BBL7 Game 1 - Thunder v Sixers Review - My 5 Takes
1. Thunder Win Final Ball Thriller
BBL7 kicked off with a bang last night with the Sydney Thunder prevailing over their arch rivals, the Sydney Sixers, in a final ball thriller at Spotless Stadium. Set a moderate 150 for victory, the Thunder made heavy weather of the chase, requiring 16 runs from the final over, before Aiden Blizzard and Arjun Nair scampered over the line after a costly final over from Sean Abbott. The Thunder were largely reliant on skipper Shane Watson who smashed 77 from 46 balls to virtually carry the Thunder to victory. Debutant Daniel Sams was the star for the Sixers with a stunning 4/14. Earlier in the night, the Sixers couldn't capitalise on a strong start with Daniel Hughes, Nic Maddinson and Sam Billings all making starts without going on with it. Fawad Ahmed was outstanding with the ball, claiming 2/11 from his 4 overs whilst Arjun Nair was also impressive.
2. Sams Stars on Debut
I can't remember a more impressive debut in BBL cricket than that of Daniel Sams last night for the Sixers. Sams’ 4/14 off his 4 overs deserved a match winning performance as he demonstrated exceptionally varied and skilful bowling right from his first ball. Sams was only called in as a late injury replacement to the Sixers squad, but he is well and truly here to stay now. What impressed me so much about Sams was his range of skills and ability to execute them under pressure. Sure, he might benefit from teams not having faced him and not having much intel on him; however this was far more impressive than a bowler that simply snuck under the radar. Sams bowled at a decent enough pace, but it was his change-up and match awareness that were so impressive. Well disguised slow balls accounted for Butler and Watson, while he also hit some clutch wide yorkers, slower ball bouncers, and hit a good length early. At 25 Sams isn't a young debutant, but I expect his stocks to soar this summer.
3. Sloppy Sixers Punished
The Sixers will feel they lost that game, rather than the Thunder winning it. They lost to an inferior side on paper through some sloppy cricket. From 1/55 in the 7th over, they made a meal of the final 13 overs to only get to 9/149. I thought tactically they might have missed a trick or two with their batting order. Sean Abbott is a great striker of the ball and, in a low scoring game, is wasted at Number 9 behind the likes of Johan Botha, Peter Nevill and Stephen O'Keefe. I know Daniel Sams is a rookie; however he has been in outstanding form in NSW Premier Cricket and is far better than a Number 10, even a level up. In the field they made a couple of crucial errors, providing two free hits, one through having one too many men outside the circle, and one through a Doug Bollinger no ball in the final 5 overs. It's not untypical for the Sixers to start the season slowly, but more performances like last night and they won't even get close.
4. Watson Still One of the Best
Shane Watson proved once again why he is still an International T20 gun for hire around the world with a match winning knock. I had a good feeling about Watson coming into this season because he looks fresh and relaxed as opposed to last season when he came in half fit and out of sorts. Watson, even at 36 years of age, when fit, is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in world cricket. From the minute he murdered a pull shot high up in the stands off Doug Bollinger last night he looked on. Whilst Watson would have been happy with the way he struck the ball, from a captaincy stand point he might be a bit worried about the support cast around him. There is no way, when someone strikes 77 from 46 balls, that a team should require 16 runs off the final over to win a game. However, that’s where the Thunder found themselves last night.
5. Ponting and Channel Ten On A Winner
Last night’s game showed perfectly what I love about the BBL. Whilst it was a pretty ugly game of cricket at times, it was gripping, intense and hugely entertaining. Channel 10 do a great job of capturing the mood of the tournament with the laid back, but on point, dynamic between their commentators. Ricky Ponting has quickly developed into a world class commentator without himself probably even realising it. He has the sharpest T20 mind in the game for me, and can often predict exactly what is going to happen, or recall one-on-one stats or history in a bowling and batting match up. It’s clear he has done his homework, and knows the traits and strengths of a wide variety of individual players. Mark Howard plays the perfect role of host, coaxing the best out his experts without overplaying his hand.