Spy Talk: Trade plans and tactics, Round 8

G’day Superstars,

I have just figured out how I will get through the current Sixers/Heat rain affected match before turning my attention to this article and the next round of action.

For what it’s worth, I have played Philippe & Vince hoping they see at least 5 overs each rather the relying on bowlers who may only get 1 or 2 overs..

I didn’t have many other options and by the time this article is out I’ll either be a genius or crying into my cup of tea (off the beers till the weekend) 😉

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As I write this Munro just blocked the first ball for 6. This could be madness!!!

*UPDATE: The rain came early… dang

Looking forward the SC Spy Squad will be looking to build on the current rank of 342 by honing in on the double game round for the Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes.

Below as I have done all season I will let you know who I will personally be targeting/playing as well as some tactics heading into Round 9 where there is again a plethora of double game teams (3) with Sydney Sixers on the bye.

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Sydney Sixers

To be honest I think it’s best just to stick with the guys you already own from the previous double.

I own four Sixers and I think this is a good number because they have the bye immediately after the Round 8 double. I guess you could get away with five if you have bench coverage and maybe a boost to play with. Or maybe you just run with three.

Currently own

Josh Philippe – Locked in! I will likely sell him then for the bye and reassess the keeper position following this as I already own Inglis and Wade with an eye on Alex Carey.

James Vince – Picked up cheap and appears in good touch. He is due one really good score so it would be bloody ideal if this could come during the double before he jets out of the country!

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Hayden Kerr – As with nearly everyone, this guy is already in and he will also be reassessed after the double. He could certainly be a hold, but also there are some guns to come back from Test duty or a few I have had to sell this round including Sams and Thornton. Pretty soon we will realise you can’t fit everyone in so decisions will have to be made. This is a good thing!

Sean Abbott – Another one I locked in and will look to keep, but lands in the same boat as Kerr.

Do I add 1 more?

Look, I may well. I plan to likely boost after this double which means I can sell off four of them for the bye anyway. I will likely avoid bowlers purely due to rotation risk. With that being said maybe four is enough? Another big decision.

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Hobart Hurricanes

Currently Own

Matty Wade – Locked in. He could be an anti-POD but he could also hurt you badly. May be a set and forget for the season pending form.

Nathan Ellis – Brought him in early and used him as an auto-emergency. He is ready for the double and can hopefully get me 4 or 5 wickets across the two games. He has been expensive of late but has class.

Hobart Targets – I want 1 or 2 more.

Ben McDermott – Absolute must. Anti-POD at your peril. Yes he could get two ducks, but he could also get two centuries, as he did last year, and end your season. Get him in and VC him!

The second one is honestly wide open. If named to open Jewell is an option, Tim David could be useful though I prefer a bigger role, Meredith is a huge chance to come in along with Dooley, Ashraf, Crawley (if named) & D’Arcy Short all being options. Short however I don’t think is for me anymore sadly. His confidence looks shot the poor bugger!

I will have a punt that my trade ins will be two of the bowlers and then I could grab an extra Cane, but I don’t think I’ll have anyone to drop as my roster is now pretty stacked and we don’t want to alleviate too many of my go-to guys.

As always it’s much easier to make the final decisions once lockout ends and even when final teams are named, so that will be crunch time!

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Looking ahead

As always, don’t just look at a single round as things change so quickly.

In Round 9 the Sixers have the bye as mentioned so it’ll be easy to trade any of those guys out as needed.

Then there are three teams on the double in the Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers.

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Quite simply, unless an individual is struggling or lacks trade value (too cheap) then try and keep these guys for round 8 and trade out anyone from the Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder where possible.

Importantly however this is only a guide as an elite player from the single game teams can still be a huge asset and worth deploying.

One other thing to mention is that a heap of players will be leaving the BBL so try and get an idea of who this may be at the link here. Of note Hales, Hosein and Rashid Khan don’t have long to go.

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The Sum Up

I think I will probably own 4 Sixers and 4 Hurricanes but I can’t see it being more then 8.

Something I try to do when getting in guys for the double is to make sure I would be happy to play them in the single game week following (unless I can immediately trade).

I am happy enough to still play my elite guns in the form of Jhye Richardson and Matt Short on a round-by-round basis.

Oh and my boy Henry Thornton should be back so I’ll likely bring him back if I can! I will ride or die with that fella…

Good luck!!

Spy