Captain's Challenge: Skippers, vice-captains to target

With the double game weeks finished up for the season, it brings a plethora of captaincy options into the mix.



As SuperCoaches battle for overall and head-to-head glory against rivals, nailing the man with the captain’s armband will determine many results.



With no doubles it also presents greater opportunity to utilise the vice-captain loophole, basically giving us two cracks at nailing a skipper for the remainder of the year.



Let’s take a look at the best captain and vice-captain options to consider for Round 11 beginning on Wednesday night.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">VICE-CAPTAINS</h2>



The Renegades and Stars play in the first game of the round, while the Strikers and Heat play in game two.



This naturally means our vice-captain options are effectively limited to these sides.



Glenn Maxwell



To be completely honest I think I’ll likely have the vice-captaincy on Maxy for the next three rounds with the Stars playing early in each.



He’s batting at either three or four depending on match situation and is in strong form with the bat this summer, although not as much of late, with recent scores of 20, 37, 0, 0, 6, 70, 23, 71* and 39.



He averages 34.66 with an impressive strike-rate of 145.11.



Throw in the fact that he’s bowling close to four overs every round and you have a safe skipper option.



In 27.5 overs he’s taken seven wickets at an okay economy of 7.72, particularly for a part-timer.



With four scores over 125 this season already he’s hard to go past.



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Marcus Stoinis



Normally I’d have Stoin in ‘captain risky’, but the fact he’s started rolling the arm over again provides plenty of comfort.



The Stars have a strong attack, particularly with Nathan Coulter-Nile back soon, so I expect him to be eased back into bowling with one or two overs each game.



Even if he can jag the odd wicket it’s an enormous bonus to his batting stats.



He’s averaging 37 runs with the stick at an economy of 144.15, and he’s looked extremely comfortable in the process.



Maxy will be a very popular pick, so Stoinis is a great alternative for those looking to gain an edge and jump the pack.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CAPTAINS</h2>



Daniel Sams



There is some concern over Sams in recent games with a few niggling injuries and the earlier concussion that saw him miss a game.



However as long as he’s out there I’m willing to back his durability to play his role.



Prior to the end of Round 10 lockout finishing Sams averaged a whopping 74.3 SuperCoach points.



He’s been utilised with the bat far more than last season and is picking up plenty of 20 runs + strike-rate bonuses.



He has high scores of 153 and 126 this season, and with the all-rounder role he is a fairly safe option to lock in.



Monitor his fitness levels and team news leading into the round as there may be some lingering issues.



It’s advised to have a back up plan if Sams were to be a late out.



Jhye Richardson



With 19 scalps as the competition’s top wicket-taker, just one game without a wicket, and a SuperCoach average of 75.8, Richo has been an extremely consistent performer this tournament.



I do have a few queries though which had me tempted to put him in ‘captain risky’, but with the gun Stars options playing early in the round I think it really opens up the Perth quick as a safer selection.



His form is undeniable, but the Scorchers play away from Perth where he thrives, while their top order is really starting to fire which really limits any opportunity to add points with the bat.



Due to this, I prefer to target all-rounders, but there is a very strong case to lock in Richo who is in supreme touch.



He has three SuperCoach tons this season including a high of 165, very nice.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CAPTAIN RISKY</h2>



D’Arcy Short



I was tempted to put Short in the straight skipper category because I feel pretty comfortable when giving him the armband, but on further assessment it’s hard to ignore scores of 3, 3, 16, 9 and 10 this season.



In eight games last season he had just one score under 59, while he had high scores of 173, 160, 115 and 99, feeling a bit better?



He’s been a bit of a rollercoaster this tournament, with high scores of 150, 118 and 116 to lift his SuperCoach average to a respectable 52.5.



The fact is he’s opening the batting for a quality side and bowling anywhere between two and four overs each game.



His form with the bat has been off this year but he does have two half-centuries already this tournament, while he’s taken three wickets on two separate occasions with the ball.



Chris Lynn



I’ll keep this brief as we know what Lynny can do with the bat, but as a non-allrounder you’re running a huge risk if he scores poorly.



In five games, Lynn has four scores over 50 SuperCoach points and a low of 20, so his consistency has been terrific this season which slightly allays some fear.



Last campaign he had high scores of 189 and 148, while the tournament prior he had three SuperCoach tons, hmm….



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">VERDICT</h2>



Vice-captain: Glenn Maxwell



Captain: <s>Daniel Sams (monitor fitness)</s> D&#8217;Arcy Short



*UPDATE: Sams is expected to miss the final three games of the regular season with an injured hand.

Captain’s Challenge: Skippers, vice-captains to target

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