BBL06 Best XI

Presenting the Rob's Blog official unofficial BBL06 Best XI. As with BBL franchises, I can only pick a maximum of two overseas players. The BBL05 Best XI is HERE. Here's the BBL06 Best XI...

Aaron Finch (Melbourne Renegades)
The most consistent opener in the competition, with four 50s from eight innings at a very good strike rate of 160. Also the Renegades captain, but he leads from the front in other ways too - filling in as wicketkeeper when Peter Nevill is concussed (twice), and bowling the last over when his star overseas bowler tears a hammy.

Finch also made the BestXI last season, although only because I named it before Usman Khawaja dominated the finals and led the Thunder to the title. Of course, this year Khawaja was too busy in the Australian ODI squad to play at all. A lot changes in one season.

Ben Dunk (Adelaide Strikers)
Dunk was traded, to Adelaide from Hobart, for journeyman all-rounder Hamish Kingston. Dunk finished the competition as the leading run scorer (for the second time in six seasons), while Kingston played a couple of games. It was a predictable outcome for a ridiculous trade that is perhaps an indication that the BBL is still more exhibition than serious sports league.

Dunk's strength is that he is one of the few openers in the competition that hits the spinners as well as the quicks during the power plays. Adelaide's problem was they had nobody who could score quickly enough after him. 

Brendon McCullum (Brisbane Heat)
The former New Zealand skipper is one of the greatest Twenty20 batsmen of all time, and he showed his class in scoring the third most runs behind Dunk and Finch, at a better striker-rate than both.

B-Mac also led the Heat with some thoughtful captaincy... perhaps overly thoughtful given he was suspended for one match for slow over rates. It was a controversial suspension but having taken kids to the BBL, I endorse any punishments to ensure games don't go too late.

Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat)
After being the leading run-scorer in BBL05, Lynn only came 4th on the run aggregate list this time... after playing just five of nine Heat matches. His scores were 29, 85*, 84*, 13, and 98*. He hit twenty-six sixes across the five innings, one of them onto the 'Gabba roof, and had a strike rate of almost 180.

It's not just the numbers. Against pace bowling, I'm not sure there has been a better striker, other than perhaps Chris Gayle. Cricket crowds rarely heave with anticipation like the 'Gabba when Lynn is striding to the wicket, and probably never outside the subcontinent. Lynnsanity is real. Lynn is the first BBL superstar. 

Tom Cooper (Melbourne Renegades)
On the surface, Cooper's record isn't much to write home about - his run tally of 167 is about half those above him, and he's taken just five wickets. But this is not a case of how many but when.

Cooper comes in late in the innings and scores quickly immediately - only Lynn and Glen Maxwell better his 160 strike rate amongst middle-order batsmen with at least 100 runs in the season. And with the ball he is a specialist first over bowler, with unsettled openers finding his quick round-the-wicket offies too hard to hit away. The specialist spinners in the BBL generally prefer bowling in the middle overs, so having a player like Cooper to take the new ball is a must.

Tim Paine (Hobart Hurricanes)
Paine was easily the most prolific run-scorer amongst wicketkeepers in the BBL, and is equally comfortable opening the batting or coming in late. One of three players who has made both the BBL05 and BBL06 Best XI's.

Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers)
Last season, Abbott was the victim of Travis Head's onslaught where he scored 56 off 15 balls to win the game on New Years Eve, bringing some early fireworks to the evenings festivities. Abbott bowled nine of those 15 balls, and was smashed everywhere from Row C to Row ZZ.

A lesser player may have struggled to come back, but this season his tally of 20 wickets is easily the best in the competition (next highest is 15), He could yet add a few more in the final. Furthermore, Abbott is still bowling the late overs against established batsmen trying to hit everything out of the ground, where his economy rate of 8.5 is actually quite good. Abbott is also a good hitter himself, with a season best innings of 33 off 17 balls.

Sunil Narine (Melbourne Renegades)
The West Indian mystery spinner has taken more wickets than any other spinner with 13 this season. There's no doubt batsmen are still finding it hard to read which way the ball will turn, and when they do, they still have to navigate his deceptive changes of pace.

Narine was also a surprise opener in two matches, which was less successful than his bowling.

Mitchell Johnson (Perth Scorchers)
The Scorchers have a great pace attack, and this spot could've easily gone to Andrew Tye (again) or the English import David Willey instead. But it's hard to go past Mitchell Johnson's semi-final figures of four overs, two maidens, three wickets for three runs. 3/3 is the most economical completed four over spell in BBL history.

Ben Laughlin (Adelaide Strikers)
Maybe the most underrated player in Twenty20 cricket. Laughlin has the most wickets (69) in BBL history, and it's not even close to second (54).

This season he took nine wickets with an economy rate of just 6.09 runs per over. Only four bowlers were cheaper, and they either played only a couple of games of were part-timers bowling very few overs.

Mitchell Swepson (Brisbane Heat)
Swepson has been picked to tour India for a Test series, seemingly on the back of Warney's constant harping about what a good young leggie he is, plus some useful BBL spells. He really did come into his own in the second half of the season, finishing with 12 wickets and bring his economy rate down (after some early hammerings) to 7.5 runs per over. Not sure he's going to have Kohli and co. too worried though.