***OFFICIAL*** BBL | 06 Thread

[Bahnz]

Incredible bowling from Sodhi, but what was most interesting was his after match interview where he said "A massive shout out to the Strikers, they've rejuvenated my love for the game over the last 8-10 days. I really wish I could have done this a lot earlier". Would be very interesting to hear more.

Probably just sick and tired of Blocky egging his Hamilton home every Thursday night.

 

[_Ed_]

So few Kiwis play BBL when neighboring NZ is ranked No. 1 in T20 International Cricket ?

My guess is there must be some kind of contractual requirement for leading NZ players to play in Super Smash if they're not on Black Caps duty. By the time that tournament's over, the BBL is more than halfway through anyway.

 

[_Ed_]

Incredible bowling from Sodhi, but what was most interesting was his after match interview where he said "A massive shout out to the Strikers, they've rejuvenated my love for the game over the last 8-10 days. I really wish I could have done this a lot earlier". Would be very interesting to hear more.

BBL stint rejuvenates Ish Sodhi's love for the game | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[James]

My guess is there must be some kind of contractual requirement for leading NZ players to play in Super Smash if they're not on Black Caps duty. By the time that tournament's over, the BBL is more than halfway through anyway.

Get a combined North Island (Wellington, Northern Districts, Auckland) team and a combined South Island (Central Districts, Canterbury, Otago) team in the Big Bash and do away with the Super Smash

 

[Zinzan]

Get a combined North Island (Wellington, Northern Districts, Auckland) team and a combined South Island (Central Districts, Canterbury, Otago) team in the Big Bash and do away with the Super Smash

Be the best possible thing for NZ cricket from a marketing and revenue standpoint. I still think you want to have the Super smash as well with the ordinary 6 teams, but reduce the window of time perhaps to mid Nov - mid Dec, and as you say have North Island and South Island teams in the BBL.

Only problem is Australia frankly don't need us. I doubt Australian cricket see it like the NRL did with the Warriors coming in, or the NBL did with the breakers to grow the sports in Aust considering the BBL get anywhere from 25-80 thousand for their games and i'm guessing it's an amazing commercial success of channel 10.

So yeah, be the best thing for NZ cricket, but would probably be seen as just an inconvenience & effectively superfluous for CA, and frankly if they saw the sort of crowds we get in the Super smash in NZ, you can't blame them.

 

[Bahnz]

Be the best possible thing for NZ cricket from a marketing and revenue standpoint. I still think you want to have the Super smash as well with the ordinary 6 teams, but reduce the window of time perhaps to mid Nov - mid Dec, and as you say have North Island and South Island teams in the BBL.

Only problem is Australia frankly don't need us. I doubt Australian cricket see it like the NRL did with the Warriors coming in, or the NBL did with the breakers to grow the sports in Aust considering the BBL get anywhere from 25-80 thousand for their games and i'm guessing it's an amazing commercial success of channel 10.

So yeah, be the best thing for NZ cricket, but would probably be seen as just an inconvenience & effectively superfluous for CA, and frankly if they saw the sort of crowds we get in the Super smash in NZ, you can't blame them.

Yeah, CA said just earlier this week I think that they have zero interest in expanding the Big Bash beyond Australia (and fair enough too).

 

[_Ed_]

Hard to argue with that. I do think a bit of the good old trans-Tasman rivalry would bring more people to games here, but I don't see it happening.

 

[Zinzan]

Here's the spell for anyone who didn't catch it. Completely bamboozled the batsmen by changing it up between the leg-spinner & the wrong-in.

Best leg-spin spell I've seen since Warne tbh in terms of completely spinning the batsmen into knots, although fair to say Sodhi's always looked more threatening in white ball cricket, & especially T20s when batsmen have to go after him.

If only he could look 1 quarter as threatening as that with the red ball.

 

[Zinzan]

Yeah, CA said just earlier this week I think that they have zero interest in expanding the Big Bash beyond Australia (and fair enough too).

Yeah Stephen Fleming was interviewed a month back and said the same thing about it not being anywhere near the radar for CA.

 

[thierry henry]

Awesome spell from Sodhi and he was really troubling the batsmen in all 3 spells he bowled including the second one where his figures were a bit unlucky.

Has the unfortunate side-effect of Veitchy On Sport and talkback-level punters clamouring for his guaranteed selection in all formats for NZ, because they assume that the BBL is the highest level in cricket due to it having the best crowds and TV coverage. Sodhi's performances have really underlined how a decent international-standard player can dominate in BBL. Sign of the times etc.

 

[_Ed_]

IMO Sodhi is becoming a legitimately excellent T20 bowler - he was among the best at the World T20 last year too, and I think he'd perform well in any domestic league he played in.

But, yeah, that should have no bearing whatsoever on test selection.

 

[James]

A very thought provoking interview with Stephen Fleming about the Big Bash and all things cricket.

Some potentially conversational comments as well about 4-day domestic cricket in NZ and calling for more focus to be given to one-day and t20 cricket at the expense of First Class and Test cricket.

Stephen Fleming: Ish Sodhi making an impact

 

[Spikey]

as if the gades don't pick the best keeper in victoria for their next game

a good sydney boy called Andrew Harriott. scores too many runs for my liking though

https://twitter.com/MeganHustwaite/status/821892386519273472

 

[Dan]

Boo! Needed to be a Riggins call-up ffs.

 

[Spikey]

I hear the bad Carey info got him blacklisted

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, we want the Rigster ffs

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

 

[TheJediBrah]

CA unhappy with on-air tactics exchange | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Some controversy regarding the Channel 10 comms giving advice to Strikers re Watson last night. So ****ing sick of this ****.

It's like CA, Ch 10 whoever it is is doing their best to ruin what has been such a fun and successful tournament and tarnish it every week with such bull**** "issues".

First the McCullum suspension (so absurd) and then making a huge deal out of this which is literally nothing. If anything it was a highlight of the game from a viewing perspective. All this sort of response will lead to is more circumspect commentary and they'll be too scared to do anything and it will become boring and ****.

Even the Chris Gayle thing last year was such rubbish (not entirely CA or Ch10's fault obviously).

Just sick of people trying to suck the fun and interest out of the Big Bash for no good reason. "Sports integrity management" LMFAO

 

[Zinzan]

Agree, talk about biting the hand that feeds you. The BBL is a great success atm due to the 'total' entertainment package, which includes the more intimate nature of the commentary, with the guest commentators, a nifty studio, and of course having the insights of captains, fielders & even batters mic'ed up, while on the field.

The stupid thing about the McCullum suspension is his going over time was as much about him being mic'ed chatting to the commentators and the TV audience as it was about the number of field changes he made. Seems really counter-productive, and seems like they're not communicating well enough in coordinating the broadcast side and the cricket side.

In terms of the commentators mentioning Ben Laughlin's record vs. Watson, it's laughable that CA think the Striker's management/analysts wouldn't be aware of player vs player statistics like this anyway. That is what the analysts do FFS, and a lot more in depth than that as well.

All-round stupidly.

 

[Spikey]

(the commentators absolutely shouldn't be doing that)