The eighth edition of the Big Bash League, with more matches than ever, gets underway this evening. The imports are a big part of the competition, and some teams have looked well and truly left-field this season.
From a Nepalese leg-spinner and the Sydney Thunder needing to replace both of their imports mid-season, as well as the return of the best short form bowler in the world in Rashid Khan there are plenty of players to get excited about this season who aren’t Australian.
There are some imports who you will have heard of, and some who you won’t know the first thing about. So, we are going to run through the lesser-known stars who’ll be gracing the Big Bash this season.
Sandeep Lamichhane (Melbourne Stars – Nepal)
Lamichhane might be just 18 years of age, but there is every chance he could be a breakout BBL star if he gets a run in the Stars’ best XI this season.
He has been in squads for numerous T20 franchises around the world, including the Delhi Daredevils, Montreal Tigers and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
In saying that, he only has 12 official T20 matches to his name, with three of those being internationals for the Nepal team.
In that time, Lamichhane has shown enormous potential. He averages 19.92 with the ball, goes at just 7.15 runs per over and has 14 wickets to his name.
Lamichhane competed for Nepal at the under-19 World Cup last year, picking up 14 wickets in six games.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat – Afghanistan)
Another spin bowler from a lesser-known cricketing nation, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman is even younger than Lamichhane – he doesn’t turn 18 until early next year.
Rahman has shown a heap of potential in his 46 T20 matches, taking 49 wickets in that time. He is taking after the best short-form bowler in the world, countryman Rashid Khan.
His consistency throughout the formative years of his career has been strong, with an average of 23.79 and an economy of under seven.
The off-spinner has also excelled in international cricket, picking up nine wickets in seven T20 internationals, as well as 44 wickets in 23 ODIs.
He is likely to play a role in the Heat’s side, and the extra bounce could make him a deadly weapon on the Gabba, rendering the sweep shot a poor option against him.
If that is the case and he can be accurate, he could form a deadly one-two punch on the spin bowling front with Mitchell Swepson.
(Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP)
Usman Qadir (Perth Scorchers – Pakistan)
Usman Qadir has come from nowhere during this summer. The son of Pakistani legend Abdul, the leg-spinner has made his intentions of playing international cricket very clear, and his performances during the JLT Cup at the start of the summer were positive, including a 3/50 against Victoria.
Signed by the Perth Scorchers in one of their import spots, it’s a massive gamble from the franchise.
The Scorchers, however, are stacked with both bowlers and batsmen, so whether Qadir actually gets a run in the XI is anyone’s guess.
What we do know is that if he does get a game, he will strangle batsmen. While he only has 11 wickets in 13 T20 games, Qadir goes for less than six runs per over throughout his career.
Bowling in partnerships is something often talked about for the longer formats of the game, but in this circumstance, it also plays a part during the middle overs of T20 matches.
If Qadir is locking down one end at less than six runs per over, it means more risks are going to be taken from the other, so wickets will inevitably fall.
Qadir may not be part of the Scorchers’ best XI, but with international cricket set to disrupt the club throughout the season, he will have a few games at some point.
(AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)
Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers – England)
Signed by the Sixers, Tom Curran will have a huge role to play in an inexperienced line-up. Most Aussie cricket fans will remember him from the England side which struggled in a big way when they toured for the Ashes last year.
He has played all three formats of the game for England, but never been a consistent part of their top XI, with just two Tests, 11 ODIs and seven T20 international matches under his belt.
Curran has, however, played 65 T20 matches throughout his career and while his economy rate isn’t good – over eight and a half runs per over – he has a knack of taking crucial wickets with his pace, bounce and accuracy.
He will be strong up front with the new ball for the Sixers but probably won’t be required to bowl during the death overs.
The Englishman has 71 wickets across his T20 career at an average of 26.45. The numbers don’t seem amazing, but he has the ability to take early wickets or pick up the odd one at crucial times.
Anton Devcich (Sydney Thunder – New Zealand)
We won’t get to see Devcich until later in the season, given he is listed as a replacement for Jos Buttler once he returns to England, but when we do, Devcich will have a big role to play.
And it’s a role he should be capable of. Buttler’s are big shoes to fill, but the 33-year-old Devcich has a stack of experience and knows how to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
The Kiwi has played 122 matches and averages 26, but as an opening batsman in the shortest form of the game, that’s not a bad spot to be in.
His strike rate is high – 131.96 – and he has gone past 50 on 18 different occasions – which isn’t a bad success rate, being about once in every six innings.
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