A breakdown of the 10 English players at the BBL

With a T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, performances by English players in this season’s Big Bash League (BBL) took on an extra layer of significance: perform here and you never know, the selectors could hand over a plane ticket for another trip in October.

The English presence was significant across the two-month tournament, with 10 players landing themselves coveted overseas contracts. Here’s how the English players fared at the BBL:

Alex Hales – Sydney Thunder

17 matches, 576 runs @ 38.40, SR 146.93, HS 85, six fifties

“Form has never been a question about him coming back into the squad,” England captain Eoin Morgan told Sky Sports ahead of the ODI series against South Africa. Regaining the trust of his teammates is what Hales must accomplish if he is to return to international cricket following his infamous omission from last year’s World Cup squad.

What can be trusted is his effectiveness at the top of the order against the white ball, where those long levers go to work so brilliantly. Hales was Sydney Thunder’s leading run-getter by a distance and finished the season as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer.

Liam Livingstone – Perth Scorchers

14 matches, 425 runs @ 30.35, SR 142.61, HS 79, four fifties

While Livingstone opted out of last December’s IPL auction to dedicate his focus to the start of the County Championship, the Lancashire batsman has still enjoyed a heavy dose of T20 cricket this winter, with his BBL stint following on from nine games with Cape Town Blitz at the Mzansi Super League.

This was his maiden season in the competition, and he didn’t leave the greatest first impression, recording a two-ball duck on debut. But just five days later came a 26-ball 69 against Adelaide Strikers that showcased what those in county cricket have come to know for a long time – that Livingstone really does give it a good ol’ whack. His part-time leggies also did their bit, returning four wickets at 16.

Phil Salt – Adelaide Strikers

15 matches, 361 runs @ 25.78, SR 164.09, HS 67 not out, four fifties

Under the tutelage of Jason Gillespie, his head coach at Sussex, Salt’s freshman year ran smoothly, with his strike rate worth marvelling at. Starting out with scores of 0, 2 and 14, things began to look up with a 26-ball 54 against Melbourne Renegades. The batting stance is as textbook as it gets, almost misleading, as if what’s to follow is precision through the gaps. Salt’s got power, though, and is happy to crossbat his way through a knock by peppering mid-wicket.

James Vince – Sydney Sixers

15 matches, 323 runs @ 23.07, SR 123.28, HS 51, one fifty

English cricket’s great heart-breaker, the man who doesn’t bat, but paints his way through the early stages before leaving with so much left to give. One fifty from 15 innings might not seem too impressive, but Vince was a key part of the Sydney Sixers team that won the whole thing.

“His strike rate has been outstanding, he has been terrific for us,” Sixers coach Greg Shipperd told the Daily Mail ahead of the BBL final. “If I’m talking to our young batters I tell them that if you want a visual interpretation of how to play an off-drive or a back-foot punch or produce strokes, then there’s no better technique in the game than his.”

Despite the praise, Vince’s England future remains uncertain. An up-and-down time in the T20Is against New Zealand last November – his scores were 59, 1, 49 and 1 – was followed by his omission from the limited-overs squads for the tour of South Africa. He remains one of English cricket’s great enigmas.

Tom Banton – Brisbane Heat

Seven matches, 223 runs @ 31.85, SR 176.98, HS 64, three fifties

Hyped-up after a breakout English summer, Banton lived up to it. Out of those to have batted more than once in the tournament, no-one topped his strike rate of 176.98. Against Sydney Thunder he recorded a half-century off just 16 balls, the second-fastest in the tournament’s history. Brisbane Heat have already signed him up for the next two years. “I think anyone who saw Tom during his seven games for the Heat in the BBL would agree that he is a special player,” head coach Darren Lehmann said upon the announcement. Special indeed.

Samit Patel – Melbourne Renegades

Eight matches, six wickets @ 35.66, ER 7.37, BBI 2-22 | 34 runs @ 34, SR 141.66, HS 23 not out

Flown in as an injury replacement for Harry Gurney, Patel was afforded few opportunities with the bat at No.7 in a Melbourne Renegades side that endured a torrid season, finishing at the bottom of the table with three wins from their 14 matches in the regular season. The all-rounder did offer the defending champions some joy away from home against Brisbane Heat: a 10-ball 23 to round off the innings was followed by figures of 2-22 as the batting side catastrophically collapsed from 84-0 to 120 all out.

Tom Curran – Sydney Sixers

14 matches, 22 wickets @ 19.40, ER 9.05, BBI 4-22 | 133 runs @ 19, SR 124.18, HS 43 not out

This was no case of second season syndrome. Curran’s all-round efforts in the eighth edition of the tournament – his first season in the competition – resulted in 185 runs at 30.83 and 20 wickets at 19.85. He did little wrong this time round, too, talismanic in helping the Sixers win the tournament even if England had come calling by the closing stages.

The highlight was the local derby against the Thunder in December, with his two wickets followed by a 17-ball 35 that helped take the game to a super over. Already in the thick of it, he stepped up to defend the target of 17. A spot in the official team of the tournament at No.7 was fitting.

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Harry Gurney – Melbourne Renegades

Four matches, three wickets @ 47, ER 10.07, BBI 2-26

Having played a significant role in the Renegades’ title win last time round – Gurney took 10 wickets at 24.40 – the left-armer’s stint this season was far less fruitful, with a hamstring injury ending his tournament in 2019. Last season finished with a winner’s medal; this time Gurney failed to make a winning XI.

Chris Jordan – Perth Scorchers

13 matches, 15 wickets @ 24.93, ER 8.69, BBI 3-28

As is ever the case with Jordan, there is a ridiculous catch to talk about: the flying effort running around at long-on against the Renegades, two hands to please the coaches. But as the numbers show, Jordan’s returns in his primary role were also impressive, with the seamer ending up as the Scorchers’ joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Fawad Ahmed and Jhye Richardson.

hat must have surely pleased Jordan was the progression from his previous season’s spell at Sydney Thunder, which resulted in five wickets from seven matches at 38.60. As one of Eoin Morgan’s most reliable performers in T20Is, England will be all smiles, too.

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Richard Gleeson – Melbourne Renegades

Eight matches, eight wickets @ 34.85, ER 10.02, BBI 3-35

Gleeson was another Englishman unable to lift the Renegades out of their malaise, with his first overseas T20 stint since 2016 a disappointing and expensive one. Currently on the Lions tour of Australia, there remain opportunities for him to show his true worth Down Under.

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