We love The Big Bash in my house!
I'd usually recommend watching a game of cricket with a nice cold beer in your hand. In fact, I'd recommend doing most things with a nice cold beer in your hand but I've discovered that rolling out of bed on a cold, wet English winter morning and switching on the Big Bash while enjoying a nice strong cup of black coffee is equally enjoyable.
settling down to watch the cricket with my boys and a stack of pancakes
Part of the charm of the Big Bash from an English perspective is that it acts as a form of transcadental therapy, temporarily transporting you from the gloom of the Northern Hemishere at this time of year to the Antipodean summer.
The other reason we love the Big Bash in my house is that the fantasy league run by Supercoach is by far the best out there. It's simple enough for everyone to enjoy but with enough depth to really hook in the fanatics and as such their is a really good community that surrounds the league.
Last year, my eldest boy made his debut in the Supercoach fantasy league and ended up beating me! In fact, in the final round of 2020/21 season he ended up beating everyone by scoring more points than the hundreds of thousands of cricket fans who play the game across the world.
My eldest, 8 years old at the time, ranked number 1 in the world for round 17 of last year's fantasy BBL
Perhaps given the amount of cricket I've exposed him to over the years it's no surprise that he's developed an encylopedic knowledge of the game although maybe I could have introduced him to a subject that would be slightly more beneficial to his future career!
I don't think anyone would argue that the BBL offers the highest quality of cricket especially when compared to the IPL but there are other reasons to enjoy The Big Bash.
Last year and as direct result of franchises losing so many players to international duty especially with the enlarged international squads/bubbles required in the age of Covid, the league opted to allow sides to field 3 international players in their starting XI having previously restricted the number to 2.
That has certainly ensured that the quality of the cricket is maintained although the league over the last few years has struggled to attract some of the biggest names in the game with a large number of the international stars on show this season heralding from England.
Saqib Mahmood, George Garton and Harry Brook will all feature in this year's BBL picture source
In fact, every team in this years BBL has at least 1 English player in their squad with some franchises opting to offer all 3 spots to "Poms".
Obviously as an English cricket fan this increases my interest in the tournament as it's a great chance to see some of the young talent coming through try and make a mark in a foreign league. From the franchises point of view, it's no doubt easier to integrate players who speak the same language and share other cultural similarities into a squad and indeed the likes of James Vince, Tom Curran (both Sydney Sixers) and Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder) have been regulars for their teams for many seasons.
Of course from the perspective of the players it's a great opportunity not only to put themselves in the shop window for the upcoming IPL mega auction and other franchise leagues around the world but also to push their claims for higher honors with the England sides. Add to that the fact that the next T20 World Cup coming hot on the heels of the 2021 tournament is due to take place Down Under and you can see why this year's BBL represents a chance for some of the fringe players to prove they can do it in Aussie conditions.
From an England perspective, the players I'm most keen to watch perform are
Saqib Mahmood
I'm a bit disappointed that he isn't in the full Ashes squad having only made it as part of the Lions tour but the fact that he'll be in Australia throughout the winter could yet prove a real bonus should injuries or loss of form give him an opportunity in the Test squad.
Mahmood already showed this summer as part of the reshaped squad England were forced to put out against Pakistan that he can lead an attack and looked every inch an international quality bowler by dominating a very strong Pakistan top order that included the likes of Babar Azam who he dismissed cheaply in first 2 ODIs this summer.
He's already made an impact in the Pakistan Super League so he's no stranger to the T20 circuit in that regard and will slot into a Sydney Thunder line-up that has BBL regulars Alex Hales and Sam Billings.
Harry Brook
Brook was the outstanding T20 domestic player of the last English summer playing some incredible innings and batting in a position that all sides around the world are looking for batsmen in who can make an impact.
Still only 22-years old and a former England U-19 captain, Brook has been touted for higher honours for some time but it's in the shortest form of the game that he has really made a name for himself over the last 18 months.
He is happy batting outside the top 3 and is ideally suited to the number 4 position although he is adept at finishing as well so could be dropped down the order to accommodate players who are more effective in the powerplay should a couple of early wickets fall.
He'll be plying his trade in Tasmania for the Hobart Hurricanes this season and with the batsmen friendly pitches and relatively short boundaries they produce down there we could see some more fireworks from the youngster.
As well as recognisable faces from English domestic cricket, the set-up of the BBL offers familiarity for fans on a season by season basis in comparison to other leagues.
Sure, the IPL auction is fairly exciting especially this year as we go into a mega auction but the downside is that teams are continually having to turn over their playing XI and in that sense investing in young players and really developing for the long term aren't such high priorities. By comparison it's good to come back to a league like BBL on a year on year basis and see how some of the guys are progressing.
Interestingly, a couple of the IPL franchises have recently come out and suggested that the auction model that the biggest T20 franchise league in the world currently uses needs a rethink specifically because it doesn't encourage continuity and makes it difficult for the sides to real build an ethos within the dressing room.
If you haven't watched a Big Bash game before then give it a try.
American pancakes and bacon optional extras.