Summary
Following the rankings of the overseas players from 16 to nine, here are the remaining eight players in order of my rankings for BBL 6.
8) Kieron Pollard (Adelaide Strikers)
One of the leading t20 players in the history of the format, Pollard showcased his abilities once more throughout BBL 6. It was a relatively inconsistent tournament for the 29-year-old, although he did get off to a fine start.
In the Strikers' opening game, against Brisbane Heat, Pollard performed admirably with the ball as Jimmy Peirson, Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn took a liking to the Strikers' attack. The Trinidadian was one of only two bowlers to complete his four overs, conceding just 27 out of a total of 206, while removing both Peirson and McCullum.
That was not all for Pollard, as he also removed the dangerous-looking Lynn with a sharp catch on the midwicket boundary. He was unable to contribute much with the bat, but that was mainly due to him coming in so late in the innings.
It was a mixture of cameos from then on for Pollard, generally performing with the ball and not bat, or vice versa. His final game, against the Thunder, finally saw the real Pollard with the bat. The all-rounder crashed a brutal 47 off just 22 balls, with all five of his boundaries sailing over the ropes for six.
7) Stuart Broad (Hobart Hurricanes)
Not necessarily renowned for his t20 prowess, Broad's inclusion in the Hurricanes squad was perhaps somewhat of a surprise. Indeed, the Hurricanes were only the second overseas t20 side that Broad had signed for.
He had signed for Kings XI Punjab in 2011 but never played a game because of injury and hasn't since.
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| Broad celebrates hitting the winning run in the Hurricanes' incredible two wicket win against the Renegades, taking the match total to 445 runs in the process (PHOTO: Robert Prezioso - CA) |
He also managed to concede just 24 in his three overs against the Heat in another Lynn/McCullum mauling that yielded 174 runs in 16.2 overs.
Broad again performed well in the face of adversity against the Thunder, as he produced figures of 4-0-23-1 while his teammates conceded runs at a rate of 10.83.
Perhaps Broad's finest hour was hitting the winning runs in an incredible run-fest against the Renegades in the Englishman's penultimate game.
6) Eoin Morgan (Sydney Thunder)
It was an impressive showing from England's limited overs captain in BBL 6, scoring 160 runs in five innings, averaging 40. His tournament did not get off to a ferocious start, with a 19-ball 27 in the season opener against the Sixers the initial highlight.
The Irish-born batsman passed fifty for the first time in his third outing, against the Heat, top-scoring with 52 as his side limped to 157-7.
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| Morgan being embraced by Pat Cummins after he pulled off an unlikely victory for the Thunder (PHOTO: Mark Metcalfe/Stringer) |
Like his England teammate Broad, Morgan's personal highlight was arguably hitting the winning runs for his team. That innings came against the Melbourne Stars, where Morgan ended up unbeaten on 71 from 50 balls in a knock that exemplified the 30-year-old's quality.
When Ben Rohrer was dismissed towards the end of the 13th over, the Thunder still required 83 to win.
Indeed, heading into the final over the defending champions still needed 16 and, as it came down to the final ball, Morgan needed to find the boundary with five to win. He then hit Ben Hilfenhaus down the ground for six to secure his side a first win in their fifth game.
5) Brendon McCullum (Brisbane Heat)
One of the biggest draws in the t20 game, McCullum's introduction to the Heat squad instantly provided a fearsome top order, along with young 'keeper Jimmy Peirson and the imperious Chris Lynn.
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| McCullum led his Heat side from the front with some typically aggressive hitting at the top of the innings (PHOTO: Bradley Kanaris) |
That was a stark contrast with the Heat's overseas opener from BBL 5, Lendl Simmons.
The West Indian scored 177 runs in eight innings, passing fifty just once and being dismissed without scoring three times. McCullum's 323 runs at the top of the order, along with Lynn's brilliance, helped the Heat to the semi-finals.
Numbers are not always the be all and end all with regards to rating a player's performance, but McCullum's go some way to showing what sort of form he was in.
An average of a shade over 46 and a huge strike rate of close to 171 shows his dominant consistency, with such numbers only comfortably bettered by the freakish Lynn.
4) David Willey (Perth Scorchers)
Having signed on for a second successive season with the Scorchers and become a key member of the England one-day set up in the last year, much was expected of the Northampton-born man.
True to form, he delivered. Willey didn't have as much of a chance to show what he can do with the bat this year, but his bowling output improved as he formed a devastating opening bowling partnership with Mitchell Johnson.
Willey's campaign started in stunning fashion as he opened up with figures of 4-0-15-2 against the Adelaide Strikers, removing both openers in his first two overs.
He followed that up with further impressive performances against the Renegades and the Thunder, taking two wickets apiece at miserly rates in each game.
There was to be no repeat in his final game before leaving for England duty, however, as he became yet another victim of the Heat top order.
This time, though, it was Peirson's turn to go to town on the opposition as he plundered a six and a four off the first two balls of the innings, bowled by Willey.
The England international did get his revenge on Peirson as he cleaned him up in his second over, but the damage was all but done.
3) Sunil Narine (Melbourne Renegades)
One of the best bowlers to have played the format, Narine was up to his usual tricks for the Renegades in BBL 6. Despite his overall economy rate (7.81) ending up slightly higher than we have come to expect from the Trinidadian, there were still many occasions in which Narine shone.
To further add to his t20 armoury, the 28-year-old even opened the batting a couple of times with Aaron Finch, acting as a pinch hitter.
Arguably the game that showed Narine's quality the most was the aforementioned run-fest against the Hurricanes. Of the ten bowlers to bowl at least three overs in the match, Narine recorded by far the best figures - both in terms of economy rate and wickets taken.Staggering statistic from this BBL: Narine has taken 10 for 117 off 84 balls in the death overs (16-20) with 24 dots & 11 boundaries. #BBL06— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) January 20, 2017
His 4-0-27-3 was a testament to his sheer quality, with Cameron Boyce the closest to him in terms of economy and even that was considerably more than Narine's, with the Australian going at nine runs per over.
To make Narine's performance even more special, he took the key wickets of Ben McDermott (114) and George Bailey (59) but was still unable to take the Renegades over the line.
2) Tim Bresnan (Perth Scorchers)
Signed as a replacement for Willey, Bresnan was arguably a like-for-like stand-in in his role as a bowling all-rounder.
The 32-year-old's second stint in the BBL, after playing for the Hurricanes in BBL 4, was more successful than his first.
With the Hurricanes, the Yorkshireman played four times, taking four wickets at an economy of 8.50. By contrast, two years on, Bresnan played five games for the Scorchers and picked up nine wickets with an economy rate of 7.26.
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| Bresnan provided a seamless transition for the Scorchers as a replacement for David Willey (PHOTO: Mark Metcalfe - CA) |
With the Hurricanes, the Yorkshireman played four times, taking four wickets at an economy of 8.50. By contrast, two years on, Bresnan played five games for the Scorchers and picked up nine wickets with an economy rate of 7.26.
In fact, the game that affected Bresnan's overall economy rate came in the Final where he went for 40 in his four overs, although he did take the final three wickets in the innings to help keep the score down further after the wickets of Sean Abbott and Johan Botha.
Bresnan also played a part with the bat in his sole innings, with his unbeaten 20 off 15 balls against the Melbourne Stars guiding the Scorchers to a respectable total after a poor start.
Bresnan also played a part with the bat in his sole innings, with his unbeaten 20 off 15 balls against the Melbourne Stars guiding the Scorchers to a respectable total after a poor start.
1) Samuel Badree (Brisbane Heat)
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| Badree makes it to number one thanks to his unerring accuracy during the powerplay overs (PHOTO: Morne de Klerk) |
He has, however, made a name for himself in the t20 circuit much like his compatriot Narine. Like Narine, Badree's career t20 economy rate is comfortably below six.
That is all the more impressive given the fact that Badree typically operates within the powerplay overs at the top of the innings.
This was the role that he undertook in all five of his BBL 6 games, performing with typical quality and control.
In the majority of the games he played, Badree outperformed his teammates in the bowling department, generally conceding well below the rest of the Heat attack.
In his first game, for example, he recorded figures of 4-1-22-0 as his fellow bowlers went at a collective 10.88 runs per over.
In the majority of the games he played, Badree outperformed his teammates in the bowling department, generally conceding well below the rest of the Heat attack.
In his first game, for example, he recorded figures of 4-1-22-0 as his fellow bowlers went at a collective 10.88 runs per over.
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