*Official* Big Bash League 2018-19

[Burgey]

Green hits his Yorkers as well as any bowler in the country. That was a top over to Curran

 

[mr_mister]

Tom over Sam for the test team. I'm on that train

 

[Spikey]

I mean, the McAndrew thing seems a bit pointless. They just picked the wrong player (Sandhu missed out)

 

[Spikey]

Green hits his Yorkers as well as any bowler in the country. That was a top over to Curran

I mean, the Thunder have sealed this game thanks to Sams and Green ie grade all-rounders being given a chance

 

[mr_mister]

Sams 6-35 for the tournament so far

 

[Second Spitter]

Hard luck, Dixers.

 

[Spikey]

I mean, I have an issue

 

[Spikey]

bring on the xmas day derby

 

[TheJediBrah]

I mean, the McAndrew thing seems a bit pointless. They just picked the wrong player (Sandhu missed out)

Picking Sandhu would have just given them yet another bowler they didn't need. You don't need 7-8 bowlers. Surely you're better off with an extra batsman

I mean, the Thunder have sealed this game thanks to Sams and Green ie grade all-rounders being given a chance

huh? they're class players, clearly not what I was referring to

 

[Spikey]

Picking Sandhu would have just given them yet another bowler they didn't need. You don't need 7-8 bowlers. Surely you're better off with an extra batsman

You don't really need 6/7 batsman either when your fate basically rests with the top 4. T20's could quite easily be 10 a side teams. Since Watson isn't bowling they've made sure they have a 6th bowling option, which came in handy in the previous game when they didn't want Ahmed to bowl with what turned out to be a wet ball. Of course they're gonna keep that option

huh? they're class players, clearly not what I was referring to

That's because they've succeeded. If they failed they'd fit right in with your profile wouldn't they?

 

[Spikey]

Definitely. Is there nobody waiting in the wings for the call up?

Until Lyon comes back, they've basically got nobody else. They've got Dan Fallis (who would be a straight swap for Lloyd Pope, with a bit more batting), the other Edwards brother and a young guy called Henry Thornton who I usually assume is injured. With the batting they've got a grade guy called Justin Avendano and Nev and nothing else.

I don't think they'll be impacted by England's upcoming tour, unlike the thunder, though

 

[Gnske]

You know, each time I see the Sydney teams play a derby in the Big Bash I can't help but feel that cricket really shouldn't be in my life.

Credit to the Thunder at least for employing a Jono. Wish we would employ one here.

 

[Spikey]

I was gonna make a horrible joke about that.

can't believe they got a Jono before we got our one back

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I rate both Mickey Edwards and Henry Thornton but they are both perpetually crocked on some way or another. Especially Thornton, not even sure if he's played first grade this season.

Guess I just like injury prone NSW tearaways

 

[Spikey]

I don't think the Thunder have actually made clear who will be replacing root and butler. I guess Morgan is a chance to return for one of them but they'll need a keeper. They'll be getting Usman back around the same time too

 

[TheJediBrah]

You don't really need 6/7 batsman either when your fate basically rests with the top 4. T20's could quite easily be 10 a side teams. Since Watson isn't bowling they've made sure they have a 6th bowling option, which came in handy in the previous game when they didn't want Ahmed to bowl with what turned out to be a wet ball. Of course they're gonna keep that option

I think we've seen, with a lot of early wickets falling, that 6/7 batsmen would have been pretty handy actually, and the extra bowlers have generally proved redundant

That's because they've succeeded. If they failed they'd fit right in with your profile wouldn't they?

No, they succeeded because they are good players. My "profile" is for not-good players.

Implying that the only difference between Sams/Green and the likes of McAndrew is that Sams/Green have succeeded rather than they are just better players is a strange angle

 

[TheJediBrah]

Until Lyon comes back, they've basically got nobody else. They've got Dan Fallis (who would be a straight swap for Lloyd Pope, with a bit more batting), the other Edwards brother and a young guy called Henry Thornton who I usually assume is injured. With the batting they've got a grade guy called Justin Avendano and Nev and nothing else.

I don't think they'll be impacted by England's upcoming tour, unlike the thunder, though

The lack of depth compared to just 2 or 3 years ago really is shocking me. I'd say the solution could be to just increase the number of overseas players per team but the overseas players currently playing are barely even good enough as it is so that wouldn't really help either.

 

[CricGeek]

Sydney thunders is most settled squad for this season and Buttler looks promising to become highest run scorer.

 

[Crazy Sam]

I think there's an unhealthy obsession with picking crappy Grade all-rounders (or bowlers) rather than just picking an extra quality batsman. Most sides seem to have 6-7 genuine bowling options at least, and can easily get rid of 1 or 2 for another bat, because the extra crappy all-rounder gives you no value at this level.

Remember the early seasons when the Heat kept playing literal no-rounder Chris Sabburg? They'd bat him at about 8 and not bowl him either, so he was a specialist fielder. I think he even played in the BBL02 final that they won. Jason Floros wasn't much better although did bat/bowl a little more.

 

[Spikey]

No, they succeeded because they are good players. My "profile" is for not-good players.

Implying that the only difference between Sams/Green and the likes of McAndrew is that Sams/Green have succeeded rather than they are just better players is a strange angle

Typically, teams don't intentionally decide to pick players that are bad over players that are good. Unfortunately it's not quite that easy to identify the good and bad players. The nature of Australian domestic cricket means that each BBL team is gonna have to pluck out players who are not incumbent Shield/ODD players and who carry question marks over whether they're good enough to play at this level (and for salary cap reasons, you're also gonna need some cheap players. Unless you're Perth). Invariably that means having to give shots to grade players like Sams, Green and McAndrew and you have to hope that the skills and statistical profile you've seen in these guys carry over to the BBL. Additionally you have to remember that nowadays state sides don't have much incentive to contract and play cricketers whose talents don't suit FC cricket, so you have these guys who carry a stigma of "not good enough for FC cricket" but who may have shown something to suggest they could be useful T20 players, and your BBL team has gotta be the one to risk it and give them a chance, and if it works out it can be awesome, and of course sometimes it doesn't work out. It just seems pretty dumb to basically be like "if I was in charge of a BBL team I would simply pick the great players and not pick the bad players and always have my team execute their plans perfectly and I don't get why BBL teams don't do this". No ****, that's what everyone is trying to do. It's not that easy to correctly identify which grade/2nd XI players you need to fill out the squad can make the jump and be a variable asset and which ones can't.