BBL Finals

[Donny]

... and, yes, Christian should be in the ODI World Cup squad.

[K]

The selectors seem obsessed by (relative) youth for the WCs. But the WCs are coming soon, not in e.g. 3 years' time. And experience matters.

Wiser people than the selectors seem to be have emphasized that the different spots in the batting are specialist positions. Hence Christian should be in the frame for the late-overs batting.

The other issue is spin. Many of the most prominent BBL batsmen are not so great against spin. (Short struggled in the IPL.)

[Donny]

Depends, somewhat, whether day or night matches.

Nearly all batsmen, in the BBL games, noted how much more difficult it was to pick the spinners, at night.

[K]

Dan Christian turns 36 this year.
It'd be interesting to see his IPL stats.
...

Back on the final, KP's tweet is short and sweet:
https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1097028355419852800

[K]

Baum scorns the anti-cricket BBL gimmickry:

"Well, PUT A BUCKET ON YOUR HEAD. Also, MAKE SOME NOISE.

Just as in the Big Bash, we can't convince ourselves that there's anything in this for you, so we'll take every opportunity to distract you.
...

... all of a sudden the game made its own noise without anyone telling it to, lurching this way and that and coming to a stunning, screaming climax, and everyone was looking at the scoreboard to see the score, and maybe even a replay or two, and when it was done everyone looked at everyone else, some in joy, all in bewilderment, and in this weird moment, it seemed that far and away the best thing the cricket had going for itself was - who would have thought - the cricket."

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/big-bash-s-brand-new-gimmick-20190218-p50yls.html

[K]

AFLX coverage is sounding scarily like BBL coverage.

[K]

Some IPL news:

Royal Challengers Bangalore are 8/59 (14).

I mightn't have noted that here, but their batsmen include
Virat 6 & ABCDV 9 (both out to Harbhajan).
ABCDV was dropped the ball before his dismissal.

Patel 24* opened with Virat and is the only batsmen to make double figures. He has the chance to become the first batsman to carry his bat in IPL history.
Tahir has 3/6 (3) for Chennai Super Kings, who have Watson & Dhoni.


They allow reviews in IPL, unlike BBL (why not??).

[K]

Patel fails to become first to carry his bat in IPL history. Last man out.
70 (17.1).

[K]

Watson bowled for a 10-ball duck in his 300th T20!!

[Pies4shaw]

[K]

Warner 64* (38 ) for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

If I keep making IPL comments, I'll have to start an IPL thread!

[K]

Warner 85 (53), 9 4s, 3 6s.

[K]

Umpire Nigel Llong kicks door during IPL game, pays for damages

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/26689121/umpire-nigel-llong-kicks-door-ipl-game-pays-damages

"... Llong kicked the door after the first innings ..., which included a final-over no-ball he had called off Umesh Yadav's bowling, although replays suggested that the delivery was legal. After the delivery, Llong had a discussion with Virat Kohli and Umesh when the giant screens at the ground showed that the bowler had not overstepped."


What was it that Mark Taylor called Ranatunga? The same word applies to Kohli.

[K]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/26727927/ab-de-villiers-pulls-back-bbl-interest

"AB de Villiers has backtracked from his earlier interest in taking part in the Big Bash League for 2019-20, in the process casting a major cloud over how Cricket Australia will satisfy its broadcast partners in the search for marquee talent to sell the competition."


AB de Villiers saga exposes whiff of BBL panic

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/26736122/ab-de-villiers-saga-exposes-whiff-bbl-panic

"For one thing, the sort of money that needed to be cobbled together, via the successful club, CA's marketing funds and the broadcasters - both of whom were involved in discussions around signing de Villiers to "value-add" deals to help get him to the figure he desired - made a mockery of the payments usually available to players taking part in the tournament, while raising the issue of whether de Villiers would be in Australia as a cricketer or a billboard.
...

Imagine, for a moment, a salary capped league such as the AFL in which broadcasters were approached to offer extra money outside the cap to a particular player to ensure their arrival at a club in the league's preferred market. While the constraints of the BBL cap are determined as much by CA's wider strategic goal of maintaining the primacy of international cricket as by any cash shortage, there has to be a more systematic and professional way to go about things."

[K]

Smaller Big Bash: Cricket Australia heeds calls for shorter BBL season

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/smaller-big-bash-cricket-australia-heeds-calls-for-shorter-bbl-season-20190724-p52afg.html

"CA won’t publicly reveal details of the finals series until Thursday although a remodelled finals system has long been mooted given the general struggles of minor premiers in the finals across the first eight years of the competition.
...

A shorter tournament may also help lure bigger name overseas recruits to the competition."