BBL Insider ... an opener, from SpeakingNick

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