would agree, although some attention needs to be given to their batting order, in particular, where best to play D’Arcy Short -  he might find himself facing a few less balls in the middle-order, a necessary change to ready him for finals action. Short remains a three-pronged talent.  Avoid sitting him on the pine.

At every turn it looks like a back-and-forth scrap for fifth spot. 

The elimination game resembles a graveyard shift, extremely challenging to back up and make a charge to the final. 

The Stars are currently challenged with Covid exposure and its protocols, while the Heat will continue to battle their own self-contradiction.  Both franchises are heavily dependent on their marquee players; Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn are equally unpredictable, both adept at changing any given game in the space of overs, and then, equally capable of bursting their team’s confidence balloon with one false shot. Such is the fickle nature of T20 cricket.

Both franchises are heavily dependent on their marquee players; Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn

Amid all the uncertainty of the fixture integrity, and possible rescheduling, Cricket Australia, the custodians of the league, continue to debate how best to keep the competition moving forward. 

Their modus operandi is to play through to a finish where possible (presumably this is commercially driven?).

As mentioned earlier, kudos to the Stars who moved quickly, countering their exposure to positive tests by topping up their list with several Premier Cricket players. Speculation on if, and when, other teams are affected by the current situation is best left as conjecture for the time being.

*Breaking news

The Scorchers replace the Heat in tonights BBL game.

It appears the Perth Scorchers — who are already on the Gold Coast — will instead face the Sydney Sixers at Metricon Stadium. It is reported that the Brisbane Heat have multiple positive rapid tests in their squad, the Scorchers were due to play the Thunder at Metricon tomorrow night, this looks like being pushed back to Thursday.

This looks like it will strengthen the talk around moving all remaining games to Victoria.

Breaking, breaking news!

Cricket Australia have now confirmed updated fixtures.

January 4, 6.15pm (AEDT): Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers (previously scheduled for January 6) - Metricon Stadium

January 5, 8.15pm (AEDT): Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers (previously scheduled for January 4) - Metricon Stadium

January 6, 8.15pm (AEDT): Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder (originally scheduled for January 5) - Metricon Stadium

The weekly 3:2:1 is now going to be delivered on a Wednesday. Look out for that tomorrow January 5th; featuring Ben McDermott, Sean Abbott and Chris Green.

Cheers,

Nick

I just wanted to let you know how we will be delivering your content here at SpeakingNick, specifically, the BBL Insider.

The BBL Insider will deliver a weekly post featuring; three players/coaches, two franchises, and one ‘inside scoop’ The 3:2:1

In addition, opinion columns will be delivered on an ad hoc basis; these will be BBL/T20 focused. I will attempt to refrain from yet another evisceration of the England team, and its Ashes misery. Will be difficult!

The 3:2:1 summary, and a sneak peek at this week's edition

• Three players/coaches to be profiled and scrutinised

• Two teams will be examined, inside-out

• One ‘inside scoop’ that you may not have read anywhere else

Your 3:2:1 will be original, innovative, free of jargon, and I hope incisive.  The INSIDE look at BBL 11.

Here is a sneak peek at this week's  3:2:1

• Ben McDermott, Sean Abbott (both in action today), and Chris Green (Thunder Capt) will be our focus.  McDermott and Abbott, both in sublime form,  and Green in his first season calling the shots for Thunder Nation.  Plenty on offer there …

• The Stars of Melbourne, and the Hobart Hurricanes will be under the franchise microscope. A perennial underachiever, and a team coming to the boil, quickly

• And then, the inside scoop will have to stay under wraps until Tuesday’s post

Enjoy today’s games. The Hurricanes and Sixers look too strong, Ben McDermott couldn’t, could he? Maybe, A Finch to fire with Captain Maddinson called up to the test squad.

Again, best wishes for a successful 2022

Nick … @njspeak

Ten years ago, almost to the very day/week, Australia’s Big Bash League was born – a response to the astonishing popularity of the radical short-form format in England, where sell-out crowds flocked to see this new spectacle.

If truth be told, Australia was slow to the T20 party. The BBL was unveiled in 2011 by Cricket Australia – eight years after England introduced the crash-bang-wallop format to the world, and four years after an experimental T20 game in Brisbane between Queensland and New South Wales drew an enormous crowd.

Then again, fast forward 10 years, and Australia are T20 world champions, their first crash-bang-wallop trophy.  You would imagine the intricacies of T20 cricket would be easily decoded by an abundantly resourceful cricket country.

It  has been a slow burn. Now, though, with a strategically sound base, they are set to flourish.

If truth be told, Australia was slow to the T20 party

Six of Australia’s team will be plying their trade in BBL Eleven, while, David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will be busy retaining the Ashes against a hapless England.

Australia overcame  punch-drunk New Zealand in the final; the game was over well before Glenn Maxwell hit the winning runs.  Australia, was simply too good.  New Zealand’s resilience and togetherness were swept aside with respectful disdain, Australia refusing to pander to their Trans-Tasman rival.

Aaron Finch, one of the six, and Australia’s winning captain, will ease his way into the tournament via the commentary box.  His analysis could be likened to that of Luke Hodge from the AFL (Australian Football League),  Colac-born being the common denominator.  Both are outstanding.

So here we are. Season No 11  is under way.  The BBL merry-go-round seldom stops turning once in motion; week four is upon us, and the ladder is starting to take shape.  There are familiar faces at the top, with a Sydney Sixers three-peat there for the taking.  If they need to look over their shoulder, it will be the Perth Scorchers in view; still unbeaten, although now forced to play all games away from the ‘Republic of Perth’ - we wonder if Mr McGowan has cricket-playing children!

Talking of children;  as we speak, school kids everywhere, are rummaging through drawers in search of their team's merchandise.  Parents are readying for late nights, and even later ‘no school’ breakfasts. The six state associations will essentially close their doors for two months, and the not insignificant Test team will navigate its way through a red ball Ashes home series, on auto-drive.

The physical audience is young.  In the main; confined to those embarking on their cricket journeys, also, the exuberant adolescents dreaming of what might be; then, often forgotten in this analysis, the twenty-somethings, who previously buried their bats in the backyard, and are now energised by the combination of a three-hour entertainment window, supplemented with appropriately cold refreshments.

Parents are readying for late nights, and even later ‘no school’ breakfasts.

This season’s format sees a total of 56 home and away games, tightly jammed into a 46-day window.  Matches are scheduled across seven states and  territories, with T20 action returning to Geelong and Coffs Harbour.  There is also a BBL debut for the Citipower Centre in Melbourne (Junction Oval). The ghosts of Bert Ironmonger are likely to have  their blinkers on.

The season highlights shine mainly on the bat, as can be the norm in this format.  Four hundreds' have been posted; Colin Munro, Ben McDermott, Mitch Marsh and the mercurial Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell’s century was unfortunately not enough to secure a Stars win, the Sixers chasing down the runs in fine style.  His first BBL hundred (103)  came from 57 balls, producing a strike rate of 180, with 12 fours and 3 sixes; he averaged a boundary every 3.8 balls, round down, or up, as you will.  Impressive stats; and then add in a sluggish start to his innings, a typically unpredictable MCG pitch, robust opposition and ground dimensions that are not always conducive to run-away scoring. It was a  wonderful innings.

The Stars proceeded to give up their half-time lead in record time, a familiar karma train arriving in the form of Josh Philippe as the Sixers mowed down the 178 required in a canter; the impish opener finishing on a rollicking 99 not out. This does not take anything away from the quality batsmanship shown by Maxwell. Two wonderful T20 innings.

Game 24 will be the main cricket offering of the day.  Earlier, England were dispatched by a rampant Australian side, headlined by local quick, Scott Boland, who returned the remarkable figures of 6 for 7 - both sides in a hurry to get back to a dressing room fridge!

So tonight - Canberra will host the Thunder and Scorchers, it would be hard to look past the Scorchers -  Mitch Marsh and co. will be hard to beat.  Manuka oval offers excellent batting conditions, and attractive boundary dimensions.  The ‘Bison’ will be looking to dine out.

After tonight we have four games to round out 2021.  A double header tomorrow, a Perth home game in Melbourne (Stars) thursday.  Then the Strikers and Thunder New Years Eve.

Many thanks for the read …

Play up, play up, and play the game!

Nick

The Big Bash League (BBL) - is Australia’s premier T20 professional cricket competition. Season Eleven is well underway, today will be game 24, with a double header tomorrow. No need to worry though, I will have plenty of quality content coming your way.

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