Big Bash League - General Discussion

[CerealKiller]

Haris Rauf! Was called up as an injury replacement for Dale Steyn while playing club cricket in Hobart. This shows how good Lahore Qalandars' talent hunt program has been.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Why isn't AB de Villiers playing for the Heat ? Any specific reason ?

 

[alexczarn]

Why isn't AB de Villiers playing for the Heat ? Any specific reason ?

First game is the 12th I believe. Part of the terms of the deal.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Melbourne Stars for the win!

 

[Master Bates]

Ben Dunk should have opened for Melbourne Stars instead of Nic Maddinson. Look how much they missed on!

 

[Bevab]

Ben Dunk should have opened for Melbourne Stars instead of Nic Maddinson. Look how much they missed on!

I remember Dunk being thoroughly average the last time he was regularly opening for the Stars.

 

[Master Bates]

I remember Dunk being thoroughly average the last time he was regularly opening for the Stars.

Still he would have done much better than Maddinson.

 

[Bevab]

The number of overseas players allowed in the playing XI has been increased to three for this season. I love this move, should finally ensure some better quality of cricket.

 

[Yash.]

Would love to see Stars take it home this time around... Stoinis played way too well last year to miss out on the trophy...

 

[Bevab]

Would love to see Stars take it home this time around... Stoinis played way too well last year to miss out on the trophy...

Maxi's captaincy last year was pretty great too, a shame that they missed out last season!

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

So was Haris Rauf. That was his big break and was inarguably the best bowler in the entire tournament, a high he's been trying to replicate ever since.

 

[Bevab]

Rumours are that they're signing Bairstow for this season. That would solve their issue of a good keeper batsman, Dunk has regularly failed in the BBL despite starring elsewhere and Gotch has not really been effective.

Stoinis
YJB
Pucovski?
Maxi
Handscomb
Larkin
NCN
Zampa
Rauf?
Sandeep?
Stanlake

That is a really promising team which doesn't need the likes of Cartwright, Maddinson or Lance Morris to fill in when the squad is at full strength. On the contrary, the first two are very good backups to have as cover when Stoinis and Maxi depart for international duty. Hinchcliffe and Coleman offer some decent bowling depth to the side too.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

So Warner, Starc, Smith and few others are not going to participate this year because of secure bio bubble. Abd also has withdrawn his name.

For the brand its one thing international players not participating but its other when your own stars dont participate. No wonder BBL as a tournament has not kicked off with craze in terms of viewership outside Australia.

Imagine Kohli or Sharma not playing for IPL completely. Its a tough one!

 

[Bevab]

So Warner, Starc, Smith and few others are not going to participate this year because of secure bio bubble. Abd also has withdrawn his name.

For the brand its one thing international players not participating but its other when your own stars dont participate. No wonder BBL as a tournament has not kicked off with craze in terms of viewership outside Australia.

Imagine Kohli or Sharma not playing for IPL completely. Its a tough one!

It has been years since Warner and Starc have played in the BBL, Smith himself would have been another addition to that list had he not played after ages for the Sixers last season towards the end. More than the players rejecting the BBL, it is a case of the clubs refusing to sign them given that they will barely play.

I do agree that it is a bad look for the league when most other leagues have their domestic stars playing every game. The issue is that it collides with the traditional Australian summer of international cricket. Viewership within Australia has already started to decline owing to the lack of quality and the length with noticeable drops after the holiday season gets over.

I think downsizing the league to six teams would not be a bad idea at all, the other formats in domestic cricket have already been heavily affected due to the BBL's presence (the OD Cup is now a blip in the calendar and the Shield has been broken into two halves). Having two lesser teams can raise the quality of play quite significantly and ensure a shorter tournament. You could also have the white ball fixtures of the international side after the league ends to keep the hype flowing while only the tests are played during the tournament. That ensures minimal loss of players while also keeping the feeling of a festival cricket throughout the holiday season with tests in the day and some action packed T20s at night.

Of course however it is very unlikely to happen as the board will probably not stop until the goose is killed in search of the golden egg before realizing that their own actions have hurt their product and that they have been complacent and allowed other competitors to gain ground and be on par with them.

 

[Bevab]

Morne Morkel has signed on for the Heat for the whole season and most importantly, he signs on this year as a local player instead of counting as an international like last year due to his wife. With how depleted the Heat squad is, a much vital signing.