Thommo’s Takes | BBL Supercoach round 1 wrap

Welcome to our review article at SC Playbook, where we review the action from the previous round and see what impact it had on our side and what we can learn from it.

Round 1 is done!

A rain-affected start to the tournament had some second-guessing their weeks of preplanning.

Geelong deck turned into a belter, and those who went to load up on Hurricanes were left disappointed.

Plenty to digest and to use for our advantage in the upcoming round.

I went the fade Sixers and Scorchers route, which backfired.

As did the Ahmed captaincy.

Luckily, this game moves quickly from a personal viewpoint! 

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Scorchers vs Sixers

Result: Scorchers won by 5 wickets

Takes:

*Weather affected game meant only 11 overs for each side. It would be good to see a full game and thus, in turn, look at proper roles, but it does give us a fair glimpse into tactics and roles used by these sides for BBL 15. 

*Aaron Hardie’s all-rounder role is confirmed. He bowled the first and last over for Perth and came in at number 4. A juicy SC role and someone who looks likely to have one of the best SC scores as the tournament progresses.

*No overs for Cooper, but looked awesome with the bat with a quick-fire 59 coming in at number 3.

*0 runs and 0 overs for Mitch Marsh. He could be very cheap for their round 4 double, but we need to treat him as a bat only.

*Philippe looked in nice touch with 28 off 18 batting at number 3 and not his more traditional opening spot.

*Edwards looks like Hardie and is a premium SC scorer for the tournament. Bowling overs and coming in at 6, which could be around power surge time for the Sixers in most matches. It was probably his best innings in the BBL in his career to date. 

*Brody Couch impressed with 2/12 off his 2 overs.

*Ben Dwarshuis came in at 7 and picked up a couple of late wickets to prove his SC credentials for yet another year.  

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Renegades vs Heat

Result: Renegades won by 14 runs

Takes:

*Seifert made a huge 100. The ultimate POD for anyone who went there!

*Geelong = batters’ paradise now? We may have to shift our thinking.

*Oli Peake looks like a start of the future in the Renegades’ middle order. 57 off 29 balls with some crisp hitting.

*Xavier Bartlett came in at number 7 and was tidy with 1/24 off his 4 overs. He looks like a nice selection to have for the Heat’s upcoming double.

*Someone who was the opposite of tidy was their international star, Shaheen Afridi. 0/43 and removed from the attack during his 3^rd over.

*WILDermuth, after years in the WILDerness, is back into SC prominence 3/34 off his 4 overs (although I am not sure he was going to get a 4th until Shaheen was removed). He also opened the batting, hitting a crisp cut shot to point before being removed next ball. No batting points earned but a mint SC role, especially if Neser remains with the test squad for the foreseeable future.

*McSweeney limited overs for those who were hopeful he would roll the arm over. I also think they were really planned; it was more in response to a few of the pace bowlers going the distance. Whilst not jumping to conclusions after 1 game, it did look like this could happen in most Heat games, so maybe he bowls more than we expect. 

*Munro and Peirson scored runs for the Heat and may attract some trade interest before the Heat round 2 double. Batting at number 8, although for Peirson, would make it very hard to replicate his performance again this tournament.

*Behrendroff, Sandhu, and Sutherland were the multiple-wicket takers for the Renegades, who we will continue to monitor until their schedule changes.  

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Hurricanes vs Thunder

Result: Hurricanes won by 4 wickets

Takes:

*Plenty of bowling options for the Hurricanes make it hard to predict who will get their full 4 overs each game (apart from captain Nathan Ellis and potentially 1 or 2 others).

*In typical SC style, Big Billy Stanlake was the Hurricane bowler we needed, and not many people would have had him. 

*Moveable Hobart batting line-up on show. Ahmed listed at 3. Entered at 6. David came in at 4. 

*Owen, Chaudhary, and McDermott all amongst the runs. 

*Spin to win for the Thunder, even away from their home deck. Sangha, Khan, and Green all bowling 4 overs.

*Some excellent genuine all rounder options for the Thunder emerging before their round 2 double. I’d prioritise them in this order Khan, Sams, and Green. All should come under consideration because they could chip away at a score over a double or explode if circumstances suit. Khan’s bowling after his injury was great. Sam’s showing some form with the bat and bowling quite well (figures seem a tad harsh). It wasn’t Green’s night (batting at 8, not ideal for batting involvements), but he still fits the allrounder mould to a fair degree. 

*Bancroft bench stashers would be happy with the form batting at number 3. 

*CJ with a couple of peaches in the middle of the innings. Scored well considering his initial price. 

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Sixers vs Strikers

Result: Strikers won by 3 wickets. 

Takes:

*The value and point scoring of the true allrounder. Edwards and Overton putting up huge SC scores. 

*Philippe continued to show some nice form with the bat. 

*Luke Wood (former Melbourne Star, once upon a time) with 3 wickets and making some runs. 

*Scott making runs at number 4 for the Strikers. 

*Matt Short only the 1 over. Him and Scott not looking like bowling regular overs consistently with the current lineup.

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Stars vs Hurricanes 

Result: Stars won by 8 wickets. 

Takes:

*All Star’s batters (top 4) showed something when at the crease.

*If you had any of Clarke, Rogers, or Kellaway stashed on the bench, you’d be happy!

*Maxy bowled some overs, but listed at 6 is not ideal for SC. 

*Stoinis with the plum Stars allrounder role? 3 overs 2/18 and batting at number 4, he looked in good nick, making 62 not out off just 31 balls.

*Hossain the only bowler in purple to take any wickets.

*McDermott continued on his fine form from their first match. 69 runs off 52 balls.

*Poor all-rounder role for Ahmed or just some quiet games? Has been used as the 6^th bowler in both games. Did come in at 3 after the early wicket this time though.

*6 bowlers used by the Stars. Only Siddle and Rauf bowled their full allotment. 

*No overs for Chaudhary or Owen again. We need to treat them as bat-only selections.

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