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It still amuses me that a guy like 47-year-old Brad Hogg is not just still competing in the Big Bash League but quite regularly dominating. Now beyond 40 myself, and having not put on a pair of pads in seven summers, I feel like I’m still going – vicariously through Hoggy.
But Hogg is far from alone, and this adds to my amusement, albeit simultaneously adding to my concern about the next generation of cricketers coming through the Australian state ranks.
A whip around the country shows experience leading the way at most franchises: Michael Klinger in Perth, Brad Hodge and Cameron White (and Hogg) at the Melbourne Renegades, Kevin Pietersen at the Melbourne Stars, Shane Watson at the Sydney Thunder and Brendon McCullum in Brisbane.
The Sydney Sixers are missing Brad Haddin something terribly this season, while only Adelaide and Hobart have consciously moved older players on for this summer as they try and rebuild their squads.
The BBL leading run-scorers list is dominated by senior citizens: Klinger, Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, Luke Wright, Brad Hodge, Shaun Marsh, White, Moises Henriques, Tim Paine and Ben Dunk among them. It’s a little rough to include 30-year-old Moises Henriques in this grouping, but the point remains.
In terms of blokes with youth supposedly on their sides, Nic Maddinson sits just inside the top ten. Maddinson is also the poster boy for this awkward phenomenon, though; he’s had more BBL opportunities to bat than Hodge since the competition started in 2011-12 and the two share a strike rate around the 130 mark. Yet the grey-haired, straight-talking veteran has around 300 more runs and an average 20 runs superior while also facing around 40 per cent more balls per innings.
It’s little wonder Hodge is still in demand around the world as a T20 batsman. If it came down to choosing between him and Maddison to bat for my life, I certainly would not be choosing to have youth on my side.
The issue with the younger bats – and we’re into generalisations now – is that they just don’t have the patience to build an innings if and when the going gets tough. And the batting coach that rectifies this the soonest will be the one who can build a top order around a few key young players in the coming years.
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There is some hope, however. Not for the Sixers, mind you. They look completely shot while ever Maddinson, Daniel Hughes and English pair Sam Billings and Jason Roy continue to fumble around, a situation that might only get worse now that Henriques has been granted indefinite personal leave. What an Ed Cowan at the top of their order couldn’t do for stability now.
Travis Head sits around number 25 on the all-time list, for what it’s worth, and in half as many innings as Maddinson already has a better average, a much healthier strike rate, only two fewer fifties and one more ton.
At the top of the Adelaide innings this season Alex Carey has been a huge factor in the Strikers being the surprise packet of BBL07. Alex Ross has saved Brisbane’s bacon from the middle order on several occasions already this summer after showing the same promise last year. And until Wednesday night just gone it was Marcus Harris, not Finch, getting the Melbourne Renegades off to decent starts in their opening games.
D’Arcy Short has been excellent in his last two digs for Tasmania, and with possible Australian T20 coach Ricky Ponting already a fan further honours mightn’t be too far away.
But the fact that the old blokes are still mostly leading the way in the run-making stakes speaks volumes for the way Australian cricket identifies young batting talent. Too many young guys are getting chances they haven’t necessarily earned, and are discarded too quickly when they don’t reach expectations.
The worrying question is: when will this cycle stop?
BBL07 table
After the Heat beat Perth on Friday night in front of a record Brisbane crowd, the Big Bash League table looks this way. Spoiler: there’s a new leader…
Brisbane 8
Perth 8
Adelaide 6
Melbourne Renegades 6
Sydney Thunder 4
Hobart 4
Sydney Sixers 0
Melbourne Stars 0
AAP Image/Dan Peled
Saturday – Game 19
Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, MCG
The first instalment of a nicely growing rivalry, with the star-studded but ‘putrid’ performing green-Stars hosting the high-flying, middling-everything red-Renegades. Peter Handscomb is back in green, while Rob Quiney and Evan Gulbis have been left out. John Holland and Chris Tremain come into the red squad alongside the XI that thumped the Sixers on Wednesday.
Pure and simple, this is must-win for Stars if they have any desires on being beaten in the semis again this season. But on current form you couldn’t back them with someone else’s money.
Tip: Red Melbourne, and another Glenn Maxwell spray for the Stars.
Sunday – Game 20
Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Showground
The Thunder dropped out of the top four with their loss to Hobart earlier this week, while on Thursday night the Hurricanes were also responsible for Adelaide’s first loss of the season.
Though the Strikers have the table position advantage, this feels like a pretty even game now. The Thunder haven’t been completely convincing but are more than capable. The Strikers have been ticking along nicely yet now feel vulnerable after a loss. Whoever fires first probably wins.
Tip: Thunder at home? Thunder at home!
Monday double-header – Game 21
Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers, Bellerive Oval
Sixers? More like nixers, amiright? I’m so annoyed at how underwhelming the Sixers are this year that I have to stop myself talking about them because it will just come across ranty.
Hobart, on the other hand, have found some form with the bat and have unearthed an absolute gem in Jofra Archer. I’m still not sure if they’re a top-four team this summer, but it does genuinely feel like they’ve worked out what works for them.
Tip: Hurricanes. Darcy Short might win on his own.
Monday double-header – Game 22
Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades, the WACA
Heat-Scorchers on Friday night was a cracker, and now Scorchers-Renegades looms as another ‘game of the year’ candidate. Is this the slump Perth needs before they go onto winning title number four? It could be.
The Renegades, meanwhile, are ticking along nicely and will be wanting to use their momentum to set up their season before they lose Aaron Finch to national duty.
The Scorchers have one more scratchy game in them before they tune up for the finals.
Tip: Renegades in a huge upset in the west.