2023/24 GameDay Squad AUS Cricket Team Preview: The Sixers had a good BBL12 and won ten of their fourteen matches over the round robin. However, they did lose both of their matches in the finals. Firstly, going down to the Scorchers in the qualifier match and then being bundled out by the Heat the challenger match. Over the history of the BBL, the Sixers are the second most successful team with three championships. They are also a frequent visitor to the finals and have only missed out three times in twelve seasons. They have played 144 games, won 84, lost 57 and had 3 no result.
This season the Sixers go into the BBL13 with only three new faces, and they are Rehan Ahmed, Joel Davies and the returning Tom Curran. We have seen the number of matches in the round robin decrease from fourteen to ten for each team this season. For the Sixers to reach the finals, I believe the magic number of wins will need to be five. Going by their historical track record and their well-balanced team, I think they will be making their eleventh trip to the finals. The Sixers were very good at batting first and setting a target in BBL12. They won all six matches through the round robin while batting first. They did however win the toss in both finals matches and elect to bat, only to be unable to defend their target.
The Sixers open their season against the Renegades at the SCG on the 8th of December. In the BBL12 round robin the Sixers were unbeaten at this venue, and they won all five of their matches here. Unfortunately, that winning streak came to an end against the Heat in the finals. If they can put their finals disappointment from last season behind them, I believe they can make the finals once again.
Squad (Averages and position rank for BBL12 included)
Jack Edwards – Batter (Did not play in BBL13)
Daniel Hughes – Batter, Avg 18, Rank 31
Kurtis Patterson – Batter, Avg 26, Rank 19
Jordan Silk – Batter, Avg 38 Rank 9
James Vince – Batter, Avg 36, Rank 12
Sean Abbott – All-Rounder, Avg 58, Rank 1
Rehan Ahmed – All-rounder (Did not play in BBL13)
Tom Curran – All-Rounder (Did not play in BBL13)
Moises Henriques – All-Rounder, Avg 28, Rank 20
Hayden Kerr – All-rounder, Avg 38, Rank 12
Steve O'Keefe – All-rounder, Avg 39, Rank 10
Josh Philippe – Wicketkeeper, Avg 28, Rank 6
Jackson Bird – Bowler, Avg 43, Rank 11
Ben Dwarshuis – Bowler, Avg 46, Rank 8
Joel Davies – Bowler, Avg 32, Rank 23
Todd Murphy – Bowler, Avg 41, Rank 15
BBL12 stats from matches played at the Sydney Cricket Ground
· Six games played; Sixers won five of them.
· Team winning the toss won three matches.
· Chasing team won three matches.
· Average first innings score of 148 (lowest 116 / highest 187)
· Batter GDS average 29 points per match
· All-rounder GDS average 35 points per match
· Bowler GDS average 34 points per match
· Wicketkeeper GDS average 33 points per match
· 73 wickets taken by bowlers, 47 to seam and 26 to spin
Player To Watch – Josh Philippe (Wicket-Keeper)
Philippe is one of the many great wicketkeeper options in GDS. He ranks 17th all time for the most runs in the BBL. In BBL9, BBL10 and BBL11 he scored over 400 runs in all these seasons. BBL12 was his worst season with the bat in the last five and he only scored 226 runs, averaging 18 runs per match. Philippe is currently playing for Western Australia in the 2023/24 Marsh Cup (Australia’s domestic 50 over competition) where he is averaging 36 runs with his highest scores being 90 vs Queensland and 61 vs NSW. I believe Philippe is a great talent and can be a real asset for coaches in GDS. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we see him return to the BBL form he showed a few seasons back.
Most Valuable Player – Sean Abbott (All-Rounder)
In BBL12, Abbott was the best all-rounder based on GDS average. He’s a bowling all-rounder that quite often bowls his full complement of overs and comes into bat at eight or nine in the Sixers batting order. Abbott took 29 wickets and averaged 2.6 dot balls an over in BBL12. He only had seven turns at bat in BBL12 and averaged eight points in GDS over these innings. I’d be expecting a similar showing with the bat in BBL13 and wouldn’t be relying on his batting to prop up his GDS scores. In BBL12, Abbott was among the top four all-rounders in twelve of his fifteen matches, and I believe he is a must start in most matches for BBL13. He is also the leading wicket taker in BBL history with 154 wickets.
Biggest Bust Candidate - Kurtis Patterson (Batter)
Patterson only finished among the top three batters in five of his thirteen matches in BBL12. He was unable to score 50+ runs in any of the matches and only had three scores of 30+ runs. The real concern for me is the form that he has shown over his four innings in the Marsh Cup for the 2023/24 season. He has had four turns at bat and only averaging 16 runs with a top score of 29. I think in most matches for BBL13, there is likely to be better batter options to fill in your three batter positions.
Predicted Starting XI
1. Josh Philippe
2. Steve Smith
3. Daniel Hughes
4. Moises Henriques
5. Jordan Silk
6. Hayden Kerr
7. Tom Curran
8. Sean Abbott
9. Joel Davies
10. Ben Dwarshuis
11. Jackson Bird
