*Official* Big Bash League 10 2020-21

[DriveClub]

Anyone willing to put money on Strikers or Heat to go 4 in a row?

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah definitely, but combined with the inability-to-select-good-T20i-teams bit I can see why he'd be nowhere near the selector's radar. Like, it's stunning how bad national selectors are at doing good T20i things.

I mean, the squad has six opening bats again! (Seven if you count Maxwell as an opener, which he probably should be at international level)

re. The openers, tbf to selectors most good T20I batsmen would be opening in domestic tournaments because that's where u want your best players batting. While you definitely want middle order specialists in a T20 team, if you only picked players from the Big Bash who batted in the specific positions you're selecting for then you'd end up leaving some superior players behind just because they bat high in the Big Bash

 

[NotMcKenzie]

And for those of you who prefer flow-charts:

		Fri 29 Jan Heat vs Strikers
Sat 30 Jan Sixers vs Scorchers		winner | |
win______lose |_________| |_________|		| | |______________	___________>	Sun 31 Jan Thunder vs ?
|_________| |_________| |_________|_____	____________	_______________	_____________	winner________ _____________	____________> ____________>	Thu Feb 4 ? vs ?
| | |______________	____________	_______________	_____________	_____________	_____________	winner_______ _____________	____________> ____________>	Sat Feb 6 ? vs ?

 

[Spark]

Definitely going to see the Qualifier, probably the Knockout too. Forecast isn't great though

 

[Nintendo]

Curious to see how far marnus and Lynn can drag this corpse of a heat team finals wise.

 

[SteveNZ]

Absolutely should be in that squad.

There aren't many more effective middle-lower order hitters in the BBL than him, even at his age. And he can literally go big from ball one which, when you're batting at seven or so and not facing many balls for the most part, is ****ing invaluable.

That's the point I'd make too, I'm not advocating for him being in the XI. But he's a winner. Performs in big matches, very experienced, and at 37 it's really not an issue when the next two World events are meant to be in consecutive years. We picked Grant Elliott at 35 for a World Cup and that paid off nicely.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah for sure. Even if he was cover for a bloke like Sams, who tbf has been very good in that lower-middle order all-rounder role, he brings a lot of experience and would do a job. I know spikey said he wouldn't pick him, but with test players away I would have had him there.

 

[TheJediBrah]

The problem with not picking Christian and picking someone like Stoinis/Short instead is if they are going to be coming in in the 17th over needing to go from ball 1 then Christian is 400% better.

 

[Dan]

re. The openers, tbf to selectors most good T20I batsmen would be opening in domestic tournaments because that's where u want your best players batting. While you definitely want middle order specialists in a T20 team, if you only picked players from the Big Bash who batted in the specific positions you're selecting for then you'd end up leaving some superior players behind just because they bat high in the Big Bash

Yeah, as you should. Obviously batting top order and batting middle order in T20 have some crossover, but they're distinct roles requiring distinct skills. As a more extreme example, you wouldn't pick the literal 11 best players available in the Test team, because you'd have three specialist batsmen and six quicks and the team's inability to fill crucial roles means that they'd lose more than a team that compromises and puts the 16th best cricketer in the country at #5 for balance reasons.

Time and time again we've seen the Australian selectors continually select the likes of Stoinis or Short at 6 because they assume that all batting positions are the same, and go all pikachu-face when a domestic opener who normally uses a few balls to get going holes out for 1 (4) every second dig. They're "better players" but will give you consistently worse returns than someone who plays that role regularly like a Cutting or a MMarsh (who tbf I never thought was suited to that role but seems to have got it working this BBL)

The skills crossover means that some batsmen are perfectly able to transition into the different role (Warner's stint at 4 and Maxwell being able to open being the prime Australian examples in my mind), but there are plenty who don't have the game to do it. This T20i squad has a lot of players that I don't think will do well adapting downwards in the order and not very many players who've played in the middle order recently.

 

[Smudge49]

Pardon my ignorance if I'm missing something, but shouldn't Dan Christian be in the national T20 squad?

Should never have been dropped since after he was picked to play for Australia, but investments were made on young bucks like Marsh & Stoinis and those investments went kaput.

 

[Starfighter]

So what has Turner done this tournament to get selection for the NZ tour?

I'd ask what he's ever done, but some of you spanners rate him, on the basis of God knows what evidence.

 

[Smudge49]

So what has Turner done this tournament to get selection for the NZ tour?

I'd ask what he's ever done, but some of you spanners rate him, on the basis of God knows what evidence.

He from West Australia, that ain't good enough?!

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Just decided to relisten to Slater's take on the Bash Boost point, actually was quality.
Not quite Neil Crompton but not far off it

 

[TheJediBrah]

If there's one thing that players/coaches in general have ****ed up this year it's the Bash Boost point. It's 25% of the points on hand. You should be going for it a lot harder than they have been, treating it like a nice little bonus point that doesn't matter too much has been a massive fail.

 

[Burgey]

Just decided to relisten to Slater's take on the Bash Boost point, actually was quality.
Not quite Neil Crompton but not far off it

Cliffs?

 

[Burgey]

If there's one thing that players/coaches in general have ****ed up this year it's the Bash Boost point. It's 25% of the points on hand. You should be going for it a lot harder than they have been, treating it like a nice little bonus point that doesn't matter too much has been a massive fail.

This has happened because Team India has set up camp inside the head of every Australian domestic player simultaneously. Sad.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Cliffs?

¿Que?

 

[Senile Sentry]

Bash boost is a total fail. More like trying to fix something (NRR) that isn't broken and then screwing it up with the supposed fix.

 

[NotMcKenzie]

If there's one thing that players/coaches in general have ****ed up this year it's the Bash Boost point. It's 25% of the points on hand. You should be going for it a lot harder than they have been, treating it like a nice little bonus point that doesn't matter too much has been a massive fail.

Well, the Renegades tried to go for it.

 

[stephen]

Of all teams I think the Heat are the ones who have done the best at focusing on it. Though tbf I haven't watched a huge amount of bbl this season.