Rain looms as a significant factor as SuperCoaches plan for Sydney Sixers Round 10 double.
The Sixers are scheduled to play two matches in Sydney in three days, hosting Hobart on Thursday before the second Sydney Smash of BBL09 on Saturday.
However, the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting 2-8mm of rain in Sydney on Thursday, most likely in the afternoon and evening.
The forecast is for more rain on Saturday, with 2-15mm expected and a possible thunderstorm.
The full Brisbane-Adelaide Round 9 fixture went ahead despite expectations of rain, although it’s always worth having a back-up plan.
If you want to avoid Sydney Sixers and possible rain delays, here are seven unique picks from other teams to consider.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat) Avg: 38 Ownership: 1.4 per cent
In 13 BBL games, the Afghani spinner has claimed 12 wickets and conceded less than a run a ball, putting him among the most economical bowlers in BBL history.
He posted 38 SuperCoach points in his first outing of BBL09 against Adelaide, finishing with a tidy 0-14 from his four overs.
His compatriot Rashid Khan has had teams in a spin at Adelaide Oval and Mujeeb could well do the same.
Josh Lalor (Brisbane Heat) BWL Avg: 51 Ownership: 1.8 per cent
The left-arm seamer was one of the most expensive players in SuperCoach BBL at the start of BBL09 at $201,900. Lalor has enjoyed a consistent campaign, with two of his best three scores in the past three rounds. He took 3-21 from four overs against Hobart Hurricanes, amassing a season-high 111 points and then scored 95 after snaring 2-12 from three overs against Adelaide Strikers. Lalor has otherwise been a consistent scorer with six scores between 30-56.
Qais Ahmad (Hobart Hurricanes) BWL Avg: 51.7 Ownership: 9.2 per cent
The Hurricanes spinner soared in price to $214,800 after Round 3, having posted 180, 41 and 42. But a score of -1 in Round 4 was the start of a price plummet which resulted in him falling to $126,000 after Round 8. Ahmad has six scores of 35-47 and has a double game week in Round 12 which includes a fixture against the winless Melbourne Renegades. With James Faulkner and Riley Meredith sidelined, he’s guaranteed to bowl four overs.
Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers) BAT-BWL Avg: 54 Ownership: 3.0 per cent
The Test No. 6 has played the past two matches for the Strikers, returning with 22 from 20 balls against Melbourne Renegades and eight from four balls against Brisbane Heat. Head took 2-26 from four overs against the Renegades and totalled 94 SuperCoach points. But he wasn’t required to bowl when leg-spinner Liam O’Connor played his first match of BBL09 against Brisbane, which would be a worry for those keen to pick him. Adelaide has a double in Round 12 still to come.
James Pattinson (Brisbane Heat) Avg: 83 Ownership: 3.4 per cent
It has been polar opposites in Pattinson’s two matches since returning from Test duties – 0-52 and 22 points in Round 9, 5-33 and 144 points in Round 10. Pattinson’s wickets weren’t exactly pretty – with two caught down the leg side by gloveman Jimmy Peirson – but his pace against the Strikers was fierce. He plays the Strikers again in Round 10 in their return fixture. Pattinson remains at a low price for what he can produce and even a poor performance in will see his price skyrocket.
Peter Siddle (Adelaide Strikers) Avg: 56.7 Ownership: 5.5 per cent
Siddle’s BBL09 stats make for pleasant reading, conceding just 6.6 runs per over and taking 10 wickets at 17.4. The veteran is the Strikers’ first-choice pace bowler and his SuperCoach average of 56.7 ranks him among the best-performed bowlers in the competition. Siddle is in only 5.5 per cent teams and his affordable price tag makes him a promising prospect ahead of the Strikers’ Round 12 double.
James Vince (Sydney Sixers) Avg: 36.6Ownership: 4.8 per cent
With many teams spending big coin to bring in Tom Curran ($236,400 BAT-BWL) ahead of the Sixers’ double game week, Vince presents a cheap option with considerable upside. He hasn’t gone large in either of the Sixers’ doubles, posting 49 and 25, but averages a solid 36.6 points across the campaign. Batting at three, the Englishman should get ample opportunity in his side’s two fixtures in Round 10 — if the rain stays away.
