BBL | Hurricanes vs Sixers: Talking points from the game that changed between the two Power Surges

BBL 2020 Team Preview: Sydney look to regain Thunder with talent-laded squad

One of the underachieving sides in Big Bash League (BBL) history, Sydney Thunder do have one title to their name, won in the 2015-16 season. Going into the 10th edition, Thunder have one great advantage over other sides. It is the availability of their top players, both Australian and foreign. Usman Khawaja missed out on getting selected for the Australian Test team. This would have been very disappointing for the stylish left-hander but great for his BBL team. Among overseas players also, Thunder have had a big slice of luck with neither Alex Hales nor Sam Billings selected for England's upcoming series. To top it all, New Zealand speedster Adam Milne has chosen to play in BBL instead of his country's domestic tournaments. With all of these key names in the squad, the former champions would be optimistic about their chances. They finished third in the last season, a considerable improvement over the sixth position they occupied in the preceding two seasons and the wooden spoon they earned in the edition before that. Batting Challenges Thunder would be led by the highly-experienced Callum Ferguson. A man with some international experience, he would have to provide the solidity that the middle order requires. He has played every season of BBL and has even registered a century - scored in the eighth season. Last year, Ferguson was in great form at the start of his team's campaign but then lost his way. His getting runs would be extremely crucial for his team's success this time. Since he is both able to bat long and hit the big shots when necessary, he will be the perfect pivot around which the innings can revolve. Equally important would be two other regular members of the side. Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja opened the innings for their team during most of the matches and formed a reasonably good pair. Hales, who has been out of favour with the English team, partly due to on-field performances and partly due to off-field antics, seems to have found his groove in BBL. Last season, he did a very decent job for his side. A very competent batsman in limited-overs cricket, Hales is a very clean striker of the cricket ball. If it wasn't for his repeated transgressions of England team's rules, he might well have continued to be a member of that country's ODI and T20 team. His batting style is quite suited to Australian conditions as the right-hander enjoys the ball coming on to the bat. Khawaja, on the other hand, is one of the most aesthetically pleasing batsmen to watch in the entire world. He is in possession of all the elegance that is associated with left-handers. After making a mark in Test cricket, he was able to prove his credentials in limited-overs formats also last year. The Pakistan-born left-hander produced good performances last year for Thunder. The only problem he faces is something all stylish and graceful batsmen have to deal with in T20 cricket. How to adjust their classical stroke-making abilities to a format that requires improvisaton and unorthodox batting. This was a problem that VVS Laxman had to deal with in his brief IPL career. Still, Khawaja's talent is good enough to see him through this challenge, as it did last year. He and Hales form a good partnership, not just because of the right hand-left hand combination, but also because of contrasting strokeplay. While Hales prefers to stay on the leg side of the ball, Khawaja's wrists come into play when he bats. Apart from this troika, there is another player who can make a big impact. He is Sam Billings of England. A hugely talented youngster, he has been on the fringes of the English team for the last three years and has actually managed to get in and play some good knocks at the international level. He represents the new kind of English batsman, someone who is more adept at big hitting and limited-overs cricket than the previous generation. A sweet timer of the ball and well-balanced at the crease, this is a great opportunity for him to make a big statement as the World T20 approaches and English selectors try to finalise their squad in the coming months. From the lesser known domestic talents, Alex Ross is a name to take note of. His T20 record, from 65 matches looks very impressive, when put in the context of other players like him. He has scored six half-centuries at this level and has an average of 28.85, better than most other players. With a strike rate of 127.34, he is adept at keeping the run-flow going. His distinguishing feature is the prevalence of sweep shot in his batting. Damien Fleming, commentating on his batting, has even dubbed him the 'sweepologist' - something that would prove useful against spinners. Lastly, on has to mention Ben Cutting. Primarily a bowler, the 33-year old is now counted among all-rounders due to his great hitting ability. His strokeplay proved decisive in the final of the 2016 IPL. He was also part of a devastating partnership a couple of seasons ago, where more than 90 runs were added in the first six overs. With such a volatile batting temperament, Cutting can turn the match around with one good cameo. Bowling Capability While Cutting is a spectacular batsman to watch when he is in full flow, as a bowler, he hasn't been the most effective. But he has experience, which may come in handy. In over 150 T20 matches, Cutting has gone for an economy rate of over 9/over. The average is also on the wrong side of 30. In other words, he is not the bowler Thunder would like to rely on in their attempt to stop the opposition. For that purpose, the team has roped in New Zealand's genuinely quick bowler Adam Milne. One of the few genuine pacers to have come out of New Zealand in the last decade and a half, Milne could clear the 150 kph barrier when he was bowling at his best. But pace can cut both ways, it could also benefit the batsman if the line and length is wayward. If the Kiwi bowlers gets these right, he will be a handful. Though his performance recently against India may not have been that encouraging, Daniel Sams has been very successful in this league. Last year, he was the leading bowler for his team and was very consistent. Surprisingly, against India, he choked in the last over of the innings, failing to defend 14 runs and getting hit for two sixes by Haridik Pandya. However, last year, it was his death bowling which proved to be his strong point. His failure against India is not sufficient to write him off as a prospect for Australia. Through the BBL, he can again show how good he is. Two other leading bowlers in the seam department are Chris Tremain and Brendon Doggett. Both are decent bowlers without being considered among the best in the business. The spin bowling department is where Thunder seem to be lacking. There isn't any established name but Jonathan Cook, a leg-spinner, proved quite handy last season with his leg-breaks. His four-wicket haul in the eliminator final of the 2019-20 season was his best effort and a clue to how good he can be on his day. There is another leg-spinner in the squad - Tanveer Sangha. He came into focus as Australian team's leading wicket-taker in this year's Under-19 World Cup. Fans and Australian selectors would love to see him in action. A young leg-spinner is always great to watch. At the same time, leg-spinners can go for runs as well if they get their line and length slightly wrong. At the age of just 18, he would need a lot of support from the team leadership. Conclusion Sydney Thunder would hope to go further than last season. They have the players to shine on the big stage and, unlike other teams, they are available also. This is a golden opportunity for the Sydney-based team to capture their second BBL title. Whether they succeed or not depends a lot on their leadership also. Sydney Thunder Squad Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (C), Jason Sangha, Matt Gilkes (Wk), Chris Green, Baxter Holt (Wk), Nathan McAndrew, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Adam Milne, Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Jonathan Cook, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Cutting, Chris Tremain

BBL | Hurricanes vs Sixers: Hobart hold nerve to clinch clinical victory

The much-awaited Big Bash League is back with its 10th season and so is the quotient of unpredictability. Planned to the last detail, keeping the entertainment quotient in mind, the new rules of BBL struck in the first game itself with Hobart Hurricanes trouncing defending champions Sydney Sixers to achieve a clinical victory of 16 runs. The top players of Hurricanes showed their class in the inaugural clash and delivered in the crunch moments to start off their campaign on a winning note. Led by James Faulkner and Riley Meredith in the bowling department, Hurricanes restricted Sixers to a modest 162-6 in 20 overs after Colin Ingram (55 off 42) and Tim David (58 off 33) stole the show in the batting department. Power Surge proves the deciding factor Chasing at a fantastic run rate in the first half of the innings, Sixers were 85/1 after the first 10 overs and looked well poised to get to the target of 179. After a lean Power Surge (2 over batting powerplay) that yielded just 18 runs and a dropped catch by Tim David, Sixers, in the hunt for quick runs, lost two wickets, one each in consecutive overs. The wickets shifted the momentum completely towards the Hurricanes and the Sixers never recovered. Sent in to bat first, Hurricanes had a stop-start progress throughout the innings but managed 19 runs from the final over of Steve O’Keefe (first Power Surge over). This brought Tim David and Hurricanes much-needed impetus. David, who was batting on 14 off 12 before that over, picked himself up and dealt a huge blow to the opposition by scoring 58 off 33 before getting out in the last over. Hurricanes’ bowlers hold their nerve After getting smashed to all corners of the park in the first 10 overs. Hurricanes’ bowlers picked up 5 wickets between the 14th and 20th over. With Ryan Meredith bowling at pace throughout the game, Sixers targeted the 26-year-old Nathan Ellis. Coming into bowl in the 17th and the 19th overs, Ellis gave away just one boundary and picked up the crucial wicket of Jordan Silk to put the pressure straight back on Sixers. Meredith and Faulkner were the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets each while Ellis and Scott Boland picked up two wickets between them. Vince shines for Sixers, but not enough The match found certain batsmen from both teams in top form, doing what they individually do best. Peter Handscomb (24 off 20) created angles and stole runs in his brief stay at the crease, while Colin Ingram’s drives looked as heavenly as usual. However, the show was stolen by the man of the match Tim David who played a few huge shots under the pump and helped a batting order starved for momentum. James Vince tried to emulate the same in the second innings, carefully choosing the balls to go after. Coming from a classical background, Vince caressed the drives, tapped the straight balls, and unleashed a big heave when necessary. When Faulkner forced him to work the leg side, the bigger side of the ground, bowling a straight line to him, the Englishman kept nudging the ball with his flicks. The one time, the only time, when he lapsed in his concentration, Faulkner struck him on the pads and earned a crucial wicket to shift the momentum towards Hurricanes. Want to see good fielding, come to BBL In a season marred with match fitness, the first game of the 10th edition of Big Bash League delighted the in-game crowd with one of the most outrageous attempts in the outfield. Running to his right, Jordan Silk pulled back one of the cleanest hits of the day from Colin Ingram by a single-handed dive that saw him leaping over the rope, catching the ball, and then throwing it back inside the boundary. Eh, why waste words on this indescribably beautiful effort? Watch it rather. Major talking points from the first game While Hurricanes were awarded three points, chasers Sidney Sixers, despite losing, earned a point for scoring more runs at the halfway stage of the game. It was quite clear from this game that the Power Surge rule is going to have quite a bit of importance. If you go hard, you score more runs at the risk of losing wickets in those two overs. But if you take the more cautious route, you could end up losing a fair bit of momentum, evident from the Sixers' chase. One interesting bit from the day's match was that the much talked about X-factor rule was not used by either of the teams. It might be an indication of a 'wait and observe' strategy, or teams might be happy with their set strategy coming into the game, unless the need to change arises. To sum it up, the opening game of the much-awaited BBL was worth the wait. The competition was fierce, athleticism was great, and new rules exciting. One can only hope that it will get better as the tournament matures.

Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune to host England on full-fledged tour of India

The much-awaited series between India and England would begin with the longer format i.e Test matches, starting with the first Test in Chennai from 5th February. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with the England Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made a joint announcement about the 51-day long tour of England. Apart from teh first Test, the second one will also be hosted in Chennai itself before the bandwagon moves to the grand 110,000 seaters Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera Ahmedabad. The Gujarat city will host teh third and fourth Tests. The third one will also be the second-ever Day-Night Test to be played in India, after the first one that took place in Eden Gardens in 2019. Apart from the two Tests, Ahmedabad will also host a five-match T20I series which will begin from 12th March and would go on till 20th. The third and final leg of teh tournament will be three ODIs, to be played in Pune starting 23rd March and ending on 28th. Mr. Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary of the BCCI was upbeat about the announcement saying that the two Boards will leave no stone unturned to ensure the success of teh series as well as the safety of the players. "The BCCI prioritizes the health and safety of both teams and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams. Saying that it will be India's first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Shah hoped that the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans. “Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket,” he added. Mr. Tom Harrison, CEO, ECB, while feeling privileged that England would be the first foreign team to play in the ‘magnificent’ Motera, said, “We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmadabad, and Pune will be ready to host international cricket in a bio-secure environment.”

30,000 fans to be allowed per day during Boxing day Test

The Boxing day Test between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground has been allowed to host 30,000spectators per day during the entire duration of the game. The decision was taken by teh Victorian government after an improvement in their covid cases. Minister Martin Pakula confirmed the increase in the number of seats and it was shared by Cricket Australia on Twitter. The minister also said that since the last 41 days no new case of COVID-19 has been reported. The Boxing day Tets begins on 26th December at the MCG, after the conclusion of the first game, which would be played from 17th of December in Adelaide and it would be a day and night affair. The iconic stadium was witness to a record 86,000 visitors coming to watch the Women's T20 World Cup final which Australia won by beasting Indian women.