West Indies' cricket captain Kieron Pollard (R) speaks with teammate Nicholas Pooran during a practice session at the M.A. Chidambaram Cricket Stadium ahead of the first one day international (ODI) cricket match of a three-match series between India and West Indies in Chennai on December 14, 2019. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) / ----IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE-----
With BBL|10 less than a month away some clubs are completing their rosters, with a heap of new signings and re-signings confirmed this week, so we’ll go through them all and explain what they mean from a SuperCoach perspective.
Adelaide Strikers
Phil Salt ($134k BAT) has re-signed and should slot straight back into his position opening the batting for the Strikers. There’s strong rumours Adelaide’s Sussex links will continue by adding slow left-arm orthodox bowler Danny Briggs.
Brisbane Heat
The Heat locked in right-handed batting all-rounder Dan Lawrence ($125k BAT) as an international replacement for Tom Banton for the start of BBL|10, while the latter is unavailable until Christmas. Lawrence is versatile and can bat anywhere but was first drop for Essex in this year’s t20 Blast.
Brisbane also signed James Bazley ($42k BAT/BWL) who is likely a depth player, but he’s a right-hand batsman and right-arm fast medium bowler.
The Heat also re-signed Jimmy Peirson ($69k WKP/BAT), Sam Heazlett ($96k BAT) and Mark Steketee ($85k BWL).
Interestingly on Heazlett, coach Darren Lehmann: “There are few more damaging batsmen than ‘Haz’ when he gets going and we are quite confident there will be ample opportunities this season for him to showcase his skills.”
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hurricanes had a busy week, with their big signing being English 21-year-old batsman Will Jacks ($148k BAT/BWL), who bats anywhere in the top order.
Jacks was part of the Essex which reached this year’s t20 Blast Final where he took two wickets. He once hit a 25-ball century in a T10 match. He’s signed for the whole season and will likely move around roles depending on D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade’s availability.
Canes coach Adam Griffith said: “He gives us great flexibility in our batting group, as he can open or finish the innings batting in the middle order. His off-spin also adds another dimension.”
Colin Ingram ($125k BAT) has also signed, but only as cover for Dawid Malan, who is unavailable until Christmas. Ingram will likely bat mid-order, similar to David Miller last season, and can bowl occasionally.
The Canes also added depth with batting all-rounder Tim David ($62k BAT/BWL) and fast bowler Nick Winter ($42k BWL).
They’ve also been heavily linked with ex-Stars spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.
Melbourne Renegades
The Gades completed their roster for BBL|10 by landing South African middle-order batsman Rilee Rossouw ($160k BAT) who’ll be available for the full season.
Coach Michael Klinger said: “He can bat in the top order but he can also bat in the middle and that’s probably where we’ll look to use him initially.”
Rossouw hit a 44-ball century for Multan Sultans in the Pakistani Super League (PSL) in February. But he only made 189 runs from six innings in the PSL, so he’s a bit hit and miss.
Melbourne Stars
The Stars unveiled two big international recruits with Jonny Bairstow ($175k WKP/BAT) confirmed and he should be available from Christmas onwards. Bairstow will likely take the gloves and bat high in the order.
However, England have a few unconfirmed tours slated for January, for two Tests in Sri Lanka and a bunch of ODIs, T20Is and Tests in India from January to February. Bairstow currently isn’t in the Test team but he’s been part of the white ball matches recently, so watch this space. It’s still unclear if those series will go ahead and if so, when.
Nicholas Pooran ($175k WKP/BAT) has also been signed by the Stars. We’re told he’ll be available for six games across December and early January, once free from West Indies duties in New Zealand.
He’s only part of the T20I squad which finishes up in New Zealand in early December and with no quarantine from NZ into Australia he was expected to arrive comfortably in time for their first-up double game round. However, there’s reports he may hang around the Test squad to gain some experience meaning he may miss the early games. Watch this space.
In terms of his ability, he scored 353 runs at an average of 35.3 with a strike rate of 169.71 for Kings XI in the 2020 IPL. He hit a ridiculous 25 sixes in 14 knocks. In terms of BBL SuperCoach points in IPL 2020, he totalled 658 at an average of 47 per game. But typically he bats around four or five in the order, so opportunities may be limited leading to volatility. Then again he is a left-hander among a top order of right-handers so he may bat in the top four.
Expect both Bairstow and Pooran to keep during their asynchronous stints. That’s relevant as the Stars had more stumpings than any side last season.
They’ve confirmed they’ll announce another international signing next week, which is expected to be ex-Heat spinner Zahir Khan.
Perth Scorchers
The Scorchers have also completed their BBL|10 roster and they’ve stacked their batting line-up with the addition of New Zealand big-hitter Colin Munro ($160k BAT) who can also bowl a few overs with his medium right-armers.
Munro averaged 34.5 batting at three in the Caribbean Premier League in August and September before he got injured, missing out on his team’s title. He should be available all season, although he played for NZ in a T20I in February so a recall wouldn’t be unfathomable with the Kiwis playing T20Is against Pakistan in mid-December and Australia in late-January.
Joe Clarke ($125k BAT) has also been added as a temporary replacement for Perth’s first three matches before Jason Roy is available from Christmas. He batted three for Notts during their triumphant t20 Blast, finishing with the fifth most runs in the comp with a strike rate of 175.
Sydney Sixers
Mitchell Starc ($190k BWL) has been signed up for BBL|10 but don’t expect to see much of him in magenta. He may get a few games later in the competition after the Tests conclude.
The Sixers have also been linked with West Indies pair Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder. Brathwaite would likely be available for the whole of BBL|10, while Holder would be limited as he’s currently the West Indies’ Test captain and they play in NZ in mid-December and possibly in January against Bangladesh.
Sydney Thunder
The Thunder signed back-up wicketkeeper Baxter Holt ($42k WKP/BAT) to add some depth to their gloveman options.
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