Photo Credit: Sydney Sixers
Sydney Sixers fans are rejoicing after popular two-time BBL title winner James Vince opened the door for a potential return to the Harbour City by nominating for the KFC BBL|12 Draft.
Vince, who was Player of the Final in the Sixers’ BBL|10 triumph and part of the men in magenta in their BBL|09 win, is amongst 70 players from England who have stated their intentions to play Down Under this summer.
Joining Vince on the list of nominations is a teammate from the BBL|09 winning squad, fast bowler Jake Ball.
A favourite amongst fans and teammates alike, Vince could be selected by the Sixers when they pick fourth in the first round, be retained by the Sixers activating their Retention Pick (to be used if one of the three clubs ahead of them make a bid for the exciting opener) or selected in a later round.
Each club can retain one overseas player from their BBL|11 list, regardless of another club’s bid for that player.
The inaugural Draft for overseas players has attracted some of cricket’s biggest names and now many of England’s short form specialists have thrown their names into contention.
Alongside Vince, the list is headlined by T20 powerhouse Liam Livingstone, who has fast become one of the world’s most sought-after short form batters. Equally adept at the top or in the middle order, Livingstone boasts a T20 career strike rate of 146.57 for club and country. He also has seven BBL half centuries to his name from two previous campaigns with the Perth Scorchers.
While Livingstone is not able to be retained by the Scorchers, having last played there two seasons ago, there are nine English Draft nominees eligible for retention by their KFC BBL|11 clubs:
Joe Clarke (Melbourne Stars)
Ian Cockbain (Adelaide Strikers)
Jordan Cox (Hobart Hurricanes)
Laurie Evans (Perth Scorchers)
George Garton (Adelaide Strikers)
Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder)
Tymal Mills (Perth Scorchers)
Reece Topley (Melbourne Renegades)
James Vince (Sydney Sixers)
Among them, Alex Hales is the leading run-scorer among overseas players in the BBL’s history with 1857 runs in 60 matches, with Vince third on that list with 1427 in 54 outings. Evans was the player of the match in the KFC BBL|11 Final after leading the Scorchers to victory with 76 not out.
A host of recent England representatives will be hoping for their first taste of Big Bash action this summer. These include Test number three Ollie Pope,aggressive leg-spinner Matt Parkinson and exciting quicks Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.
For clarity, Carse is not eligible for retention by the Scorchers despite being initially signed for KFC BBL|11. He was ruled out with injury prior to the tournament and did not play a game for the Club.
In addition, Jake Ball (formerly Sydney Sixers), Danny Briggs (Adelaide Strikers), Richard Gleeson (Melbourne Renegades), Lewis Gregory (Brisbane Heat) and Benny Howell (Melbourne Renegades) have all nominated for a return to the Big Bash having been absent last season. They too are not eligible for retention.
A full list of all nominations is below.
Tickets for this summer’s Sixers WBBL and BBL matches go on-sale to the public at 2pm, August 18 (AEST).
Sixers BBL Memberships will be available to the general public next week. Be the first in line by registering your interest here.
KFC BBL|12 Draft details
The KFC BBL|12 Draft will be held on Sunday, August 28 and broadcast live on Fox Cricket, available on Foxtel channel 501 and Kayo Sports following Australia’s Dettol ODI series clash against Zimbabwe in Townsville.
The order of selections for the KFC BBL|12 Draft was revealed last week following two weighted lotteries conducted in the presence of authorised officials.
More information on the KFC BBL|12 Draft can be found at cricket.com.au/big-bash
Over 180 players have nominated for the KFC BBL|12 Draft. The 99 players announced to date are below. The League looks forward to announcing further nominations soon.
Afghanistan
Qais Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Waqarullah Ishaq, Rashid Khan, Izharulhaq Naveed, Naveen Ul Haq Murid, Hazratullah Zazai
England
Colin Ackermann (also Netherlands), Rehan Ahmed, Martin Andersson, Gus Atkinson, Josh Baker, Sonny Baker, Jake Ball, James Bracey, Danny Briggs, Henry Brookes, Brydon Carse, Matthew Carter, Jordan Clark, Joe Clarke, Josh Cobb, Ian Cockbain, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Matt Critchley, Liam Dawson, Brett D’oliveira, Jacobus Leus Du Plooy, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Matt Fisher, James Fuller, George Garton, Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory, Sam Hain, Alex Hales, Miles Hammond, Tom Hartley, Jack Haynes, Freddie Heldreich, Tom Helm, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, Benny Howell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Danny Lamb, Jack Leaning, Jake Lintott, Liam Livingstone, Lewis Mcmanus, Ben Mike, Tymal Mills, Daniel Mousley, Steven Mullaney, Callum Parkinson, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Michael Pepper, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ben, Raine, Adam Rossington, George Scrimshaw, John Simpson, Prem Sisodiya, Olly Stone, Tommy Taylor, Reece Topley, Liam Trevaskis, James Vince, Joe Weatherley, Ross Whiteley, Chris Wood, Luke Wood, Saif Zaib
Namibia
David Wiese (previously South Africa)
New Zealand
Todd Astle, Colin Munro
South Africa
Marchant de Lange, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw
West Indies
Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Anderson Phillip, Kieron Pollard, Khary Pierre, Ravi Rampaul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair, Tion Webster, Nyeem Young
KFC BBL|12 season
The KFC BBL|12 season will begin on December 13. Download the schedule or add to your calendar via our eCal tool.
Sydney Sixers BBL Squad
Head Coach: Greg Shipperd
Assistant Coaches: Cameron White, Andre Adams
Contracted for BBL|12: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Stephen O’Keefe, Jordan Silk
