BBL|13 preview: 'Well-rounded' Sixers primed to go again

While it's only one game at this stage, the return of Steve Smith for the Sydney Sixers' opening match of KFC BBL|13 is creating plenty of buzz as the club sets its sights on another finals appearance.

A perennial contender year in, year out and having kept the core of their list together for another season, the Sixers are again one of the favourites to take home the silverware this summer.

There were only three list changes during the off-season as the club parted ways with Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon, while Dan Christian retired at the end of last season and Mickey Edwards joined UK county side Yorkshire.

Young gun Joel Davies and Victorian seamer Mitch Perry are the only local editions to a squad that was bundled out of the BBL|12 finals in straight sets.

Even their overseas recruits – James Vince and Izharulhaq Naveed – have remained the same, while English allrounder Tom Curran returns to the Sixers' line up for the first time since BBL|11 when he was forced to withdraw halfway through the season due to a lower back stress fracture.

The club also drafted promising England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed but he has since withdrawn from BBL|13 due to international workloads, with England currently touring the Caribbean for white-ball matches against the West Indies before their five-Test series against India kicks off in late January.

The Sixers have also added star Australia quick Mitchell Starc to their marquee supplementary list, a new mechanism for this season that allow clubs to sign Cricket Australia contracted players with limited availability without using up one of their 15 domestic list spots.

Although Starc is unlikely to play this season due to Australia's home summer schedule that includes three Tests against Pakistan and two against the West Indies, he will mentor the squad's fast bowlers throughout the campaign and be the club's membership ambassador.

"I'd love to be able to play for the club this summer, but my international schedule doesn't really allow for it," Starc said.

"But I'm a Sixer at heart and when I was offered the opportunity to come back into the squad via the marquee supplementary player list, I jumped at the chance."

Starc's World Cup-winning teammate and BBL's all-time leading wicket-taker, Sean Abbott, will again be one of the club's most crucial players this season as he pushes to break into Australia's attack for next year's T20 World Cup.

"It's (the T20 World Cup) in the back of my mind, it's been a huge year being away from home since March really so I'm just looking forward to stepping out on the SCG and enjoying myself," Abbott said.

BBL|12 result: Third, lost the Challenger final

 

BBL|13 Draft picks: Tom Curran (3rd – Platinum), James Vince (14th – Gold), Rehan Ahmed* (30th – Bronze. * – withdrawn 

 

Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques (c), Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith. Marquee supplementary player: Mitchell Starc. Overseas players: Tom Curran (England), James Vince (England), Izharulhaq Naveed (Afghanistan)

 

Ins: Joel Davies, Mitch Perry, Tom Curran

 

Outs: Nathan Lyon (Renegades), Dan Christian (retired), Mickey Edwards

Possible best XI: Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Jack Edwards, Tom Curran, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Steve O'Keefe, Izharulhaq Naveed

Possible best XI for first game: Steve Smith, Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Jack Edwards, Tom Curran, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Steve O'Keefe, Izharulhaq Naveed

Inside word with Sixers allrounder Sean Abbott

List stability

"The environment we've got here – guys like Moises (Henriques), our leader who has been here at the club since it started in BBL|01 and then we get people like Greg Shipperd come in and they obviously bounce off each other pretty well.

"We've got such a well-rounded list … we've had the core group of players for a long time now, we're quite familiar and it seems to be that everyone wants to come and play for us and be in Sydney to play Big Bash over summer. It's hard to put it (our success) down to one thing, but I really do enjoy this time of year and being around this group and having the magenta on."

Steve Smith back again

"It was good to see the smile on 'Smudge's' (Steve Smith's) face when he confirmed he was playing the first game. Any time you get the chance to play with Steve Smith and run out on the paddock with him, it's quite enjoyable and I know he really enjoys it too so really looking forward to having him with the Sixers.

"Obviously everyone at home wants to see the best players in Australia playing and the best players from overseas playing as well. To get the international players and guys like Steve and especially the bowlers that we've got playing for our country at the moment, it'd be nice to see them play more Big Bash, but (doing it) around playing Tests for your country can be difficult at times so we're certainly grateful that guys like Steve put up their hand when they can to come out and play for us."

Players to watch

"I've been talking to 'TC' (Tom Curran) a lot about playing for the Sixers this year and he's been saying that he really wants to come out and be down in Coogee nestled in and then playing at home at the SCG – he considers this another home, so I expect big things from him this year.

"We've got young Joel Davies on the list as well – I'm sure he'll play a role at some stage and looking forward to seeing him and how he goes. But always expecting big things out of the captain (Henriques) and Josh Philippe up the top and having to bowl at James Vince (could) present quite a daunting task for our opposition this summer."

BBL|13 team previews: Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Scorchers| Renegades | Stars | Sixers | Thunder

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