Ahead of the new Big Bash League season beginning there is just enough time to look at the top batsman for the tournament, which is always a competitive market and possibly even more so this term with no limited overs matches for Australia during the tournament.
We are used to seeing the same sort of names at the top of the run list in this competition and Marcus Stoinis broke all run scoring records last season, not that it did his side any good as they ultimately lost the final.
Recent Winners
2019-20 – Marcus Stoinis (705)
2018-19 – D’Arcy Short (637)
2017-18 – D’Arcy Short (572)
2016-17 – Ben Dunk (364)
2015-16 – Chris Lynn (378)
2014-15 – Michael Klinger (326)
2013-14 – Ben Dunk (395)
2012-13 – Shaun Marsh (412)
2011-12 – Travis Birt (309)
The Favourites
After his record exploits last season and a very competent Indian Premier League with the Delhi Capitals, Marcus Stoinis looks a very worthy favourite at around the 6/1 mark. The fact he opens for the Melbourne Stars is very much a positive to his chances but whether he can be as competitive when playing so many matches away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground remains to be seen. He looks to be in great touch but an injury is never too far away with him which would be a concern.
D’Arcy Short only saw his hat trick of top bat pursuits hampered by international duty last season. He doesn’t have any of those worries this term it has to be said, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is back to top scoring in the tournament at around the 6/1 mark. He is likely to be hampered by a lack of matches at Blundstone Arena where he usually fills his boots though. That is a worry but you still have to respect this regular run scorer in this competition.
Aaron Finch has already shown his form in an Australia shirt and while he couldn’t quite impose himself on the Indian Premier League a couple of months ago, he wasn’t the worst player in the field out there either. Finch can score very big and is likely to be around for the entire season which is very much a positive. Whether captaining the Melbourne Renegades becomes a burden or not would be the worry for his chances but he looks a perfectly acceptable short price bet for those happy to take single figure prices.
Chris Lynn comes next in the betting at around the 8/1 mark which is fair but he certainly isn’t for me. He is going to be captaining a team I expect to be struggling this season and he has never truly shown me that he is anything other than a flat track bully either. He isn’t playing as many matches at The Gabba this year so that is definitely going to hamper his chances. There is just too much not to like about Lynn and that is without addressing his injury issues. He isn’t for me.
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Profile
Eight teams are in this tournament each with six or seven batsmen so the 50 or so runner field needs to be reduced before we can get stuck into a bet. So how can we do that? Well we can use history to apply some filters. These won’t guarantee we find the winner but it is a big help. The obvious thing when we look at the previous winners is we want openers. Every single name on the above list is an opener and five of the top six last season opened for their sides too.
That reduces the field to 16 players, or 24 players if you wanted to include a number three, so from there we can pick accordingly. In an absolute ideal world we would look for players who will be playing for teams who will go deep in the tournament as those extra matches can make such a difference. Home grounds is usually something that I look for but that doesn’t have as much relevance this season.
Betting
I’ll go with a couple of openers for their teams and the first of those is Usman Khawaja who looks like he has been discarded by Australia so is likely to be with the Sydney Thunder throughout the season. Khawaja made a ton in his last outing with Queensland heading into this tournament and is one of the best players in Australia. He is good against seam and spin which is a massive factor here and with the Thunder looking like they have extended their batting options Khawaja can express himself more here. He goes past 50 one in six innings in T20 cricket and averages 30 in the format. Those are solid stats and with a big season expected from the Thunder, I will take Khawaja to fill his boots this season.
I’ll also have a small punt on Will Jacks who could be an enormous price at 80/1 for a Hobart Hurricanes side who put a lot of emphasis on their openers getting them off to a fast start and that is very much within his compass. He is one of the cleaner hitters of a cricket ball that I’ve seen so the Australian pitches should be perfect for him. Jacks hasn’t broken into the England setup yet but you can be sure he’ll be being watched over the course of this tournament. He plays for a Surrey side who just came second in the T20 Blast and he contributed enormously to that. He’s overpriced to me here.
Tips
Back U.Khawaja Top Tournament Batsman for a 1.5/10 stake at 12.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-4)
Back him here:
Back W.Jacks Top Tournament Batsman for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Betway (1/3 1-4)
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