- Hurricanes win by 16 runs
- Hobart Hurricanes 178/8; Sydney Sixers 162/6
The Big Bash League for 2020-21 is underway and on a chilly night in Hobart the Hurricanes bowled superbly in the second half of the Sydney Sixers innings to pinch the win.
The home side batted first and half-centuries to Colin Ingram (55) and Tim David (58) set them up for a score of 178, that felt around par on a pitch that was holding up.
That was a heck of a fightback from Hobart. The Hurricanes take the first win of BBL10.
20th over: Sixers 162-6 chasing 179 (Brathwaite 2, Dwarshuis 6) Magnificent death bowling from Scott Boland, nailing his yorkers, varying his pace and angles, and sending the Hurricanes home.
Boland to bowl the last over. He begins with a full toss that Brathwaite can’t middle and has to settle for a single. The next delivery is much better, yorker-ish, and Christian tries his best to get underneath it and guide it towards the short boundary, but all he can do is pick out David in the covers.
19th over: Sixers 154-5 chasing 179 (Christian 10, Brathwaite 0) Ellis backs up his wicket with a tight line and length, and gets away with a full toss that was perilously close to a no-ball. Sydney are running twos on every hit and Brathwaite is lucky to survive on a couple of occasions. Christian hogs the strike though and cahses in on ball five with a slog sweep for four to the vacant square leg boundary. Ellis responds by landing a yorker outside off stump that skips through to Handscomb behind the stumps.
Brathwaite needs to do something special to win this. He has no experience of such a feat, has he?
The Sixers have to go big now, and Silk tries, but he doesn’t go big enough, carting Ellis’s first delivery straight down long-off’s throat.
18th over: Sixers 145-4 chasing 179 (Silk 13, Christian 2) Just four singles and the wicket from Meredith’s final over, a set of six that has turned the Hurricanes from slightly ahead to clear favourites.
34 off 12 required.
Swing and a miss from Hughes to welcome Meredith’s final over. The next delivery is slower and the skipper drags on. From nowhere, the Hurricanes are now in the box seat.
17th over: Sixers 141-3 chasing 179 (Hughes 9, Silk 11) Silk aims a huge mow at the first ball of Ellis’s over and it soars miles in the air, coming down to earth safely behind the wicketkeeper. Sydney run two for their troubles, then two more and four singles as the bowler picks his variations in accordance with his field.
This has been an excellent fightback from Hobart. The Sixers might be rueing their decision not to have inserted one of their hitters to avoid a partnership like this with two slow starters.
16th over: Sixers 133-3 chasing 179 (Hughes 8, Silk 5) Handscomb now needs to find overs form somewhere after using up Faulkner, and he turns to Botha. He gets away with a drag down first ball, then is unfortunate to beat Hughes’s sweep and somehow miss leg stump. Silk cuts a single and the pressure grows for this partnership that isn’t a naturally expansive coupling. Hughes senses the moment, takes a couple of steps down the wicket to meet the ball on the half-volley and drive sweetly through the off-side for four.
Still nip-and-tuck with 24 deliveries remaining.
15th over: Sixers 125-3 chasing 179 (Hughes 3, Silk 3) Canny from Meredith, deceiving state teammate Silk with a slower cutter before firing in the thunderbolt. Silk is desperate to get off strike and is lucky to survive a run-out with Botha lurking. Meredith is fired up and he bends his back for a rapid bouncer - 153.5 kph - only to turn around and see it called a wide.
The required run-rate is the best part of 11. Two new batters at the crease. This is going to be a much tighter finish than it seemed for most of this chase.
Bowled him! 148.5 km/h from Riley Meredith, beats Jack Edwards for pace...
Sixers need 59 from 34, here come the @HurricanesBBL! #BBL10pic.twitter.com/905UDzYkKu
Time for more pace from Meredith, and he strikes second ball! That was just sheer pace, ripping one through Edwards’s defences and clipping the bails above middle stump. That was just raw fast bowling. Both set Sydney batsmen are out and Hobart have their tails up.
14th over: Sixers 119-2 chasing 179 (Edwards 47, Hughes 1) Brilliant over from Faulkner, and the Hurricanes are mounting a fightback. They have conceded just one boundary in 17 balls and the required run-rate has nudged over ten for the first time tonight.
Handscomb’s still searching for that partnership breaker, so he turns again to Faulkner. He opens with dot, one, dot, then he sends one down that’s full on leg stump, Vince tries to sweep, misses, and the finger rises! There’s life in the Hurricanes yet!
13th over: Sixers 117-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 46, Vince 67) Boland has the misfortune to bowl the second and final over of the Power Surge. He starts with a perfect yorker, then another, this one a borderline wide that has Edwards reaching and almost edging behind. Another superb yorker is dug out for a single, bringing Vince on strike. The Englishman adjusts to the length and line by hanging back, clearing his front leg and swiping mightily - but without timing. The ball goes high into the air and should come down into Hurricanes hands - but David shells it! Horrible miss from the Hobart half-centurion. To make matters worse, Vince runs two, then finishes the over with a straight drive for four.
Oh no, Tim David Golden with the bat, not so in the field here #BBL10pic.twitter.com/4U8LQRanqM
12th over: Sixers 108-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 45, Vince 60) The Sixers have called for the two-over powerplay and Nathan Ellis is the unfortunate cannon fodder. He opens with a length delivery that Vince eases over long-off for a graceful six. He fights back brilliantly, nailing not only his yorker length, but the line too, adjusting to where Vince is looking to create room.
POWER SURGE!
11th over: Sixers 99-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 44, Vince 52) Boland returns, and he’s greeted by Edwards rocking back and pulling Ponting-like on Punter’s old stomping ground for four. Vince finds the same portion of the boundary with a less aesthetically pleasing stroke that bounces just in front of the diving sweeper before thudding into the sponsor’s boards. Boland’s over goes from bad to worse with a streaky Edwards edge signposted for four as soon as it left the skerrick of bat it deflected off.
10th over: Sixers 85-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 35, Vince 47) Handscomb is still searching for something so he returns to the wicket-taker Faulkner. Edwards is alive to the veteran’s variations though, waiting in his crease for the shorter slower ball and pulling him into the gap for four. Vince then glances fine for another boundary to end the over. Magenta Sydney are cruising here without leaving second gear.
9th over: Sixers 75-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 30, Vince 42) Back to the pace of Meredith with the Hurricanes needing wickets to disrupt the Sixers and their smooth progress... but it doesn’t work. A Scruffy few balls precede Vince leading-edging a six over the short square-leg boundary. That stroke secures the mid-innings bonus point, Sydney bettering Hobart’s 72-3 after ten overs a full over ahead of schedule.
8th over: Sixers 65-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 29, Vince 34) Short gets a second over and it works well for five deliveries with the left-arm spinner bowling to two right-arm batters and a smartly placed field. But the final delivery is swept by Edwards and the square leg sweeper comes in for the catch but doesn’t fully commit, by which time he’s unable to prevent the boundary.
7th over: Sixers 57-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 23, Vince 32) Barrel-chested Boland’s turn to join this deep Hurricanes attack and his second ball whistles past Edwards’s outside edge. The bowler looks on top of the duel until out of nowhere Edwards spots the slower ball out of the hand, rocks back, and pulls with supreme timing high and handsomely over midwicket for six.
6th over: Sixers 49-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 16, Vince 31) Another over, another bowler, this time D’Arcy Short with his left-arm spin. He starts badly, dragging one down and watching Vince pull him dismissively for four through midwicket. Short fights back well, conceding only three more to conservative tip-and-run batting.
5th over: Sixers 42-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 15, Vince 25) The tigerish Nathan Ellis gets a bowl and he’s unlucky to find the edge of Edwards’s bat only to watch the ball scoot through the vacant cordon for four. His change-ups are well executed and keeping Sydney on their toes, but Vince remains calm and executes that beautiful technique of his to caress another cover drive for four.
The Sixers are ahead of the game a quarter of their way into this chase.
4th over: Sixers 30-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 9, Vince 19) From the experience and subtlety of Botha to the raw pace of young Riley Meredith. He opens with a rapid legside wide but quickly hits the bat hard with a classic top-of-off line and length at near enough 150kph. He intersperses those deliveries with a 152kph yorker that almost obliterates Vince’s toes, then rips one past the outside edge. This is impressive stuff from the speedster - but he’s let down by his bowling buddy with Boland misfielding at fine-leg to gift the Sixers a boundary.
3rd over: Sixers 21-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 7, Vince 13) T20 is full of improvisation and brute force, but Vince is showing there remains room for technical cricket strokes. He leans into his second boundary of the night with a textbook cover drive. Faulkner comes back well and the remainder of the over goes for just three singles.
2nd over: Sixers 14-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 6, Vince 7) Johan Botha trusted to share the new ball with his right-arm off-spinners delivered with that very limby action of his. Both Sixers work neat singles before Vince uses his feet well to pick the gap expertly between long-on and square-leg. Botha then gets too short for Edwards who rocks back and clips an easy four through the flimsily guarded offside.
1st over: Sixers 3-1 chasing 179 (Edwards 1, Vince 1) Superb start for the Hurricanes. Excellent shape from Faulkner.
James Faulkner has the new ball and he pleads and pleads for LBW first ball, but to no avail. Did it pitch outside leg? Was it bouncing over? Did it too much coming back into the right-handed Philippe? That was very very close. Philippe gets off strike, then Edwards gets off the mark first ball, then Faulkner exacts his revenge! Full and swinging in from the left-arm over bowler to the right-handed batsman. The ball strikes the pads (perhaps via an inside edge) and the finger goes up!
Out come the Hurricanes onto a chilly artificially lit Blundstone Arena. They’re soon followed by Sixers openers Jack Edwards and Josh Philippe.
As C7 talent Trent Copeland has skin in the game, but he’s also a superb analyst, so I’d pay attention to his early take.
Massive win for the ‘new rules’ team on day one. Powerplay 2/4 the @HurricanesBBL ... no way traditional overs 5/6 go for many runs.
‘Surge’ once reestablished - BIG runs. Not traditional, but big impact. #BBL10@7Cricket
Sydney Sixers have 179 to win. That feels about par on a ground where runs normally flow freely, but tonight the wicket is a little slow and gripping.
Ave 1st innings score last 2 years in non DLS/abandoned BBL games where exactly 2 wickets lost inside 1st 4 overs is 147. The highest score was 176. Losing at least 7 wickets in an innings the ave score reduces to 139.@HurricanesBBL total 178
Already Lots to discuss in #BBL10
20th over: Hurricanes 178-8 (Botha 1, Boland 6) Scott Boland comes out and immediately slaps a Christian bouncer well in front of midwicket like a baseball slugger. A hard-run two finishes things off.
Botha does well to get off strike from the first ball of Christian’s final over. What can David do? He starts by whipping two from another targeted leg-stump yorker, then he engineers a similar delivery through the covers for a couple more. Christian is a fraction short next ball and David can get under it. He goes high and straight - that looks a six off the bat - but he targets the long boundary, into the breeze, and it holds up sufficiently for Edwards to pouch his third catch of the night. Excellent knock from Tim David.
19th over: Hurricanes 167-7 (David 54, Botha 0) Out comes the former South African skipper Johan Botha, who is now an Australian citizen, and, until a couple of weeks ago, retired. He starts at the non-striker’s end and enjoys David outside edging a four, then SMASHING THE BIGGEST SIX YOU HAVE EVER SEEN! That was a free hit right in his arc and Dwarshuis is sent miles and miles over his head and into the river. Bosh, nice way to bring up a half-century. Another outside-edge scuttles away to complete a very good over for Hobart.
"THAT'S GONE OUT OF THE WHOLE PLACE!"
Tim David goes bang! #BBL10pic.twitter.com/nqsq5RVes7
Ellis picks the opening delivery of Dwarshuis’s over, a shorter slower ball, and he slaps it cleanly with a superb clean hit over the midwicket fence. The follow-up is a wide, then Dwarshuis goes back to his opening delivery, hoping to cash in on some lower order confidence - and it works. Ellis hoicking a mow straight down cow corner’s throat.
18th over: Hurricanes 145-6 (David 36, Ellis 12) Christian continues with his heel-yorker approach from around the wicket. It’s honours even for two balls but then Nathan Ellis steps to leg, gives himself some room and gets under a glorious straight six. A couple of hard-run twos complete a good over for Hobart.
17th over: Hurricanes 131-6 (David 35, Ellis 0) David ends the over by cracking an excellent backfoot drive through the covers for four.
Dwarshuis, who bowled superbly early on, is back, and after a couple of singles he concedes four when Faulkner waits an age to pick a slower ball and guide it to the short square-leg boundary. He perishes next swipe though, failing to middle a lofted drive and it’s easy pickings for James Vince coming in from the long-on boundary.
16th over: Hurricanes 121-5 (David 30, Faulkner 1) Christian continues his approach of bowling leg-stump yorkers to the right-handed David - and then Faulkner - from around the wicket with a really low arm - and it’s effective. A wicket and just six runs from the second Power Surge over.
Dan Christian gets the second Power Surge over and he begins well with two smart yorkers on David’s heels. Then he takes the pace off the ball, deceiving Ingram, who whips his hands through a pull way too soon and skies a top-edge to Sandhu at midwicket. Excellent bowling. Another demonstration of how tacky this pitch is though. Replays showed that slower ball gripped and moved off the surface.
15th over: Hurricanes 115-4 ( Ingram 55, David 27) The Hurricanes call for the Power Surge at what was expected to be the textbook moment. The Sixers invite O’Keefe into the firing line, and Smith nails him for a hat-trick of fours, first over over, then consecutively through midwicket with bottom-edged slogs. A single rotates the strike, then INGRAM BRINGS UP HIS 50 by punching the ball over the bowler’s head for four. He looks to have smashed a six to complete the over but WOW! Jordan Silk flies miles behind the rope to parry the ball back into play. That was a staggering piece of fielding.
WOW JORDAN SILK #BBL10pic.twitter.com/Wp5zG0mSPJ
POWER SURGE TIME!
14th over: Hurricanes 96-4 ( Ingram 49, David 14) Manenti returns to finish his spell and he begins by targeting David’s pads with his right-arm off-spin from around the wicket. He then slides one across the batsman that induces a play and a miss before the strike’s rotated with three successive singles.
13th over: Hurricanes 91-4 ( Ingram 48, David 10) Brathwaite is back for his second over and after a couple of dots he’s powerless to repel a searing flat batted straight pull that almost hits the non-striker’s stumps before skipping into the sightscreen. Ingram then levers a pair of short deliveries for twos as he edges towards a vital half-century.
12th over: Hurricanes 82-4 ( Ingram 44, David 5) Tim David comes out to join Ingram and he finds the rope with a pull from another Christian short ball. It’s another good over for Sydney though, who are back on top after that dangerous Ingram-Handscomb partnership.
This was an interesting insight into how coaches are going to apply the new rules. TLDR: they’re only likely to go to the X-Factor in games lurching clearly one way. Evenly poised matches aren’t going to see much action.
"The game probably has to be significantly shifted one way or the other to go with a sub. It's pretty evenly poised at 10 and 3/70odd so we stick with the cattle we've got in the eleven."@HurricanesBBL coach Adam Griffith on why they didn't use a X-Factor sub #BBL10pic.twitter.com/53BQl2yb1f
Lol. Dan Christian, the T20 cheat code incarnate comes on to bowl and he jags a wicket first nut. It was short and well directed towards the badge of Wright’s helmet and the batsman can’t control the pull shot, slapping it towards the leg-side sweeper Silk who runs in and slides to hold onto a very handy catch.
@danchristian54 picks up a wicket with his very first delivery as a Sixer!#smashemsixers#BBL10pic.twitter.com/HLS2WfzuWS
11th over: Hurricanes 76-3 ( Ingram 43, Wright 8) NEITHER TEAM HAS ACTIVATED THEIR X-FACTOR! Making sure I don’t bury that lede.
But... Sydney will be chasing 72/3 in their opening ten overs for a bonus point.
10th over: Hurricanes 72-3 ( Ingram 41, Wright 6) Manenti is back for another over after his earlier success. He’s forced into an early field change after Wright laps for a couple and for three balls both teams are happy to deal in singles, but when Manenti offers Ingram some width you can guess the outcome - that’s right - another four smacked through the covers. The Sixers must no by now not to give Ingram any room to free his arms on the off-side.
9th over: Hurricanes 62-3 ( Ingram 36, Wright 2) The wicket and just three singles from an excellent momentum-changing O’Keefe over. Out alongside Ingram is Mac Wright.
The Hurricanes might have been motoring at the start of the over but Handscomb’s dismissal will slow their pace. O’Keefe opened with a dot then beat the bat with a slower wide delivery that Handscomb advanced to and failed to connect with a ragged sweep. The stumping was efficient and straightforward.
8th over: Hurricanes 59-2 ( Ingram 35, Handscomb 24) Sandhu’s had a change of ends, but not a change of luck. He gets away with a couple of short and wide deliveries before Handscomb cashes in on a leg-stump half-volley that he flicks for six behind square leg.
Hurricanes motoring now.
7th over: Hurricanes 49-2 ( Ingram 33, Handscomb 16) Another over, another bowling change, this time Steve O’Keefe is invited to lob his left-arm nudies 22-yards. Handscomb starts with a delicate lap for a couple, then he rotates the strike with an easy single. Ingram tries to smash his first delivery without success. He tries again next ball - and succeeds - pummelling a six over cow corner. O’Keefe responds by offering something wider outside off-stump, which is meat and drink for Ingram who picks up yet another four through the covers.
6th over: Hurricanes 35-2 ( Ingram 22, Handscomb 13) Carlos Brathwaite gets a trundle and his extra height sees the ball hit the deck, beat Ingram’s bat and thud into the keeper’s gloves with force. The veteran South African responds swiftly, carving the next ball - a wide half-volley - through the covers.
Hobart have rallied after that horror start.
5th over: Hurricanes 28-2 ( Ingram 17, Handscomb 11) We’re out of the first phase of powerplay overs and with that the Sixers make their first bowling change with Gurinder Sandhu coming on to showcase his variations. He opens with a couple of dots to the increasingly frustrated Ingram, and he unleashes a measure of that irritation third ball with a slap over cover that races away for four. A single brings Handscomb on strike, who is fortunate to escape a run out after scampering a tight run, but that brings Ingram back on strike and he repeats his trick from earlier in the over, standing and delivering to Sandhu, bludgeoning the ball over cover for a muscular boundary.
4th over: Hurricanes 18-2 ( Ingram 8, Handscomb 10) Dwarshuis continues his excellent length, pinning Ingram to the crease for three balls before he gets away with a leg stump half-volley that scoots off the bat straight to fine-leg. Handscomb then almost offers a return catch - another clear indication that this pitch is holding up and much slower than expected - before charging and missing. Dwarshuis has 1/6 from his two overs.
3rd over: Hurricanes 17-2 ( Ingram 7, Handscomb 10) Handscomb tries to use his feet and create room against Manenti but the bowler is on his mark and adjusts accordingly, landing a couple of dots before a sharp single rotates strike. He gets a tad straight to the left-handed Ingram, who sweeps for three, before Handscomb cashes in his earlier footwork, stepping outside leg, freeing his shoulders and driving crisply through extra-cover for four. That was a good battle between bat and ball.
2nd over: Hurricanes 9-2 ( Ingram 4, Handscomb 5) Stand-in skipper Handscomb guides a boundary through the offside to get off the mark, but it’s another glorious over for the Sixers. The pitch is just a little soft and grippy and that’s put the home side off their timing in these early exchanges.
D'Arcy Short gone first ball! @SixersBBL up and about early #BBL10pic.twitter.com/FF0xEu7WQg
Oh boy, what a start from Sydney! Ben Dwarshuis’s first ball is a ripper and it takes the scalp of dangerman D’Arcy Short. Dwarshuis is a left-arm seam bowler and he angled the ball in from over the wicket to the left-handed Short, he found some grip off the pitch, turning the batsman’s leg glance into a leading edge to Edwards at slip.
1st over: Hurricanes 4-1 (Short 0, Ingram 4) Colin Ingram is soon off the mark with a four through the covers, but it’s the only scoring shot from a superb opening over from Manenti.
What a start for the Sixers! Off-spinner Ben Manenti opens the new season coming around the wicket to the right-handed Jacks, and he accepts a gentle return catch second ball! Will Jacks arrived with a mighty reputation after a n excellent English summer, but he got his footwork all wrong and instead of driving safely through the offside all he could do is lob a simple catch back to the bowler. There was a hint of turn and bounce, but nothing an opening batsman should have found so troubling.
OUT! What a start for Manenti and the @SixersBBL!
Jacks chips one back and Manenti gleefully takes the return catch second ball #BBL10pic.twitter.com/qfhUv24jfV
And now the indigo-clad D’Arcy Short and Will Jacks stride out into the middle ready to take guard.
Out jog the men in magenta onto Blundstone Arena. They look well rugged up. The TV camera focuses on T20 monster Dan Christian. Does he ever lose?
It’s fresh in Hobart this evening. The game will begin at around 15C but as the sun sets and the brisk southerly takes hold we’ll be into “what’s the coldest you’ve ever played in?” anecdotes in the commentary box in no time.
*Snow, by the way. I played in actual falling snow in East Yorkshire in April.
Here’s a handy guide to the new rules.
Our first look at the new rules tonight ... how will they be used? #BBL10pic.twitter.com/34QQrjamQf
“Hi Jonathan, I hope you & yours are safe & well, and that tonight’s game is both entertaining (likely) and meaningful (meh...).” Thanks Brendon, all good over here. “I’d love to read your take on armpit ads on umpires! For me, I see it as a ridiculous initiative which reduces the standing of the people in charge. Then again, I am an old fart...”
I’ll withhold judgement until I’ve seen it in action, bus as I mentioned below, I really hope there’s an armpit SNAFU somewhere to really undermine the initiative. Or, perhaps a scandal where umpires are found to have been taping pads under their arms to guarantee no sweat marks.
“Cricket advertising is set for areas never before reached, with umpires in Australia’s Big Bash League to advertise a new sponsor in their underarms,” begins Mike Hytner’s news report from earlier today. “In a groundbreaking “armpit advertising” campaign revealed on Thursday, Cricket Australia announced a commercial partnership with the Australian deodorant and antiperspirant brand Rexona.”
Can’t wait for the close up of a sweaty pit during an exaggerated six signal on a 40C night in Queensland.
Related: Armpit advertising: Australian cricket umpires to carry deodorant ads under their arms
The Sixers are joining the sporting community’s stand against racial injustice during BBL10. They have announced they are doing so with an unambiguous statement and admirable commitment to education and cultural awareness.
In Australia and all across the world we continue to see examples of people being mistreated simply due to the colour of their skin. At the Sixers we believe this is unacceptable. As a club and as individuals we have made the commitment to better educate ourselves on the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, to fight for inclusion and justice, and to stand with our communities on the path to reconciliation and equal rights. We encourage all members of the community to do the same. The BBL squad will continue our education throughout the tournament, including undertaking cultural awareness training early next year.
Tonight, in our first game of BBL|10, and throughout the tournament, the Sixers will take a knee prior to the first ball in support of our team mates and those who have been impacted by racism.
More details > https://t.co/Uo2Beqbgb7#smashemsixers#BBL10#BlackLivesMatter
While Curran, Tom Banton, and Jonny Bairstow were all late withdrawals from the BBL, Dawid Malan will sneak into the event for the Hurricanes somewhat unheralded - despite being the No.1 ranked T20i batsman.
“I don’t really look at my score,” Malan says. “When I get in the zone I only know what we have to do to win. I messed up, but I’m not fussed about milestones, it’s about the result. The way we won stamped our authority, which is what we like to do.”
Related: Dawid Malan: I’m proud of being No 1 but it guarantees nothing
The Sydney Sixers had originally planned to call on Tom Curran tonight, but the England international is one of the growing number of itinerant cricketers to withdraw from an event citing bubble fatigue during this Covid-influenced year.
Related: Tom Curran second English player to leave BBL as bubble fatigue takes toll
“Hi! I read your articles,” emails Michael. “I’m a professional sports bettor here in Las Vegas. I have been doing great last few years on cricket. Was wondering if you could tell me who you think will win today ? Sixers is what I’m thinking...”
I think cricket will be the winner on the day.
Sydney are missing the likes of Moises Henriques, Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Jason Holder, but as defending champions they have the wherewithal to navigate such high-profile absentees.
A couple of young guns are worth keeping an eye on. 23-year-old Josh Philippe is destined for big things and he’ll be looking to improve on his impressive BBL09 where he finished as the third-highest run-scorer. While 21-year-old legspinner Lloyd Pope is already a cult hero, and he could soon force his way into the affections of national team selectors if he maintains his form with the ball. It would be just his style to make waves as the game’s first X-factor.
Here's how we'll line up for our opening match of @BBL|10!
Nearly showtime! #smashemsixers#BBL10pic.twitter.com/TnWkUGndOS
Both teams have been ravaged by international call-ups, illness and injury, giving each XI a look that will have James Warburton scrambling for the nearest copy of Wisden. Captain Matthew Wade, star import Dawid Malan, Test skipper Tim Paine, and batsman Ben McDermott are away on international duty, while Sandeep Lamichhane is recovering from Covid-19.
Responsibility passes to Hobart’s veterans with 38-year-old Johan Botha coming out of retirement to join 35-year-old Colin Ingram, 31-year-old Scott Boland, 30-year-olds James Faulkner and D’Arcy Short, and stand-in skipper Peter Handscomb, currently a callow 29 & 3/4.
The starting XI is locked in.
We’ve lost the bat flip and will be batting first. #TasmaniasTeam#BBL10pic.twitter.com/6g98Ds2F9v
.@SixersBBL have won the bat flip and will BOWL first v @HurricanesBBL#BBL10pic.twitter.com/Vp5MmzoYf4
We’re on the Apple Isle for a while at the start of BBL10 as the league replicates the hub format that served winter sports well during the height of the Covid-19 crisis. The major difference here is that instead of being based permanently in one location the bubble will soon float away to other capital cities before the summer’s through.
Channel Seven took the news they could enjoy a junket featuring tastings of world leading Sullivan’s Cove single malt, or a trip MONA (for my money the single best cultural destination in the country) with all the enthusiasm you might expect. Seven’s head of sport, Lewis Martin, lodged an affidavit in federal court as part of the ongoing dispute with Cricket Australia, claiming the temporary relocation “commercially irrational unless CA were otherwise incentivised, presumably by arrangement with the government of Tasmania, to do so”.
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the opening match of the 2020-21 Big Bash League. Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Sixers is underway from Blundstone Arena at 7.15pm.
The first game of every new season has plenty riding on it, but this year there’s more than most. Cricket Australia and broadcast partner Channel Seven have been involved in a long-running row over the nature of their commercial arrangement, including the quality of the BBL. Both parties will hope the tournament gets off to a flying start, and sustains momentum over a marathon 59-day competition.
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