BBL05: Discussion and Fantasy [Not sure how the other thread disappeared]

[Nige]

Perth Scorchers

Bats:
Adam Voges - National duty means he's not gonna spend much, if any, time in orange. I don't need to tell you to pick him if he does play though.
Cameron Bancroft - He'll play for Australia soon enough, but for now he should be in this Scorchers side. It's hard to say where he'll bat given that pretty much their entire batting lineup is capable of opening and might be shuffled around depending on when the wickets fall. Cheap option.
Michael Carberry - If you owned him last year, you may have a pre-existing love/hate relationship with him. Worth the pick but can cause heartache.
Marcus Harris - Should get a run in the absence of the Marsh boys and Voges. Has opened for Perth before. You can do better than Harris.
Michael Klinger - You've probably heard that this bloke is a run scoring machine. Gun in any format. Pick him and you won't be disappointed.
Mitch Marsh (Pace) - The better Marsh, likely unavailable due being with the national side.
Shaun Marsh - Capable in this format, can destroy bowlers but if he's lining up for the Aussies, you shouldn't pick him.
Ashton Turner (Spin) - Good player, bit underrated in my opinion. Might not play every game such is the depth this outfit has but should excel when he does. Tread with caution.

Keep:
Sam Whiteman - Only keeper but bats too low and isn't even that good when he does. Avoid.

Pace:
Jason Behrendorff - Was a must have this time last year but injuries haven't been kind in 2015. Watch this space.
Nathan Coulter-Nile - You know what you'll get here. Good option if you want him.
Simon Mackin - Another underrated bowler if you ask me, dude can seriously bowl. Unfortunately the Scorchers are spoiled for choice with seamers so he's gotta work his way up from the bottom.
Joel Paris - Him and Mackin are fighting for one spot really. He's ahead at this stage though but will have to perform consistently for his spot or they'll play Mackin instead. Not the worst pick.
Andrew Tye - This bloke was a revelation. Super impressive last Big Bash and looks set to continue that. Safe pick.
David Willey (Bat) - Unknown to the general population, he's an international from England who will feature prominently. When I say prominently, I mean you'll regret not picking him. He's an allrounder who will bat and should get four overs. Lock him in now.

Spin:
Ashton Agar (Bat) - I'm not his biggest fan but damn this kid is becoming a pretty good player. In pretty good form and is an allrounder might even be preferred over the old man Hogga.
Brad Hogg - He's like 82 but he's still got it. Wasn't as dangerous last year as he has been previously and I'm not sure that's gonna change. Should play but maybe not every game. Safer picks available.
James Muirhead - Was the next best thing until he sold out and threw it all away. Won't play ahead of Agar, Hogg or even Turner so don't bother.

[Nige]

Hobart Hurricanes

Bats:
George Bailey - El capitano but comes in around 4 or 5. Can hit it a mile. Better options in this side alone.
Michael Hill - Been around a while but probably won't crack the side so don't bother.
Beau Webster - Pretty good talent but has a few in front of him so it's a no here.
Jonathon Wells - Even if he plays, his spot is in jeopardy should he not do enough. Middle order as well so everything points to not selecting him.
Dominic Michael - Rate this bloke big time but it is pretty hard to say whether he's best XI or not. If he plays, I reckon he might open with Dunk. Safer options out there.
Kumar Sangakkara - A legend of the sport. Have him locked and loaded ready to go.

Keep:
Ben Dunk - Better keeper and batsman than Tim Paine. Will open, can keep, and if he doesn't keep, he might even get a sneaky over or two to bowl. Generally always involved and is arguably your best keeper option.
Tim Paine - You can pick if you want but you're better off with Dunk every day of the week and then some.

Pace:
Dan Christian (Bat) - Has made the move to the Hurricanes and as an allrounder will get a spot. Bats a bit low but can hit it, should bowl a bit. You can do better than DC when picking allrounders though.
Jake Reed - Bowled with great speed and tenacity last Big Bash to surprise many. Also had this weird thing where he'd fall over a lot but he's actually a genuine wicket taking option. Options here for Hobart means he might not play though.
Sam Rainbird - Great talent and should get a look in at some point but I'm not sold on him being best XI to start off, would love to be proved wrong though. A maybe if selected.
Simon Milenko (Bat) - Probably would have been better off staying with the Heat but now has another H as his home. Does he play? I'm not sure he does. A no from me.
Shaun Tait - Still going around but might not play every game. Better quicks available.
Timm van der Gugten - Nothing to see here other than his name. Move on.
Darren Sammy (Bat) - Yes. Pick him and you should be a very happy coach. Will bat, will bowl, will reward you.
Joe Mennie - Gun. I'm not going to hide my love for him. In superb form and will probably be the leader of the attack. A safe bet.

Spin:
Cameron Boyce - Not a bad pick by any means so you could pick him as your spinner. Hobart's main spinning option as well so job security is there.
Clive Rose - Won't be any better here than he was at the Stars, given the pace and allrounder options available I can't see him getting too many games because playing two spinners isn't the best option unless one of them is an allrounder which Clive is not. Look for better options. Not sure why PB has him in the best XI, he's taking Dom Michael's spot (who can bowl part time spin but probably won't).

[Adamant]

Great work with this PB and Nige. Very handy!

[PowerBug]

Clive Rose - Won't be any better here than he was at the Stars, given the pace and allrounder options available I can't see him getting too many games because playing two spinners isn't the best option unless one of them is an allrounder which Clive is not. Look for better options. Not sure why PB has him in the best XI, he's taking Dom Michael's spot (who can bowl part time spin but probably won't).

Yeah that was the one I tossed up a fair bit. Playing in Hobart to me sounds like two spin conditions, and from memory both Boyce and X were named last season so I figured they'd do the same with Rose now. Can see why they would want an extra batsman though.

[Nige]

Clive Rose - Won't be any better here than he was at the Stars, given the pace and allrounder options available I can't see him getting too many games because playing two spinners isn't the best option unless one of them is an allrounder which Clive is not. Look for better options. Not sure why PB has him in the best XI, he's taking Dom Michael's spot (who can bowl part time spin but probably won't).

Yeah that was the one I tossed up a fair bit. Playing in Hobart to me sounds like two spin conditions, and from memory both Boyce and X were named last season so I figured they'd do the same with Rose now. Can see why they would want an extra batsman though.

The difference between X and Cliffy is pretty decent though, they'd be better off playing Michael. I reckon, increase the batting depth since they've got DC and Sammy as allrounders.

Also made a mistake, Dom Michael doesn't bowl spin, he's a medium pacer. So I guess if they do want a second spinner, they'll have to play Rose, but I don't think the extra spin option is worth it.

[nrich102]

Ah, Clive Rose. I remember when he got out for a platinum duck last year (Out without facing a ball). I think he's 1 of 3 players with the ability to do that, the others being Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson  :P

[Rusty00]

Is Henriques definitely out of the first 1-2 games? Really wanted to have him in my team :-\

[Adamant]

Is Henriques definitely out of the first 1-2 games? Really wanted to have him in my team :-\

[Nige]

He's actually suspended for their first game but is also injured. So his suspension definitely keeps him out of the first but it gives his injury an extra week to heal.

[Adamant]

Ok cheers Nige, back to the drawing board.

[Rusty00]

Ok cheers Nige, back to the drawing board.

[Nige]

Just to elaborate. He copped the suspension for a slow over rate in the final last season and picked up a calf injury in the recent Shield game.

[Nige]

The Big Bash site released an article with each club's best XI, I'll post each in a separate block.

Strikers

Full squad: Jonathon Dean, Travis Head, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Mahela Jayawardene (OS), Alex Keath, Hamish Kingston, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Michael Neser, Gary Putland, Adil Rashid (OS), Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Craig Simmons, Kelvin Smith, Billy Stanlake

Best XI
1. Craig Simmons
2. Travis Head
3. Mahela Jayawardenea
4. Brad Hodge (c)
5. Alex Ross
6. Tim Ludeman (wk)
7. Alex Keath
8. Adil Rashid
9. Jon Holland
10. Kane Richardson
11. Ben Laughlin

The Strikers appear to have a reasonably settled squad, with a heavy emphasis on experience, namely captain Brad Hodge, Sri Lankan import Mahela Jayawardena and key bowlers Kane Richardson and Ben Laughlin.

Jon Holland was the spin bowler of the tournament during the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup in September, while Kane Richardson has performed well for his country when called upon in the past and is again likely to be in the frame.

Talented allrounder Adil Rashid wasn't included in England's Test squad to face South Africa and is expected to be available for the entire BBL season.



Heat

Full squad: Chris Lynn, Samuel Badree (OS), Nicholas Buchanan, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, James Hopes, Josh Lalor, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Mark Steketee, Lendl Simmons (OS)

Best XI
1. Joe Burns
2. Lendl Simmons
3. Chris Lynn (c)
4. Alex Doolan
5. Nathan Reardon
6. Ben Cutting
7. James Peirson (wk)
8. James Hopes
9. Andrew Fekete
10. Samuel Badree
11. Mark Steketee

Joe Burns has been given the all clear to appear in the Heat's opener against the Renegades on December 19, but he could be missing on Test duty until early 2016.

Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting are players that could be lost to national one-day duties during the tournament, although this pair would need to perform well in the BBL to push their claims.



Hurricanes

Full squad: George Bailey, Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Ben Dunk, Michael Hill, Joe Mennie, Dominic Michael, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine (c), Sam Rainbird, Jake Reed, Clive Rose, Darren Sammy (OS), Kumar Sangakkara (OS), Shaun Tait, Timm van der Gugten, Beau Webster, Jonathan Wells

Best XI
1. Ben Dunk
2. Tim Paine (c, wk)
3. Kumar Sangakkara
4. George Bailey
5. Jonathan Wells
6. Darren Sammy
7. Dan Christian
8. Simon Milenko
9. Joe Mennie
10. Cameron Boyce
11. Shaun Tait

The Hurricanes have a full squad to choose from ahead of their summer opener against the Sixers on December 20.

Of all the squads in BBL|05, the Hurricanes appear to be the one that will enjoy the least disruptions during the tournament.

Ben Dunk and Cameron Boyce are on the selectors radars - yet unlikely to feature for Australia during the BBL - while George Bailey might be lost to the one-day team during some of January's matches.



Renegades

Full squad: Thomas Beaton, Dwayne Bravo (OS), Tom Cooper, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch (c), Chris Gayle (OS), Nathan Hauritz, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Guy Walker, Cameron White, Nick Winter

Best XI
1. Aaron Finch (c)
2. Chris Gayle
3. Matthew Wade (wk)
4. Dwayne Bravo
5. Cameron White
6. Tom Cooper
7. Peter Nevill
8. James Pattinson
9. Peter Siddle
10. Nathan Rimmington
11. Xavier Doherty

Disaster hit the Renegades one day out from the start of BBL|05 when Callum Ferguson was ruled out with a torn ACL.

Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has been given the all clear to play the Renegades’ opener against the Heat on December 19, but he will have to sit out at least a couple of contests due to Test commitments.

Peter Siddle and James Pattinson will miss the clash in Brisbane, while this duo are likely to join Nevill on the BBL sidelines during the Melbourne and Sydney Test matches.

Skipper Aaron Finch will more than likely miss a handful of January matches due to 50-over commitments with Australia, while Matthew Wade will join him in the Victoria Bitter ODI series against India.

[Nige]

Stars

Full squad: Michael Beer, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Sebastian Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, John Hastings, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey (c), Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen (OS), Robert Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Triffitt, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright (OS), Adam Zampa

Best XI
1. Luke Wright
2. Marcus Stoinis
3. Kevin Pietersen
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Peter Handscomb (wk)
6. David Hussey (c)
7. James Faulkner
8. John Hastings
9. Adam Zampa
10. Scott Boland
11. Ben Hilfenhaus

The Stars have a full squad to choose from for their BBL|05 opener against the Strikers in Adelaide on December 18, but expect that to change once the ODI series against India starts in early January.

Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner look certainties to play those ODIs, while Marcus Stoinis could make his return to the international fold against India if his form is solid early in the BBL.

In-form paceman Scott Boland is also on the fringe of national selection and is in the mix for a call-up in all forms of the game.



Scorchers

Full squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Carberry (OS), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Voges (c), Sam Whiteman, David Willey (OS)

Best XI
1. Michael Carberry
2. David Willey
3. Shaun Marsh
4. Michael Klinger
5. Adam Voges (c)
6. Mitchell Marsh
7. Sam Whiteman (wk)
8. Ashton Agar
9. Nathan Coulter-Nile
10. Brad Hogg
11. Jason Behrendorff

Question marks surround the fitness of star quick Jason Behrendorff ahead of the start of BBL|05, while the Scorchers have a host of star players that will sit out portions of the tournament.

Shaun Marsh is available for the Scorchers' opener against the Strikers - but brother Mitch is still questionable - while fellow Test star Adam Voges has been given the all clear to play in Perth on December 21.

Expect Nathan Coulter-Nile and Mitch Marsh to miss a couple of games during January due to international commitments.



Sixers

Full squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha (OS), Ryan Carters, Ben Dwarshius, Michael Edwards, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques (c), Trent Lawford, Michael Lumb (OS), Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

Best XI
1. Michael Lumb
2. Brad Haddin (wk)
3. Nic Maddinson
4. Steve Smith
5. Moises Henriques (c)
6. Ryan Carters
7. Johan Botha
8. Stephen O'Keefe
9. Josh Hazlewood
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Doug Bollinger

The Sixers' best XI is star-studded, although it is unlikely we will ever see it out on the park during BBL|05.

Mitchell Starc won't play at all, while the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon are likely to be used sparingly.

Injury concerns surround Moises Henriques too, as well as the one-match suspension from last year's final that will see him miss game one, so the depth of the Sixers' squad is sure to be tested.



Thunder

Full squad: Michael Hussey (c), Fawad Ahmed, Ahillen Beadle, Aiden Blizzard, Patrick Cummins, Jake Doran, Chris Green, Chris Hartley, Jacques Kallis (OS), Usman Khawaja, Alister McDermott, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell (OS), Gurinder Sandhu, Shane Watson

Best XI
1. Jacques Kallis
2. Usman Khawaja
3. Shane Watson
4. Michael Hussey (wk)
5. Aiden Blizzard
6. Ben Rohrer
7. Andre Russell
8. Chris Hartley (wk)
9. Clint McKay
10. Gurinder Sandhu
11. Fawad Ahmed

Usman Khawaja will sit out the BBL|05 opener against the Sixers on Thursday night, but is every chance to be given a hit out in the Thunder's round two clash against the Renegades in Melbourne on December 23 ahead of possible return to the national team for the Boxing Day Test.

Pat Cummins is unlikely to be seen for the entire tournament, while Gurinder Sandhu is one the Thunder may lose for a few games during January if he receives a call up to the Australian one-day side for the one-dayers against against India.

[PowerBug]

Alex Keath ;D Oh please. Tim Ludeman at 7 after the way he destroyed BBL04? That's hilarious.

So they think Haddin will open? Interesting. If he is might go Hartley -> Haddin and chuck him on the field.