Ben McDermott, Sean Abbott and Chris Green - this week's - 3:2:1
So, to this weeks 3:2:1 - a debut of sorts - I expect, optimistically, you will enjoy this segment.
Ben McDermott, Sean Abbott and Chris Green will be the players' focus.
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