The Sydney Sixers possess arguably the finest bowling attack in the Big Bash League with Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Shaun Abbott, Mitchell Starc and Moisés Henriques all with international experience of some kind at their disposal.
And that bowling attack has no doubt been important in helping the Sixers secure three wins out of four to climb to the top of the table.
However, it is telling that their lone defeat has come in the match in which they were dismissed for just 99, for it is their batting, defying popular opinion with an effective strategy that has been the most vital reason for their success.
The Sixers possess a shallow batting order with Abbott placed as high as seven and wicket keeper Ryan Carters, with a T20 strike-rate of less than a run-a-ball, thanks to a bad year at the Sydney Thunder, at six. To make matters worse, the Sixers lost the services of one of the world’s leading T20 batsmen Dwayne Smith just days before the season began when he withdrew due to personal problems. They replaced him with the little known Riki Wessels from Nottighamshire.
Days later they signed Test opener Ed Cowan on the premise that he had radicalised his traditional approach for the shortest format. The signs were not good.
However, the Sixers have mitigated their weakness with an aggressive batting strategy that risks more to gain more and so far it has worked excellently.
The opening partnership of Michael Lumb and Nic Maddinson is the strongest aspect of the Sixers batting. Rather than seeking to maximise the potential of this duo by encouraging them to play long innings as Jacques Kallis and Mike Hussey did in the Sydney Thunder’s remarkable opening victory against the Brisbane Heat, they have instead sought to bolster their shallow order by encouraging Lumb and Maddinson to furiously attack, elevating the Sixers above a required or healthy run rate freeing up the weaker middle and lower order.
Cowan played in the first match but as soon as Wessels, who joined the squad after the season begun had acclimatised himself, he has since slotted in at number three for the two following matches with Henriques and Jordan Silk at four and five.
The effectiveness of the Sixers top-down strategy was most clearly demonstrated in their victory over the Hobart Hurricanes when a 12-ball 29 from Maddinson in a chase of 154 pushed the Sixers above the rate and allowed Wessels, Henriques and Silk to play more sensibly and guarantee victory. Although their innings of 22, 29* and 30* respectively should not be undervalued for they coped well with mounting pressure but that pressure was less intense thanks to the aggression of Maddinson.
Admittedly, Maddinson could’ve shown greater care than he did once he had made it to 29 off 12 to build an innings and he himself carry the Sixers to victory; but a commitment to the strategy saw him fall playing another attacking shot. And he should be commended for that because it worked. But this is a strategy of risk. Risk that was shown as the Sixers winning streak was ended when the Scorchers bowler them out for just 99 in their fourth match.
Were the openers to play the long game and bat more carefully it is likely the Sixers would average more than they likely will under this strategy but their maximum score would perhaps be lower. This strategy widens the range but raises the pinnacle.
Of course, all strategies look good when executed well and the players involved play well; but strategy is about getting the most out of a team to give them the greatest chance of victory and so far the Sixers strategy is doing just that. They shouldn’t allow one failure to change that.
A tip for the struggling Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades, with two defeats from two matches, could begin to reverse their fortunes if they utilised Andre Russell, arguably the most misused player in the world, more effectively.
Russell, when given enough time to play himself in, is one of the most destructive middle order batsmen in the world.
Since scoring 77* off 42 balls batting at number five for Worcestershire in a successful run chase in 2013 Russell has scored five half centuries in T20 cricket – all of them batting at six or five; ideally five. Yet the Renegades, who have struggled twice in the back ten overs of their innings are batting him at seven.
In his first innings of the BBL-season Russell clearly struggled with the pace and bounce of the SCG pitch, such conditions unfamiliar to him in recent times but he fared better against the Scorchers in the second match. Batting higher up the order with less pressure and reliance on him could provide the Renegades the fillip they require. A return to form for Dwayne Bravo would help too.
The Renegades’ real weakness however, lies in their bowling; but that’s a topic for another day.
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