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Stars lose shine and so does the Big Bash

Does the Big Bash League need more than just ageing stars to thrive? (image: AAP)
Roar Guru
16th January, 2018
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John Hastings, Ben Dunk, Kevin Pietersen and Peter Handscomb would be feeling the pinch right now with the Melbourne Stars.

Dunk has been an abject flop this season, negating starts by going in the opening overs.

Pietersen seems to play when he feels like it, and his Christmas excursion is detrimental to the Stars’ position. Hanscomb can bat high in the order. Glenn Maxwell and Luke Wright should have opened from the start of the season. Pietersen at three with Handscomb at four gives you a chance to get a century out of one of your top four hitters.

James Faulkner needs more time by batting five, even four if the situation calls for it.

Hastings as a new captain did not have Dan Worrall to work with until this week. Now he has Evan Gulbis, Worrall, Jackson Coleman, himself, Maxwell, Daniel Fallins the leggie and Faulkner. That’s not a bad combo.

Making moves as a new captain is always a tough ask for someone with Pietersen and Maxwell in the ranks, and it’s time the latter got a role as skipper to get his sense of priorities and his maturity in place.

I was surprised to find Hastings appointed skipper. The Stars had the chance to recruit better and to get more out of their personnel. But where Maxwell would make moves, Hastings has been reluctant, and that has seen the Stars slump to 1-6, leaving them out of playoff contention.

It might be a good thing for Hastings to stand down as skipper for the last three games and give Maxwell a shot.

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As for the Sixers, Maxwell’s lame claim that the wicket was stopping or sub-standard was proved to be totally wrong. Nic Maddinson and Daniel Hughes put on 92 in no time and made batting look easy.

It’s great that every Sixers player is right behind latecomers Joe Denly, Carlos Brathwaite, Moises Henriques and Nathan Lyon, but sadly it is all too late. They were needed long ago.

With the bowling line-up they now have and the talent in batting down to five, they could have been contenders, but Henriques’ loss for four games stopped any momentum they might have developed. Johan Botha’s influence at the Sixers might be better served with a coaching role to allow new Sydney talent a shot at an all-rounder’s role.

Two wins and six losses is not acceptable, and the Sixers/Star/Thunder (3-5) admins and Cricket Australia need to look at ways of making the three clubs more competitive because they have had very poor BBL seasons, and fans aren’t looking for excuses.

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