Seeing Double: Sixers, Heat, Stars round 3 focus


<p>Round 2 asked what we think will be one of the defining questions of this season &#8211; do we pay up for Matt Short or not.</p>



<p>And then on top of it, it challenged a long held belief about the value of a Vice Captain needed for a loop. Personally, I was shocked to see the amount of SuperCoaches going against Matt Short and Jamie Overton’s Game 1 performances to chase a Perth Scorchers skipper.</p>



<p>For what it’s worth, I think Short purchasers have just about broken even on their investment, mainly for two facts. The cheapies you likely had to bring in to fund him have all done ok cash wise (Scott, Owen, Konstas to name a few), plus he makes an easy sell this round to fund your Round 3 trades.</p>



<p>At around $254k, Short is absolutely a sell in my books. The breakeven is one thing, but it’s really all about the people on the shopping list for the Round 3 double.</p>



<p>On a personal note, despite the success of going against Short and VC’ing Overton this round, my side had some dramas with my Round 1 starting players in Weatherald missing the second game through injury and Andrew Tye missing selection which wasn’t ideal. Thankfully my POD of Ben Dwarshuis came through with a ton.</p>



<p>Let’s look ahead at this round&#8217;s double.</p>



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<p><strong>Round 3 double teams: Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat.</strong></p>



<p><strong>Overview:</strong> This round is another with ‘season defining’ written all over it. With three sides on the double there’s a huge amount of choice. And while coaches probably already own some Stars players, there’s some super expensive guns on shopping lists.</p>



<p>Keep your eye on the weather as well as there’s a little rain forecast for the final game of the round which features both the Sixers and Heat.</p>



<p><strong>Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, SCG (Game 1) and vs Brisbane Heat, Gabba (Game 5).</strong></p>



<p><strong>Overview: </strong>You sorta know what you get from the Sixers who are a well drilled outfit who know how to win. In the past they’ve been a reliable SuperCoach side too thanks to a consistent lineup, although that has shifted slightly with the rise of allrounder Jack Edwards and loss of stalwart Stephen O’Keefe.</p>



<p>Two games into the competition, they are undefeated after chasing in both matches. They’ve spread the starring roles around too with a few lads already having shown some great form. We expect they’ll lose Sean Abbott for up to four games after his call up to the Test squad but there’s talent in the wings waiting for a game. They’ve got history with both of these sides too so they should be great games.</p>



<p>The SCG and Gabba both offer a bit for batters and bowlers so no one position stands out to me.</p>



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<p><strong>Who has the best roles at the Sixers:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Jack Edwards; whether or not he’s batting at 3 or at number 6, Edwards gets his overs nowadays and could even improve his role by taking over the Surge and Death Over duties from Sean Abbott. His batting looks the most complete since he stepped up to this level too.</li>



<li>Ben Dwarshuis; will go down as one of the best and most underrated Big Bash League players ever. Benny has drawn headlines twice this year already and his man of the match efforts against the Thunder show that he’s not far away from being classed as an allrounder. Still affordable but might not be for long.</li>



<li>Josh Philippe; opening bats who keep are golden, and while he hasn’t set the world alight yet, you always know it’s coming at some point so why not this round.</li>



<li>Akeal Hosein; with so many bowling options it’s crucial to find the guys who will bowl four and bowl then big overs. Look no further than the world’s number 1 T20 bowler. He will cost about $195k but has rare ability and is arguably underpriced for what he’s capable of doing.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Who else is worth watching:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Hayden Kerr; has to be selected first, but Hayden Kerr is capable of being an influential SuperCoach player if on the park. Has been used at times to bowl the big overs and can score runs when batting around the 6-8 range for the side.</li>



<li>James Vince; similar to Philippe it’s a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ Vince has a match winning knock. It’s always a little risky getting a bat only but Vince is a world class player.</li>



<li>Jackson Bird; criminally underrated T20 talent. Needs to be selected but is capable of taking a lot of wickets and could be asked to bowl the big overs if Abbott is unavailable.</li>



<li>Joel Davies; cheapie who&#8217;s going to have a huge future. Again, needs to be selected but is capable of good things as a batter or bowler.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers @ SCG (Game 1), vs Sydney Thunder @ Manuka (Game 4)</strong></p>



<p><strong>Overview:</strong> As weird of a team for SuperCoach as they are in real life. They’ll have some wins soon as their roster is of high class but it’s been an ugly start to the season. I put this down to their bowling attack which has been largely toothless.</p>



<p>Given the injuries to start the year to Hamish McKenzie and Glenn Maxwell, plus the changing of the guard between Internationals Joe Clarke and Adamn Milne to Ben Duckett and Usama Mir, their lineup is very hard to predict. As such they’re not a team worth investing heavily in as you genuinely don’t know what you will get.</p>



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<p><strong>Who has the best roles:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Tom Curran; it was a hot start followed by two poorer showings from TC. We love a death bowler but in a poorer bowling unit he’s not able to benefit from the pressure built by others.</li>



<li>Glenn Maxwell; the real wildcard of the round. Not only did Maxi come back this round but he also bowled. He will be hugely expensive but as an allrounder that is what you get.</li>



<li>Marcus Stoinis; been in good form with the bat and has also bowled in two of the three matches so far this season. Would love to see him bowling more but at his price you’ll take what you can get.</li>



<li>Peter Siddle; the wily veteran has turned back the clock with figures of 1/29 (3.1) and 2/21 (4). Most importantly he has bowled the big overs alongside Tom Curran. With no Adam Milne he’s no arguably the second best bowler in this side so expect them to keep coming.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Who else is worth watching:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Sam Harper is making runs at the keeper position which is a rarity this year. As a cash gen option I don’t mind him as a short term play.</li>



<li>Ben Duckett; the forgotten International. Duckett is very capable and another available at keeper.</li>



<li>Usama Mir; the other forgotten International. Mir is a solid if not spectacular choice which is affordable.</li>
</ul>



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<p><strong>Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers @ Optus Stadium (Game 2), vs Sydney Sixers @ Gabba (Game 5)</strong></p>



<p><strong>Overview:</strong> It’s weird how of the six clubs not named Scorcher or Sixers, only one has copied their blueprint for success. But that is exactly what the Brisbane Heat have done since giving Spencer Johnson an opportunity &#8211; take wickets and defend any size total.</p>



<p>It’s truly all about the bowlers but in SuperCoach terms that can add a bit of luck to the mix &#8211; specifically because six gun options have to try to fit into only 20 overs of work.</p>



<p>They’ve started where they left off last year, with victories built on just doing enough with the bat and being a fantastic bowling unit who can bowl pressure and win the big moments in games. Given the consistency of their side you’d argue everyone is priced fairly based on what they offer so you should get what you pay for.</p>



<p><strong>Who has the best roles:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Xavier Bartlett; last year’s breakout star is now a certified Aussie player. Opens the bowling and bowls surge and death. What a star. And worth the investment.</li>



<li>Paul Walter; while we expect a decline on last year’s output based purely on second year syndrome, you cannot ignore his role as a number 6 batsman and death bowler. TP sometimes doesn’t get his four but he’s capable of making his efforts in the game count.</li>



<li>Tom Banton; what a replacement player to find at short notice. Tom Banton lit up the Big Bash in his previous stint with the Heat and should love conditions in Perth and Brisbane once he links up with the side.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Who else should be on the watch list:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li>Spencer Johnson; needs to be fit but has a fantastic role. It doesn’t always correlate to huge wicket hauls but it could.</li>



<li>Colin Munro; world class player who opens the batting.</li>



<li>Mitch Swepson; gets to bowl the attacking overs of spin which can lead to some very solid hauls.</li>



<li>Matt Renshaw; as a cheaper prospect, Renshaw has good job security and looked solid last game so should enter with a low breakeven. A good option for those in need of a downgrade.</li>



<li>Nathan McSweeney; plays the anchor role which means he doesn’t throw his wicket away.</li>
</ul>



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<p><strong>Verdict and strategy:</strong></p>



<p>This is the last double game week for all sides, so from a future draw perspective the only consideration I am asking myself before trades is would I want any of these players in my side for the Round 5 single game week.</p>



<p>If the answer is no, then I simply won’t look at them. I’ll need bulk all-rounders and death bowlers for them.</p>



<p>I also think given the amount of options and lack of remaining doubles that this is a fine week to boost. So I could use four players.</p>



<p>Players from the Scorchers are now done with their doubles and are firmly on the trading block for me.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I will also consider shifting out Overton (or Short if I owned) to make sure I can maximise the players I can trade in. It’s never ideal selling Strikers before their own double in Round 4, but the money is going to be</p>



<p>I see three super premium players for this round in Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Bartlett and Akeal Hosein. All are fantastic and for me it will come down to the toss as to which way I trade &#8211; I want two of them but I am prepared to overlook Akeal if the Sixers are bowling second in their first game.</p>



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<p>There’s also some fantastic guns who are more affordable and just as appealing in Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards and Tall Paul. You can throw Curran and Stoinis in there too if you don’t own yet. These guys are more than capable of scoring 120 points in the double week.</p>



<p>Personally I’ll be avoiding mid-range prices as I need to generate cash for the Super Premiums. And I think there’s several good cheaper options this round in Matt Renshaw, Kurtis Patterson (if named) or even the death bowling Peter Siddle. If Joel Davies holds his position in the lineup you can throw him into that conversation as well.</p>



<p>Mitch Owen will also be heavily targeted as a player who is set to skyrocket in price and could fund trades next round. His next three games are at Adelaide Oval, then two at Bellerive which is juicy.</p>



<p>The final factor as always will be the weather. The possibility of the final game being rain impacted has me a little scared for Heat and Sixers targets but sometimes you just need to take a risk.</p>


Seeing Double: Sixers, Heat, Stars round 3 focus

Discussion (0)

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