Big Bash (BBL) 12 is here .. welcome
It’s hard to compute that the 12th iteration of Australia’s premier domestic T20 competition is upon us.
SpeakingNick is a reader-supported venture. Free and paid versions are available. The best way to support me is by taking out a paid subscription.
The recent ICC T20 World Cup took up most of October and November, then we experienced Test cricket in Australia, albeit against a sub-par West Indies team, throw in the football World Cup, and two absorbing Tests from Pakistan, where England have doubled their overall Test wins on Pakistan soil, and you have a hectic couple of months!
It’s true though. Big Bash 12 has arrived, starting tonight in Canberra, with the Sydney Thunder hosting the Melbourne Stars. The Alex Hales — Trent Boult match-up is back on!
The Thunder finished BBL 11 with nine wins, and five losses (9/5 record) — The Stars ending with an even seven win, seven loss split (7/7 record) — with the Thunder eventually bowing out in the knockout final, losing to the Adelaide Strikers in Melbourne.
And yes, SpeakingNick, will again be covering the competition, hopefully, from a few different angles, and perspectives.
News:
So, it is breaking news. The Big Bash League has finally come to the party, a decade on, and they are set to roll out DRS this summer. There is a caveat though; teams will be restricted to one review per innings, apparently to save time! Progress, all the same.
Logistically this is a huge undertaking for the competition.
Alistair Dobson, General Manager BBL Leagues, said, “The providers (DRS) have said that the BBL is probably one of the most complex competitions in the world given the number of games, states, and venues across multiple broadcasters.”
The league will hope to remove some, or all, of the umpiring bloopers that have littered the competition, previously.
Few were more publicised than the Usman Khawaja, AJ Tye “not out” — this at the same ground as tonight’s opener, Manuka Oval — 2020.
It will be interesting to see if the introduction of DRS alleviates some of the recent umpiring errors. Presumably the late Shane Warne will be supporting DRS — a sample quote from his past commentary, “Oh my goodness … what is going on with this umpiring?” I never heard the great man use, “Oh my goodness,” on the field!
That’s just a quick snippet of news for now. Actually, some hot mail just came in. The Melbourne Stars marketing department is spinning, it seems they are still looking for new signing Trent Boult, or specifically looking for a photo of him! We will see if he makes the starting XI tonight.
Enjoying the read? If you feel like it, I’d love if you’d share this post with your friends! Or, if you received it from a friend, please forward to another.
Rule changes:
Tournament organisers have also elected to shelve the “Bash boost” bonus point for the 10-over score reached by the team batting second, also in the bin is the “X-factor” sub rule after just two BBL seasons. Both omissions are welcomed in this commentary box.
But the “power surge” — allowing batting teams to nominate two overs with fielding restrictions will be retained. So, the initial powerplay remains at four overs. This might be a disruption for some of the international players, who are more accustomed to a six over powerplay. Will Alex Hales use the “power surge” overs early if he is at the crease?
Alongside the introduction of the DRS, teams will be on a countdown clock to ensure that the fielding side starts the final over of the innings inside 79 minutes. Or before 80 — whichever way you like to look at it!
Tournament organisers, while beating their chests, have said, "We retain a clear desire to innovate and drive our league forward, but are also willing to review decisions that have not realised the intended positive impact, such as the Bash boost point and the X-factor substitution."
How splendidly magnanimous of them.
Schedule:
BBL 12 will feature 56 home-and-away games, with each club playing each other twice. You can see the full schedule here. The good folk of Western Australia will be pleased to know their emperor, Mark McGowan, is allowing cricket to be played in his republic again. Of course, the Perth Scorchers, are the current champions. No thanks to Mr. McGowan.
Players to keep an eye on:
And, there was a BBL draft this year, the inaugural draft. Perhaps not as successful as first anticipated by the marketeers, nevertheless, there will be plenty of international and domestic stars on view throughout the season.
David Warner and Steve Smith showcase the domestic contingent. With; Cameron Green, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Travis Head, and Nathan ‘Goat’ Lyon all swapping whites for colours after the Test summer is completed.
T20 World Cup players Adam Zampa (Capt) and Marcus Stoinis will play the full season for the Stars, as will Matthew Wade for the Hurricanes — who look a dangerous team with T20 specialist Tim David back with the Canes. Ricky Ponting casts a long shadow over the Hobart Hurricanes. Watch this space.
Liam Livingstone is expected to play for the Melbourne Renegades, this dependent on his recovery from a knee injury. Martin Guptill, and Andre Russell look like adequate cover for the Renegades, who must be looking for a return to the top end of the table.
Rashid Khan will be the face of the Adelaide Strikers again. Other notables are Sam Billings (Brisbane Heat), Chris Jordan (Sydney Sixers), and Shadab Khan (Hobart Hurricanes).
Early controversy was provided by the Perth Scorchers, with Englishman, Laurie Evans having his contract terminated after he returned a positive anti-doping test.
So that’s it for now, it’s good to be back with you in this space, I’m looking forward to the next six weeks.
Please feel free to jump in the comments and start a conversation.
As always, thank you for being here.
