BBL announces official team of the tournament, Chris Lynn among notable absentees
The head coaches of the eight Big Bash League franchises picked the official BBL team of the tournament after the end of the league phase. Five players - Alex Hales, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Colin Munro and Jhye Richardson were unanimously picked by all eight coaches.
The coaches were allowed to pick three overseas players and two X-factor players.
Official BBL|10 Team of the Tournament
1) Josh Philippe – 8 votes
2) Alex Hales – 8 votes (Overseas)
3) Ben McDermott – 8 votes
4) Colin Munro – 8 votes (Overseas)
5) Glenn Maxwell – 5 votes
6) Dan Christian – 6 votes
7) Rashid Khan – 6 votes (Overseas)
8) Jhye Richardson – 8 votes
9) Mark Steketee – 6 votes
10) Adam Zampa – 6 votes
11) Wes Agar – 7 votes
X-Factor players
12) Marcus Stoinis – 4 votes
13) Daniel Sams – 3 votes
One of the notable absentees was Brisbane Heat skipper Chris Lynn. The opener is currently third in the BBL scoring charts. However, openers Josh Philippe (2) and Alex Hales (1) are the top two, and hence, Lynn missed out on a spot in the team of the tournament. Alex Carey also failed to make the list.
Jhye Richardson was the unanimous pick on the bowling front as he leads the wicket-taking chart with 27 wickets. He is joined by fellow seamers Wes Agar and Mark Steketee. Richardson has also been rewarded by the Australian selectors as he was picked for the upcoming 5-match T20 series against New Zealand.
Adam Zampa and Rashid Khan are the two spinners in the team of the tournament, with Dan Christian and Glenn Maxwell picked in the all-rounder roles. For the X-Factor slots, the coaches picked two bowling all-rounders in Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams.
BBL schedule for upcoming fixtures
The BBL has reached the business end of the season with the top 5 teams qualifying for the 'Final Series' of the campaign. Below is the list of fixtures for the next stage of the tournament.
- Friday, January 29: ‘The Eliminator’, Brisbane Heat (4) v Adelaide Strikers (5)
- Saturday, January 30: ‘The Qualifier’, Sydney Sixers (1) v Perth Scorchers (2)
- Sunday, January 31: ‘The Knockout’, Sydney Thunder (3) v winner of The Eliminator
The winner of 'The Qualifier' will also win the right to host the BBL final on February 6th.
The loser of 'The Qualifier' will get a second bite at the cherry to make the final, taking on 'The Knockout' winner. This match is known as 'The Challenger' and will take place on February 4th.