BBL 2020-21: Best combined XI of the tournament

After various T20 leagues around the world, the grand Australian Big Bash League (BBL) was also held for the 2020-21 season. The season started on 10th December 2020 and the final was contested on the 6th of February, 2021. A total of 61 matches were played. The teams, who reached the final are the ever-successful Perth Scorchers and the defending champions Sydney Sixers. It was a pretty exciting season and many new players made their mark. The organizers also introduced new rules like X-factor, allowing a 12th or 13th player to substitute a current player. The Power Surge allowed only 2 fielders outside the ring for 2 overs, and Bash Boost allowing an extra point if a team wins convincingly. English batsman Alex Hales from Sydney Thunder is the highest run-getter while pacer Jhye Richardson from Perth Scorchers is the leading wicket-taker. In this article, we tried to make a combined XI with the best performers throughout the league: 1) Alex Hales Alex Hales. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The English opener returned to Thunder after a very successful BBL season in 2019-20. He was the second-highest run-getter last season and went on one step further this time, scoring most runs until the finals. It remains to be seen if Josh Philippe goes past him in the finale. So, Hales goes into the best 11 this season as a no brainer. He has scored 543 runs this season in 15 matches at an average of 38.79. He has scored these runs at a superb strike-rate of 161. He has hit 3 fifty-plus scores and a century with the highest score of the tournament of 110. Apart from that, he has broken Marcus Stoinis’ record of most sixes in a season by striking 30 sixes. He was exceptional through the entire league giving good starts to the Thunders. Major credit for bringing the Syndey Thunder to the playoffs goes to him. 2) Josh Philippe Josh Philippe. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Just like Hales, even Philippe’s last BBL season was an excellent one, giving him much recognition. Thus unsurprisingly, even he is in the best performing team of the season. Josh scored over 500 runs this season and is the third-highest scorer in the league, behind Alex Hales by around runs. With the Sixers reaching the finale, he had a good chance to go past Hales and finish the season at the top of the chart. He scored these runs at a healthy average of around 33.27 and a strike touching almost 150. He has 3 fifties in total and missed out on a century by 5 runs against the Melbourne Renegades. He has also scored the most number of boundaries in the league. So, if the Sixers want to win the BBL this year, Phillipe’s bat needs to talk one last time in the final 3) Chris Lynn Chris Lynn. (Photo by Graham Denholm – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images) BBL’s very own Chris Lynn was yet again among the top scorers in the tournament. So, even he finds a place in the list of best players. Brisbane’s signing him years ago is reaping the fruits to this date. Lynnsanity struck this season at a strike rate of above 150 scoring 458 runs. He scored these runs at an average of 35 in 13 matches. He struck the second-most number of sixes, i.e, 26, just behind Alex Hales. He has also hit the most number 50s this season, 5 of them in total. Thus, it was yet another successful BBL for Chris Lynn and he takes the number 3 position in the best 11. 4) James Vince James Vince. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The English batsman has been away from England’s ODI and T20 squads recently but did play for the Sixers in the BBL 2020-21. He played really well through the season and has presented a strong case to get himself back in England’s limited-overs squad. His performance gets him in the best 11 of the season. James Vince has scored over 500 runs this season at a decent average of 38. He is the highest run-getter for Sixers. He and Josh Philippe are majorly responsible for getting their team to the finals. He has also scored the second-most runs by an overseas batsman only behind his fellow English teammate Alex Hales. He scored 4 fifties, with 98* being his highest score. His stability makes him a perfect number 4 batsman in the ideal 11. 5) Alex Carey Alex Carey. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The wicketkeeper is now usually Australia’s first choice wicketkeeper-batsman in LOIs. He showed his ability once more this season and is our wicketkeeper in this perfect XI. He was evidently the best amongst the wicketkeepers this season scoring 425 runs at an average touching 33. He also scored a century in the league, with a marvellous 101* off 62 deliveries against Brisbane Heat. He also had a good season behind the stumps taking a total of 20 catches. Although the Strikers did not qualify for the playoffs, Carey had a decent BBL and is the wicketkeeper of our best performing XI. 6) Marcus Stoinis He one of Australia’s best all-rounder in recent times and has been playing well in the BBL too. Last season, he was the highest run-getter, this season was not as good, but he did decently well to make it to the ideal 11 of the season. He scored just almost 400 runs in the tournament, 396 to be precise, at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 142.44. he scored 2 fifty-plus scores in the league with a high score of 97 against the Hurricanes. Stoinis did not bowl much this season, picking 2 wickets in the 3 matches he bowled at an economy of 7.67 and an average of 23. Thus, he fits in as the perfect all-rounder in the 11. 7) Dan Christian Daniel Christian. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) At number 7, we have an interesting choice in Dan Christian. Christian is now a T20 veteran, having much experience under his belt. Although he is 37 years old, he can still smack them out of the park very well. He scored 272 runs in the season at a mind-blowing strike of almost 187. He also scored the second-fastest fifty in the history of the BBL off just 16 balls. Throughout the tournament, he finished the innings very well for the Sixers and could even have better scores under his belt had he batted more. He is also a handy bowler and can give 2 more overs if needed, chipping in with a couple of wickets too. Overall all these factors make him a good choice in our ideal 11 at number 7. 8) Mark Steketee Mark Steketee. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images) Moving on to our bowlers, the first one is a right-arm pacer, Mark Steketee. He was Brisbane Heat’s major wicket-taker helping them through to the playoffs. Steketee took the lead in getting the wickets for the Heat, scalping a total of 24 wickets in the league at an average as low as 21.75. He is on the second spot in the leading wicket-takers chart, behind Scorchers’ Jhye Richardson. He bowled 56.2 overs and gave away runs at an economy above 9. His best bowling figures read 4-33 playing against the Sixers. He is also a handy lower-order batsman and can chip in with few runs. 9) Jhye Richardson Jhye Richardson. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Our next bowler in the XI is Perth’s pacer Jhye Richardson. He was exceptional throughout the tournament playing a key role in the Scorchers’ success this season. He is the top wicket-taker in the tournament, grabbing 29 wickets in the league in 17 matches. His average while taking these wickets is as low as 16.31 and his economy below 8. His best bowling came against Sydney Thunder where he picked 4 wickets for a mere 24 runs. Thus, he fits in our 11 as an ideal pacer having many variations in his bowling needed in T20 cricket. Perth will be hoping for him to play well in the final also, giving them another title. 10) Tanveer Sangha Tanveer Sangha. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Young wrist Tanveer Sangha has highly impressed many with spin bowling ability in the 2020-21 BBL season. He has been so exceptional that he is even named in Australia’s T20 squad for the New Zealand tour. Sangha picked 21 wickets, in 14 matches played, at an average of 18.29. His economy was also decent enough, around 8. He took his best bowling figures of 4-14 against the Renegades. He is quickly climbing the ladder among the ranks with his wonderful ability. He has a very bright future if he continues bowling well. 11) Wes Agar Wes Agar. (Photo Source: Getty Images) 24-year-old fast bowler Wes Agar also makes it to our best 11 of the season. His elder brother has already made it to the national side and he has also made his mark this BBL season playing for the Adelaide Strikers. Agar has taken 22 wickets in the season in 15 matches and is the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His average is 20.77 and his best bowling figures are 4-27 against Brisbane Heat. Although the Strikers, did not have a very good season, Agar has grabbed some attention and will try to keep up the good work.

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