Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
The KFC BBL|12 Team of the Tournament, as voted by the eight BBL club coaches, has been announced.
This season’s Player of the Tournament and BKT Golden Bat winner Matt Short has earned selection for the first time, rounding out an incredible tournament becoming the third player ever to hit 400 runs and take 10 wickets in a BBL season.
He is joined in the side by BKT Golden Arm winner Sean Abbott who took 25 wickets this season and became the first player to ever hit 150 BBL wickets.
KFC BBL|12 Team of the Tournament
| Position | Player | Club | Votes |
| 1 | Matthew Short | Adelaide Strikers | 8 |
| 2 | Steve Smith | Sydney Sixers | 8 |
| 3 | Aaron Hardie | Perth Scorchers | 8 |
| 4 | Aaron Finch (c) | Melbourne Renegades | 6 |
| 5 | Josh Inglis (wk) | Perth Scorchers | 7 |
| 6 | Tim David | Hobart Hurricanes | 5 |
| 7 | Michael Neser | Brisbane Heat | 5 |
| 8 | Sean Abbott | Sydney Sixers | 8 |
| 9 | Andrew Tye | Perth Scorchers | 5 |
| 10 | Tom Rogers | Melbourne Renegades | 6 |
| 11 | Paddy Dooley | Hobart Hurricanes | 5 |
| 12 | Chris Lynn | Adelaide Strikers | 3 |
The Team of the Tournament is selected at the conclusion of the regular season by the head coaches of the eight BBL clubs.
After scoring 458 runs for the Adelaide Strikers including his first ever BBL century and taking 11 wickets, all-rounder Matt Short has been selected to open the batting. He is joined by 2022 Allan Border Medalist Steve Smith, whose short but impactful stint with the Sydney Sixers this season produced 328 runs across four matches in the voting period with two centuries.
The side features a power-packed middle order with Aaron Hardie being named in his first BBL Team of the Tournament after a breakout season with 434 runs, passing 50 on four occasions. He is joined by Aaron Finch who has also been selected to lead the side after helping the Renegades reach their first finals series in four seasons with 418 runs. Hardie’s teammate Josh Inglis takes the gloves after topping the season dismissals chart with 16, alongside his 405 runs. The Hurricanes’ Tim David, whose 354 runs came at a strike rate of over 160, rounds out the middle order.
The top four bowlers on the BKT Golden Arm leaderboard make up the side’s potent fast bowling line up. The season’s leading wicket-taker Sean Abbott earned selection after taking 25 wickets across 13 matches and becoming the first and only bowler to reach 150 wickets in BBL history.
He is joined in the team by Andrew Tye who finished one wicket behind Abbott with 24 for the season, including 12 death over wickets, and remains the BBL’s second leading wicket taker.
Michael Neser’s 22 wickets, including a hat-trick, also saw him in the side alongside Renegades’ pre-season recruit Tom Rogers, who also took 21 wickets.
Paddy Dooley is the sole front-line spinner in the side. His recruitment was a masterstroke by the Hurricanes, taking 19 wickets at 12.78 apiece for the season.
Adelaide Striker’s Chris Lynn was named 12th after his 416 runs across 11 games ensured he remains the BBL all-time leading run scorer.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
“Congratulations to all 12 players selected in the KFC BBL|12 Team of the Tournament.
“With more than 2600 runs and 120 wickets between them this season, it is a formidable team that would be competitive against any side in the world.
“We have witnessed some world-class cricket and it is truly a joy to see the excitement and delight of the crowds watching these players deliver sensational moments.
“I wish all players still in the hunt for the KFC BBL|12 Championship Trophy luck with their remaining games, and hope to see all twelve return to the competition next season.”
KFC BBL|12 Team of the Tournament selection panel: Trevor Bayliss (Thunder), Jason Gillespie (Strikers), David Hussey (Stars), David Saker (Renegades), Wade Seccombe (Heat), Greg Shipperd (Sixers), Jeff Vaughan (Hurricanes) and Adam Voges (Scorchers).
KFC BBL|12 Finals Schedule
Thursday, February 2: ‘The Challenger’ – Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat, Sydney Cricket Ground, 7:15pm AEDT
Saturday, February 4: ‘The Final’ – Perth Scorchers v winner of The Challenger, Optus Stadium, 4:30pm AWST/7:30pm AEDT.
A reserve day is also available for The Final only, on Sunday, February 5 with a 4:15pm AWST/7:15pm AEDT start time.
All KFC BBL|12 Finals matches will be broadcast live on Seven, Foxtel, Kayo and SEN.
An initial allocation of tickets to The Final have been sold out. Information will be available shortly about further availability. Tickets to The Challenger remain available at cricket.com.au/big-bash/
Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
