Welcome back to another Devil’s Advocate and we’ve had a heap of signing news this week as teams scramble to finalise their line-ups, and in Round 1, the most important and controversial lineups are the Strikers and Thunder with both on doubles.
The makeup of their sides will largely determine the SuperCoach landscape, so let’s assess the possible outcomes so you’re not left scrambling and panicking when the rest of SuperCoaches will be 30 minutes before the game starts.
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Thunder
Below are the locks for the Thunder side, listed in batting position
1 A.Hales
2 ?
3 R.Rossouw
4 J.Sangha
5 ?
6 D.Sams (if fit)
7 ?
8 N.McAndrew
9 C.Green
10 ?
11 ?
Keeper
Options: Matt Gilkes, Baxter Holt
Both are undesirable options for the Thunder but they’ve shown faith in Matthew Gilkes for a long time, and they’ve just re-signed him, so it sounds like Gilkes will get first crack with the gloves.
Verdict: Matt Gilkes
Opener
Options: Ben Cutting, Matt Gilkes, Sam Whiteman
Ben Cutting would be an intriguing prospect as an opener who would bowl 1-2 overs a game. Sam Whiteman has been in solid form but Gilkes is primarily a top-order batter so running with him as the opener makes sense. He’s been talked up a lot recently by teammates too.
Verdict: Matt Gilkes
Number 5
Options: Daniel Sams, Alex Ross, Oliver Davies
Daniel Sams will be listed at 6 most likely, and will move up the order if required. It then comes down to youth vs experience. Do they trust the old head in Alex Ross or do they invest in the future with Ollie Davies. I’m in favour of the latter.
Verdict: Oliver Davies
Number 7
Options: Nathan McAndrew, Ben Cutting
Both are likely to make their best XI but McAndrew’s form has brought him into contention for this number 8 spot. I think they’ll end up keeping the faith in Ben Cutting at least to start the year off.
Verdict: Ben Cutting
Number 10
Options: Gurinder Sandhu, Brendan Doggett
The battle of mid is taking place for this position, I think based off last year’s performance, Sandhu will get the first crack in this lineup and he should contribute at the death.
Verdict: Gurinder Sandhu
Number 11
Options: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Usman Qadir
Given teams can only field three overseas players (with Hales and Rossouw locked in), this is going to be a dilemma. And this is going to be pitch dependant. Farooqi is the better cricketer but the Thunder have always loved using two spinners. I expect Qadir and Farooqi to share this last spot throughout the season until Hales and Rossouw exit in early January, so both are avoids regardless.
Verdict: Pitch dependant
1 A.Hales
2 M.Gilkes (WK)
3 R.Rossouw
4 J.Sangha
5 O.Davies
6 D.Sams
7 B.Cutting
8 N.McAndrew
9 C.Green
10 G.Sandhu
11 Fazalhaq Farooqi/Usman Qadir
Strikers
Below are the locks for the Strikers side, listed in batting position
1 M Short
2 C.Lynn
3 ?
4 A.Hose
5 C.De Grandhomme
6 T.Kelly
7 H.Nielsen
8 Rashid Khan
9 ?
10 ?
11 P.Siddle
Number 3
Options: Jake Weatherald, Ryan Gibson, Henry Hunt
Jake Weatherald would have normally strolled into this line-up but his horror BBL11 campaign has ensured that his spot is up for debate. Henry Hunt could potentially take this spot off him mid-season, but BBL clubs tend to show loyalty first off. Hunt should be available after playing in the CA XI game.
Verdict: Jake Weatherald
Number 9 and number 10
Options: Harry Conway, Wes Agar, Henry Thornton, Ben Manenti
A lot of competition for spots here without any outstanding quality. Henry Thornton and Harry Conway finished well last year, so there’s no reason to suggest that a change is required.
Boyce has injured his calf and is out of the opening stages of BBL12, so put a line through him.
Verdict: Harry Conway and Henry Thornton
1 M.Short
2 C.Lynn
3 J.Weatherald
4 A.Hose
5 C.De Grandhomme
6 T.Kelly
7 H.Nielsen
8 Rashid Khan
9 H.Thornton
10 P.Siddle
11 H.Conway
So there you go, an in-depth analysis into the questionable spots in each line-up. I hope this helps you make decisions heading into Round 1. It’s hard to believe it’s less than 48 hours away!
SuperCoach Guns, signing off
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