‘Incredible’ Smith made all-star team Live Sports News

The 12-man squad was led by Australian star Steve Smith, who only played five games, but his impact was profound enough to join a team that didn’t include a single overseas player.

Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch has been included following his resurrection from the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades, with breakthrough spinner Paddy Dooley named after playing a starring role for the Hobart Hurricanes.

But despite leading the scoring for most of the tournament, Chris Lynn just snuck into the squad, voted on by the coaches who were asked to pick their best XI of the regular season.

Smith, tournament player Matt Short and all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who was touted by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting as a potential Test bolter over the summer, all recorded eight votes, the most of any player.

Lynn, who joined the Adelaide Strikers after 11 years with the Brisbane Heat, was the BBL’s top scorer this season before leaving for the new T20 league in the United Arab Emirates.

He still finished fourth on the goalscoring list with 416, including three half-centuries in 11 games, but recorded just three coaches’ votes.

The absence of international players in the squad of the tournament was an indication of their limited impact and appearances, despite the staging of the players’ inaugural draft last year.

Melbourne Renegades coach David Saker said last week that most BBL coaches weren’t fans of the draft and that some international players were ready to skip the tournament if they couldn’t sign with him. their favorite clubs.

Brisbane Heat chairman Ian Healy has also said it’s time for Cricket Australia to ‘January open’ for the BBL, after seeing the impact of Smith and David Warner in their limited appearances for the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder respectively.

“Can you imagine BCCI holding their IPL without their Indian star players?” Healy told SEN on Wednesday.

“Everyone now feels the real value of having the best players in our country playing and coaching at this level, it takes it to another level.

“It has to become a priority of our summer to cleanse January of what we are all witnessing right now, what Steve Smith and David Warner have been putting into competition lately…everyone feels how much that should be important.”

Smith’s Sixers teammate Jordan Silk said the former Australian skipper’s five-game cameo, which produced 346 runs, including two centuries at a searing 174.74 strike rate, was incredible.

“He was one of the most incredible hitters I think we’ll ever see in Big Bash cricket over that four or five game streak,” he said.

The Sixers will face the Heat on Thursday for a spot in Saturday’s BBL Final against the Perth Scorchers.

BBL TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT

Matthew Short (Adelaide Strikers)

Steve Smith (Sydney Sixers)

Aaron Hardie (Perth Scorchers)

Aaron Finch (c) (Melbourne Renegades)

Josh Inglis (week) (Perth Scorchers)

Tim David (Hobart Hurricanes)

Michael Neser (Brisbane Heat)

Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers)

Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers)

Tom Rogers (Melbourne Renegades)

Paddy Dooley (Hobart Hurricanes)

Chris Lynn (Adelaide Strikers)