SC BBL|13 Round 1 is almost here and it’s a Super Round spanning six days with the Brisbane Heat on a triple, plus the Stars, Sixers, Scorchers and Gades have doubles. We’re here to help with predicted line-ups.
Brisbane Heat v Melbourne Stars
Thursday 7 December, 6:15pm local time, Gabba
Heat
Doubtful: Michael Neser (soreness), Spencer Johnson (hamstring)
Unavailable: Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw (PM’s XI)
There’s injury doubts over Neser and Johnson so it feels unlikely they’d risk both in game 1, with another game two days later. If either aren’t available, you’d think Jack Wildermuth steps in. Johnson has been bowling in training. Neser feels more unlikely having withdrawn from the PM’s XI game starting Wednesday.
The other point of genuine 50-50 contention is whether they pick Josh Brown or Jack Wood, with the former scoring a blazing century in last week’s practice games after some bright BBL|12 moments. But Brown was left out of the Heat’s 14-man squad, so we’re tipping Wood who offers some part-time spin and more of a middle-order option. If Wood plays, Sam Billings should bat at a more friendly 4 which may be a SC factor.
1 U.Khawaja (c)
2 C.Munro
3 M.Labuschagne
4 S.Billings (wk)
5 M.Bryant
6 J.Wood
7 P.Walter
8 X.Bartlett
9 J.Wildermuth
10 M.Kuhnemann
11 S.Johnson
Stars
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Beau Webster, Mark Steketee (PM’s XI), Scott Boland (Test duty), Haris Rauf (recent travel)
The Stars openers are set but the order from 3-6 isn’t clear, although Glenn Maxwell declared on Wednesday he’ll likely bat 4, meaning Marcus Stoinis is likely batting 5. Joel Paris missed WA’s last Shield game with a groin niggle which may open the door for Brody Couch.
Pakistani duo Haris Rauf arrived in midweek and given the short turnaround will miss the game, opening up an opportunity for English quick Olly Stone.
1 T.Rogers
2 S.Harper (wk)
3 J.Burns
4 G.Maxwell (c)
5 M.Stoinis
6 H.Cartwright
7 L.Dawson
8 N.Coulter-Nile
9 Usama Mir
10 J.Paris
11 O.Stone
Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades
Friday 8 December, 7:15pm local time, SCG
Sixers
Doubtful: Steve O’Keefe (finger), Sean Abbott (niggle), Ben Dwarshuis (personal)
Unavailable: Todd Murphy (PM’s XI), Hayden Kerr (side)
Steve Smith will be available for game 1 before exiting for Test duty while James Vince has flown in from the Abu Dhabi T10 League to claim his place on Friday. Hayden Kerr’s side strain – likely ruling him out until Round 2 – opens the door for Jack Edwards as an all-rounder, although he’s only just come back from injury, so don’t rule out Kurtis Patterson or Daniel Hughes playing.
Sean Abbott may not be 100% after returning from the India T20Is last week, so keep an eye on that, while Ben Dwarshuis may opt out after his father suddenly passed away earlier in the week. Ryan Hadley has been signed as a replacement player who could step in for either. Afghan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed was only due to arrive in Australia on Wednesday so may miss, while Steve O’Keefe isn’t locked in to play with an ongoing finger issue sidelining him at club level. With that in mind, spinning all-rounder Joel Davies is a chance to sneak in and play.
1 J.Philippe (wk)
2 S.Smith
3 J.Vince
4 M.Henriques
5 J.Silk
6 J.Edwards
7 T.Curran
8 S.Abbott
9 B.Dwarshuis
10 S.O’Keefe
11 J.Bird
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Renegades
Doubtful: Kane Richardson (glute)
Unavailable: Quinton de Kock (T10 League), Nathan Lyon (Test duty)
Nic Maddinson should open the batting in Quinton de Kock’s absence. Shaun Marsh wasn’t named in the 14-man squad, opening up the possibility for Jake Fraser-McGurk to bat in the top 3. Maddinson flagged new signing Jordan Cox is a middle-order option too. Honeyball understands Kane Richardson’s glute injury is only minor so he should play. Peter Siddle also missed the 14-man squad.
1 J.Clarke (wk)
2 N.Maddinson (c)
3 J.Fraser-McGurk
4 J.Cox
5 A.Finch
6 J.Wells
7 W.Sutherland
8 T.Rogers
9 K.Richardson
10 A.Zampa
11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat
Saturday 9 December, 6:45pm local time, Adelaide Oval
Strikers
Doubtful: James Bazley (hamstring)
Unavailable: Travis Head, Alex Carey (Test duty), David Payne (travel)
All-rounder James Bazley hurt his hamstring over a fortnight ago in the Sheffield Shield but Honeyball understands he’ll be available for selection. If Bazley does play, it creates a squeeze potentially seeing a bowler drop out or a middle-order bat like Tom Kelly or Jake Weatherald. This could go either way, with D’Arcy Short and Matt Short offering more spin-bowling options.
Chris Lynn and Adam Hose will be back in time from T10 League in Abu Dhabi to play. Ben Manenti and Cameron Boyce will fight for the spinners’ role.
1 M.Short (c)
2 D.Short
3 C.Lynn
4 A.Hose
5 J.Weatherald
6 J.Bazley
7 J.Overton
8 B.Manenti
9 H.Nielsen (wk)
10 W.Agar
11 H.Thornton
Heat
Doubtful: Michael Neser (soreness), Spencer Johnson (hamstring)
Unavailable: Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw (PM’s XI), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne (Test duty)
Test pair Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne will miss this game with the Test squad assembling in Perth on December 9, opening up opportunities for Josh Brown and Jack Wood or local replacements Charlie Wakim or Lachlan Hearne. However, Nathan McSweeney has been freed up to play after the early conclusion of the PM’s XI draw in Canberra, flying into Adelaide on Saturday, so Wood likely misses out.
Neser and Johnson both played game 1 after niggles so may be rested. It’d surprise me to see Johnson play two games in three days given his injury history, with Jack Wildermuth or Will Prestwidge among the options to replace him. Brisbane playing five bowlers in game 1 suggests a structural change that may impact Paul Walter moving forward but he’s safe for now.
1 J.Brown
2 C.Munro
3 N.McSweeney
4 S.Billings (c, wk)
5 M.Bryant
6 P.Walter
7 M.Neser
8 X.Bartlett
9 S.Johnson
10 M.Swepson
11 M.Kuhnemann
Melbourne Renegades v Perth Scorchers
Sunday 10 December, 7:15pm local time, GMHBA Stadium
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Nathan Lyon (Test duty), Jordan Cox (import quota)
Quinton de Kock has arrived in Australia and a “certain starter” for this game according to the Gades. His inclusion means Nic Maddinson will shuffle down the order, while Joe Clarke will relinquish the gloves. Jordan Cox will drop out which is obvious, given sides can only field three imports.
Peter Siddle is into the Gades’ squad, albeit an extended 16-man group, so could come in for a bowler like Kane Richardson who had a recent minor glute injury. Keep an eye on that, but otherwise it’s unlikely they’ll change their bowlers.
1 J.Clarke
2 Q.de Kock (wk)
3 N.Maddinson (c)
4 J.Fraser-McGurk
5 A.Finch
6 J.Wells
7 W.Sutherland
8 T.Rogers
9 K.Richardson
10 A.Zampa
11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Scorchers
Doubtful: Matt Kelly (calf)
Unavailable: Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris (Test duty), Zak Crawley (England ODI), Ashton Agar (calf)
The Scorchers had admitted they’re undecided on their Round 1 openers with Zak Crawley absent, but captain Ashton Turner confirmed on Friday that Steve Eskinazi and Cooper Connolly will get first crack. The latter opened and impressed with 95 from 56 balls in Tuesday’s intrasquad game, before taking a 2fa. That has trickle-on effects for Sam Whiteman who probably misses out given Nick Hobson is more apt lower down the order.
Spinner Ashton Agar played in that warm-up game after a calf injury, bowling four overs and fielding well but Adam Voges has firmly indicated he won’t play yet and CA will want to hold him back, instead pointing to left-arm spinner Hamish McKenzie. Matt Kelly also returned from a calf issue in that game and bowled four overs, so he’s still a half-chance, having been named int he 13.
In saying all that, Agar and Whiteman were both on the plane to Victoria, although there is a second game over there to come, so they may come into contention for that.
1 S.Eskinazi
2 C.Connolly
3 A.Hardie
4 J.Inglis (wk)
5 A.Turner (c)
6 L.Evans
7 N.Hobson
8 J.Richardson
9 A.Tye
10 H.McKenzie
11 J.Behrendorff
Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Sixers
Monday 11 December, 7:15pm local time, Launceston
Hurricanes
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: N/A
The Hurricanes have no selection issues, with Riley Meredith declaring he’s fully fit after returning from a side strain last weekend. Conditions will likely depend if they go with Peter Hatzoglou or Billy Stanlake. All-rounders Nikhil Chaudhary and Mitch Owen plus bat Sam Heazlett are all in excellent club form if anyone isn’t ready to go. Owen seems a sneaky chance to play.
1 C.Jewell
2 M.Wade (wk)
3 B.McDermott
4 S.Hain
5 T.David
6 C.Anderson
7 C.Jordan
8 N.Ellis (c)
9 P.Dooley
10 R.Meredith
11 P.Hatzoglou
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Sixers
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Hayden Kerr (side), Steve Smith (Test duty), Sean Abbott (personal)
Predicted Ins/Outs: Dan Hughes for Steve Smith, Todd Murphy for Sean Abbott
Steve Smith will be unavailable due to Test duty, while Todd Murphy will return from PM’s XI. It’s hard to see Steve O’Keefe frequently playing two games in short succession, so expect the Sixers to rotate their spinners, with Joel Davies in the frame while Izharulhaq Naveed hasn’t made the trip south.
Kurtis Patterson or Dan Hughes could both justifiably take Smith’s spot, with Hughes seeming to have the inside running. Sean Abbott is out for personal reasons.
1 J.Philippe (wk)
2 J.Vince
3 D.Hughes
4 M.Henriques
5 J.Silk
6 J.Edwards
7 T.Curran
8 B.Dwarshuis
9 T.Murphy
10 J.Bird
11 S.O’Keefe
Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat
Tuesday 12 December, 7:15pm local time, Manuka Oval
Thunder
Doubtful: Liam Hatcher (foot), Ollie Davies (finger)
Unavailable: Jason Sangha (wrist), Will Salzmann (illness), David Warner (Test duty), Sam Konstas (NSW 2nd XI)
Cameron Bancroft and Nathan McAndrew will already be in Canberra from the PM’s XI game which concludes on December 9 for this game, so they’ll slot in. There’s an injury doubt on Ollie Davies, while Jason Sangha has been ruled out with a wrist injury, creating some major issues to their batting line-up, possibly opening the door for Blake Nikitaras or for the Thunder to play six bowlers and back the batting ability of Daniel Sams and Nathan McAndrew higher up the order.
The inside word is Bancroft will bat 3, with Mathew Gilkes opening alongside Alex Hales, who had a poor recent Abu Dhabi T10 League campaign, scoring 48 runs in six innings. Pakistani slinger Zaman Khan has received his No-Objection Clearance allowing him to play their first four games.
1 M.Gilkes (wk)
2 A.Hales
3 C.Bancroft
4 O.Davies
5 A.Ross
6 D.Sams
7 N.McAndrew
8 C.Green (c)
9 L.Hatcher
10 Zaman Khan
11 T.Sangha
Heat
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne (Test duty)
The Heat will welcome back Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson and Matt Renshaw from PM’s XI duty for this game, creating a plethora of options. That’s not good news for Josh Brown or Jack Wood’s hopes of playing. The latter isn’t in the squad for this game.
The Heat used a five-bowler set-up for their first game successfully, with Mitch Swepson alongside the four bowlers listed below and if they persist with that, it may put Paul Walter or Max Bryant’s spot in the side at risk.
Jordan Buckingham is into the squad as an LRP, meaning they could use him if Michael Neser or Spencer Johnson pulled up sore from their opening game.
1 C.Munro (c)
2 M.Renshaw
3 N.McSweeney
4 S.Billings
5 J.Peirson (wk)
6 P.Walter
7 M.Neser
8 X.Bartlett
9 M.Kuhnemann
10 S.Johnson
11 M.Swepson
Melbourne Stars v Perth Scorchers
Wednesday 13 December, 7:15pm local time, MCG
Stars
Predicted Ins/Outs: Beau Webster for Glenn Maxwell, Mark Steketee for Nathan Coulter-Nile, Haris Rauf for Olly Stone, Nick Larkin for Joe Burns
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Scott Boland (Test duty), Nathan Coulter-Nile (calf), Glenn Maxwell (forearm), Joe Burns (illness), Olly Stone (import quota)
The Stars have injury issues from game 1 with injury-prone quick Nathan Coulter-Nile (calf) and Glenn Maxwell (forearm) ruled out, while Joe Burns will miss after being unwell. Mark Steketee and Beau Webster’s return after playing in the PM’s XI game are timely as a result.
Webster replacing Maxwell can’t be good for Marcus Stoinis’ bowling role. Haris Rauf will return after missing game 1 with Olly Stone to miss out due to the overseas quota. Nick Larkin will likely edge Campbell Kellaway to take Burns’ spot. It’ll be either Larkin or Webster at first drop.
1 T.Rogers
2 S.Harper (wk)
3 N.Larkin
4 B.Webster
5 M.Stoinis (c)
6 H.Cartwright
7 L.Dawson
8 Usama Mir
9 J.Paris
10 M.Steketee
11 Haris Rauf
Scorchers
Predicted Ins/Outs: No changes
Doubtful: N/A
Unavailable: Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris (Test duty), Zak Crawley (England ODI), Ashton Agar (calf)
Game 1 performance was going to be indicative but Perth’s opener got canned due to a dodgy pitch so it’s hard to see too many changes. Ashton Agar has been ruled out.
1 S.Eskinazi
2 C.Connolly
3 A.Hardie
4 J.Inglis (wk)
5 A.Turner (c)
6 L.Evans
7 N.Hobson
8 J.Richardson
9 A.Tye
10 H.McKenzie
11 J.Behrendorff
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