Photo Credit: Twitter Photo of @BBL
The KFC BBL|13 Team of the Tournament, as voted by the eight BBL club coaches, has been announced.
This season’s BKT Golden Bat winner, Matt Short has earned selection for a second consecutive season, this year being named captain of the team. Short finished an incredible regular season with 509 runs from nine games, the highest total ever scored by an Adelaide Strikers player in a BBL season.
He is joined in the side by BKT Golden Arm winners Xavier Bartlett and Jamie Overton who took 16 wickets apiece this season.
KFC BBL|13 Team of the Tournament
| No. | Player | Club | Votes |
| 1 | Matt Short (c) | Adelaide Strikers | 8 |
| 2 | Chris Lynn | Adelaide Strikers | 6 |
| 3 | Aaron Hardie | Perth Scorchers | 8 |
| 4 | Jake Fraser-McGurk | Melbourne Renegades | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Inglis (wk) | Perth Scorchers | 7 |
| 6 | Jamie Overton | Adelaide Strikers | 8 |
| 7 | Paul Walter | Brisbane Heat | 5 |
| 8 | Xavier Bartlett | Brisbane Heat | 8 |
| 9 | Matthew Kuhnemann | Brisbane Heat | 6 |
| 10 | Lance Morris | Perth Scorchers | 4 |
| 11 | Cameron Boyce | Adelaide Strikers | 4 |
After scoring a record-high 509 runs for the Adelaide Strikers, passing 50 on six occasions, and taking four wickets, all-rounder Matt Short has been selected to open the batting. He is joined at the top of the order by Strikers teammate Chris Lynn, who scored 304 runs across seven matches, at a strike rate of 164.32.
The side features a power-packed middle order with Aaron Hardie being named in the BBL Team of the Tournament for a second year running. Stepping in to captain the Scorchers mid-way through the season, Hardie amassed 328 runs and took four wickets to help his side reach the finals.
He is joined by Renegades’ leading run scorer Jake Fraser-McGurk whose 257 runs came at a strike rate of 158.64. Hardie’s teammate Josh Inglis takes the gloves after topping the season dismissals chart with 14, alongside his 226 runs.
Two BBL|13 Draft picks have earned selection in the side, both in their inaugural Big Bash season. Strikers’ gold draftee Jamie Overton’s 16 wickets, including 3/23 against the Hurricanes, saw him finish the season as joint BKT Golder Arm winner.
The Brisbane Heat’s silver pick Paul “Tall Paul” Walter has also been named in the side. The English all-rounder finished the season with 13 wickets, 93 runs and four catches.
Joint BKT Golden Arm winner Xavier Barlett’s 16 wicket season helped the Brisbane Heat secure top position and earned Bartlett his first Team of the Tournament selection, while Scorchers’ quick Lance Morris’ 13 wickets also saw him named in the side.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and leg spinner Cameron Boyce, round out the side after each taking nine wickets for the season with respective economy rates of 6.34 and 6.37.
There has been no 12th man named for this season’s Team of the Tournament with Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Ellis, Laurie Evans, Glenn Maxwell and Beau Webster all receiving three votes apiece.
The KFC BBL|13 Player of the Tournament will be announced at the Australian Cricket Awards later this month.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
“Congratulations to the eleven players selected in the KFC BBL|13 Team of the Tournament.
“It is a formidable team that showcases the best of the Big Bash and some future superstars of the game. The voting was incredibly close this season, demonstrating the depth of the talent across the League.
“We have witnessed another season of exhilarating cricket, and it has been a joy to see some record crowds enjoy the best in summer entertainment.
“As we kick off the KFC BBL|13 Finals tomorrow night, I wish all players still in the hunt for the Championship Trophy luck with their remaining games.”
KFC BBL|13 Team of the Tournament selection panel: Trevor Bayliss (Thunder), Jason Gillespie (Strikers), Peter Moores (Stars), David Saker (Renegades), Wade Seccombe (Heat), Greg Shipperd (Sixers), Jeff Vaughn (Hurricanes) and Adam Voges (Scorchers).
KFC BBL|13 Finals Schedule
- Friday, January 19, 6:40pm local: ‘The Qualifier’ – Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers, Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast
- Saturday, January 20, 4:40pm local: ‘The Knockout’ – Perth Scorchers v Adelaide Strikers, Optus Stadium
- Monday, January 22: ‘The Challenger’ – Loser of The Qualifier v winner of The Knockout,
- Wednesday, January 24: ‘The Final’ – winner of The Qualifier v winner of The Challenger
A reserve day is also available for The Final only, on Thursday, January 25.
All KFC BBL|13 Finals matches will be broadcast live on Seven, Foxtel, Kayo and SEN.
Tickets to the KFC BBL|13 Finals matches are available at cricket.com.au/big-bash/
