With the guarantee of another 14-match BBL season slated for the 2019-20 summer, many fans are groaning at the prospect of an endless stream of mediocre matches and ever-dwindling attendances, but could a look towards the notions of transfer windows present in football and basketball provide an interesting new spark for both fans and teams alike?
What got me thinking of this idea was the profound impact of Harry Gurney towards the end of the Melbourne Renegades’ ultimately successful campaign. Gurney had been brought in as a replacement for Pakistan quick Usman Shinwari, but both offer a vastly different package that proved beneficial in correlation to the point of the season in which they played.
Shinwari began the campaign bowling fast and straight on wickets that were a lot fresher and newer, providing a little bit for the quicks but also a lot friendlier for batsmen targeting the average fast-medium bowler. Shinwari was able to bowl rapid opening spells with the ability to change his pace towards the end of the innings, which resulted in him snaring eight wickets from his seven matches in the tournament at an excellent economy rate of 6.14.
Of the remaining nine matches, including both finals, the Renegades played six matches on the slower wickets of the SCG, Spotless Stadium and their home venue, Marvel Stadium. It is under such conditions that Harry Gurney was able to thrive, only once going at over seven runs per over across those six games. This is not to say that Gurney is not an excellent T20 bowler – his superb record at the batsman’s paradise of Trent Bridge attests to that – but his collection of cutters and slower balls are far more effective on pitches that offer grip to the bowlers.
Whether or not the Renegades had planned their replacement with this thinking in mind, the profits that they sowed from their clever signings make a compelling case for a trade window, whether from within or outside the league. As venues and their pitches tire over the course of an extended BBL season, teams would be able to bring in players that suit the changing conditions.
It would create some interesting decisions for teams that could make or break a season. Bring in a spinner at the back end of the season but potentially lose a valuable middle-order batsman in return? Sacrifice a quality fast bowler for added batting depth in a push for finals?
There are franchises in the season just past that would certainly have benefited from such a trade window. With the quality of their spin department, the Melbourne Stars could have traded the valuable and underused all-round ability of Evan Gulbis to reinforce their fragile middle order and perhaps have had a better chance at winning the final against their cross-town rivals. The Sixers could have traded young assets in their squad to bring in a death bowler that would have partnered Tom Curran and stepped up in the semi-final in which the England international was sorely missed.
Now with such a system, there are obvious cap space and eligibility requirements that would need to be met. However, for a league that has disillusioned many fans over the summer, a revitalisation is what is required to bring the Big Bash back into Australian cricket fans’ good graces, and perhaps this new mechanic could be the break it’s looking for.
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