BBL07: Are Brisbane getting enough Heat out of Brendon McCullum?

This upcoming block of Big Bash League games includes two fixtures for the Brisbane Heat, which makes this the perfect time to examine the output of their marquee signing and captain, Brendon McCullum.

The Heat announced the former New Zealand skipper as their main man for three seasons back in 2014-15, after a disastrous fourth edition of the BBL in which they ran last with just two wins.

McCullum then re-signed with the Heat for another two seasons just a week before the start of BBL07, the new deal taking him through to the end of BBL09 in 2019-20. With fellow ‘bash brother’ Chris Lynn signing what the Heat themselves labelled “the biggest contract in Big Bash League history”, and rumoured to be worth well over $1 Million  through to end of the 2021-22 summer, there’s no prizes for guessing Brisbane’s gameplan for the new few years.

As of Sunday night, McCullum’s Heat BBL tally sits at 435 runs from 15 matches, at an average of 31.1 and with a strike rate of 152.09. On average, he faces 19 balls per innings, and he’s posted three fifties in fifteen innings.

Last summer, he was Brisbane’s leading run-scorer for BBL06, belting 323 runs at 46.1 and at better than 170 runs for every hundred balls faced.

This year, not so much. In his four digs to date, it’s 40, 5, 5, and 15 against Adelaide on New Year’s Eve. And while you cold put that down to a slow start to the season, it’s actually the latest segment of a very up and down run that’s been going on all through 2017.

His Pakistan Super League stint in February was lean, with only three scores above 20; it was better during the IPL, with two fifties among 319 runs at 29 with a strike rate of 147. The runs dried up again during the T20 Blast in England, however, with two knocks of 88 and 63 and just one of his remaining seven innings getting past 10.

His Caribbean Premier League trip was much better; 335 at 55.8, and with three fifties and five scores under 19. But then his Bangladesh Premier League campaign was saved by two fifties in his last two innings; prior to that, it was just two scores above 25 in ten innings, and with four of them below 6.

He may yet come good in BBL07, but his pre-tournament extension for another few seasons couldn’t have been timed better.

1518 runs at 29.2 looks decent on the surface, especially at a strike rate of 142.13. But there are just eleven fifties in 58 innings, and 34 scores under 25.

And I just wonder, is his record really reflecting his marquee status? And is 65 runs in four digs at 16 really good enough for a big money opener?

BBL07 table

After Perth beat the Sydney Sixers by six wickets on Monday night over in the west, the Big Bash League table looks this way.

PERTH 8, ADELAIDE 6, MELBOURNE RENEGADES 4, SYDNEY THUNDER 4; Brisbane 4, Hobart 2, Sydney Sixers 0, Melbourne Stars 0.

Upcoming games

TUESDAY – GAME 15: Melbourne Stars v Brisbane Heat, MCG: A flip of a coin game, if ever there was. Neither the Stars or Heat are in super nick right at the moment, and both strongly rely on a couple of big names: Pietersen and Maxwell for the Stars, and McCullum and Lynn for the Heat.

And I’ve got some thoughts on McCullum’s output for Brisbane over the last few seasons, but I’ll save that for another day. I reckon bowling decides this; the Heat will be confident after beating the Stars back on December 20, but both sides have had major batting collapses since. Whoever bowls best wins.

Tip – Stars; I think there’s a bit cleverer subtlety around the Stoinis-Zampa-Beer-Hastings attack.

WEDNESDAY – GAME 16: Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Sixers; Kardinia Park, Geelong: The #BBL07 roadshow rolls into another new venue, with Geelong following Launceston last Saturday in making its BBL debut. The Renegades are ticking along petty nicely despite Finch not yet firing, and their bowling attack has taken 23 wickets in three games to date.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have lost 27 wickets in their three games, while only taking twelve themselves.

Tip – Renegades, and comfortably.

THURSDAY – GAME 17: Hobart Hurricanes v Adelaide Strikers, Bellerive Oval: The Hurricanes look like they’re in a bit of a tight spot now, with their batting misfiring and their bowling not going much better.

The Strikers, by comparison, have won three from three, and have been pretty convincing at that: they’ve bowled the Thunder and Heat out, and had the Sixers eight down. Might be another tough night for the home side.

Tip – Strikers; not sure how the ‘Canes can get off the bottom of the table in this one.

FRIDAY – GAME 18: Brisbane Heat v Perth Scorchers, the ‘Gabba: This game would be a great time for McCullum to start easing my concerns, and depending how things went for them in Melbourne on Tuesday night, this game could be nearing ‘must win’ terms for the Heat. Perth have had an unbeaten start to their campaign and shown already why so many had starting the BBL as favourites, or at the very least, making the semis.

Is this their annual stumble?

Tip – Heat, in a bit of an upset.