Batsman's game, they say. Rightly so. Tracks as flat as a pancake. Forearms of steel wielding willows wide as a railway sleeper. A snow-white Kookaburra that glides along the grass as if smeared with petroleum jelly. The license to run riot and a permanent place on the team sheet. And as if the dice wasn't already loaded in their favour, the convenience of Power Surge to cut loose at will. How even do the poor bowlers square off against these batting beasts armed to the teeth? You'd be forgiven to think that they are destined to defeat. Well, that's not the case. Thankfully.
Here's compiling a list of five masterminds in BBL 10 who are always a step ahead of the pinch-hitting demons and ensure the scales don't tilt too far on the side of the empowered.
1) Jhye Richardson
Jhye Richardson likes to keep things simple and reaps plenty of rewards. He chimes in full throttle to nail those nagging seven-meter lengths that make life difficult for batsmen eyeing room to free their arms. Besides hurrying them into submission, Richardson has a top-drawer slower ball to keep the hard-hitters honest. The perfect blend of skill and smarts has shot him to the top of the wickets chart, with as many as 27 scalps in 14 matches, a clear five wickets ahead of the next best. In addition to being the wrecker-in-chief, he has been a very tidy customer for Perth Scorchers, with a tournament economy rate of 7.08 placing him only behind teammate Jason Behrendorff.
Richardson has been thrown the cherry in the Power Surge in a dozen games and has snared the most wickets (nine) of any bowler in that punishment-prone period at a sterling economy rate of 8.17. Despite bowling serious gas and picking bountiful of wickets, that Richardson has been neglected for the red and white-ball tours to South Africa and New Zealand respectively is a tough pill to swallow.
2) Mark Steketee
Mark Steketee is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing BBL, with 22 wickets at 21.18. His victims include big fishes like Aaron Finch, Alex Carey, Carlos Brathwaite, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Cutting and Colin Ingram. He has been a vital cog in Brisbane Heat’s wheel since his domestic debut in the 2013/14 edition and is proudly the team’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 64 scalps at 24.67. His first-class exploits haven’t gone unnoticed as he’s all set to board the flight for Australia’s forthcoming tour to South Africa.
3) Tanveer Sangha
Sangha, who plies his trade for Sydney Thunder, sits third in the wicket chart with 21 scalps to his name at the end of the group stage. The leg-spinner’s upsurge is a bolt from the blue, a stint so clinical that has overshadowed wizards of the likes of Rashid Khan and Adam Zampa. Sangha has been put to the task in the Powerplays and at the death to keep a rampaging Glenn Maxwell in check and deliver crucial breakthroughs. Safe to say, he’s been the find of BBL 10 so far. And alike Steketee, his hard work bore fruit with a maiden call-up for Australia’s T20 series versus New Zealand next month.
4) Wes Agar
The recipient of the prestigious Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award in 2020, Wes Agar is the latest fetch from Australia’s seemingly bottomless well of fast bowlers. His performance graph in the ongoing BBL reads 21 wickets in 14 innings at a competent economy of a tick above eight. Given the sheer velocity that Agar possesses, it’s a tough ask to hit him off a length. He got the better of some key players in Marnus Labuschagne and Joe Denly as his four-wicket haul denied Brisbane Heat a target of 198.
5) Nathan Ellis
Nathan Ellis’ is a classic rag to riches story. Not long ago, he had to resort to odd chores like installing air conditioners to make ends meet, but has now carved his own niche in the slam-bang format. With 20 wickets in 14 games, Ellis was central to whatever little glory Hobart Hurricanes could manage in their topsy-turvy ride in BBL 10. His best figures of 4/34 came against Perth Scorchers where he took dangermen Jason Roy out of the equation early. Ellis’ proclivity to yorkers holds him in good stead in the slog overs where batsmen swing for the hills.
Powered by Froala Editor