We know who is playing for what franchise and what colours and logos they’ll be sporting but there’s still one burning question about the Big Bash League … which franchise to support?
Australia’s newest national sporting league was launched amongst huge fanfare this week but this blogger remains confused about who he should devote his admiration too.
This Twenty20 competition will turn interstate rivalries – the very basis of domestic cricket on our continent for more than 150 years – on its head by creating intercity feuds and in the cases of Sydney and Melbourne, intra-city conflicts.
We, as the fan, are being left to choose between eight clubs created from the ground up – the Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder.
The simplest way would be to support the team from the state capital where I live – but being a New South Welshman and their being TWO Sydney teams I have to make a choice. Not that simple.
Not that I’d limit myself to those teams – the last time I was in this position, when the A-League started in 2005, I didn’t slavishly decide to go for Sydney FC just because they were the closest team to where I lived. I went for them because I liked their logo the best.
If I had to use the same criterion in the BBL, I’d have to go with the Melbourne Renegades. Their logo reminds me of the V for Vendetta logo in that movie with Padme and that nice fellow from the Matrix.
However, a cricket team is defined by its leader and unfortunately for the Renegades, their skipper is none other than known ranga Andrew McDonald. Sorry boys, but that’s a no-no. For the record, the other skippers are Marcus North (Perth), Cameron White (Melbourne Stars), Brad Haddin (6ers), David Warner (Thunder), Tim Paine (Hobart), James Hopes (Brisbane) and Michael Klinger (Adelaide). Being a life-long ‘keeper, I’ll plump for Paine and his Hurricanes by a nose over Haddin’s 6ers.
My favourite player in the whole of Australian cricket is Simon Katich, who is one of a few high-profile players who have changed allegiances for the supercharged competition. Katich, who makes his first class bread playing for NSW, will return to his home state of Western Australia and play for Perth in the Big Bash. Others are Nathan Hauritz (NSW-Brisbane), Daniel Christian (SA-Brisbane), Phil Jaques (NSW-Hobart), Shaun Tait (South Australia-Renegades) and George Bailey (Tasmania-Stars).
One of the best things about these Twenty20 competitions is that overseas stars come in for a lucrative hit and giggle and the Big Bash League is no exception. The highest-profile international recruit is Windies whirlwind Chris Gayle, who will play for the Thunder along with countryman Fidel Edwards. Fellow Calypso cricket Kieron Pollard will turn out for Adelaide, Kiwi duo Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori will play for Brisbane, Rana Naved and Owais Shah for Hobart, Paki duo Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi for the Renegades, Englishman Luke Wright for the Stars, Paul Collingwood and Herschelle Gibbs for the Scorchers and Michael Lumb for the 6ers.
Being hyper-competitive, winning might be enough to tip me one way or another. I’d say my early favourite is the Stars, although the Strikers – basically last year’s champions, South Australia, will also be hard to stop, as will the 6ers and Hurricanes. Those are my semi-finalists, followed by the Renegades, Heat, Thunder and Scorchers.
The inaugural Big Bash League will start on December 16 with the final on January 28.
