20 Dec 2015 | Cricket
This week saw the start of Australia's KFC Big Bash League. The city based Twenty20 tournament is into its fifth year and the competition continues to attract some of the best players in the game. With only two overseas players allowed to feature for each team it is unsurprising that Australians dominate the tournament. Here we take a look at Australians set to play that also starred in last years NatWest T20 Blast.
James Faulkner
Faulkner helped Lancashire Lightning to a first NatWest T20 Blast title with his consistent performances throughout the 2015 season. The all-rounder took a wicket in every game he played and this played part to him finishing the tournament as the competitions leading wicket taker (with 25 at an average of just over 12). His bowling went at an impressive economy rate of 6.25 an over and his back of the hand slower ball proved vital in dismissing and restricting batsmen. Faulkner's batting was also exceptional. He averaged 37.75 in a season that saw him hit over 300 runs, which included only nine 4s but fifteen 6s. Faulkner will look to continue this form in BBL 5 where he will play for the Melbourne Stars.
Michael Klinger
Klinger has been a huge asset to Gloucestershire in all formats of the game in recent years. The 35 year old had a brilliant season in the 2015 NatWest Blast hitting 654 runs at an average of 81.75 and a strike rate of 142. Klinger has had similar success in the Big Bash League where he is the competition's all time leading scorer with 989 runs (which includes a top score of 105*). Klinger will again play for the Perth Scorchers who are looking to win the tournament for a third consecutive year and he will be joined by Englishmen Michael Carberry and David Willey.
Aaron Finch
Finch is the ICC number one rated T20 batsman and the opener has had success in the domestic game as well as the international scene. Holding an IT20 world record 156, the big hitter has a BBL average of 41.78 and is the tournament's second highest run scorer of all time (with 961 runs). After signing for the Yorkshire Vikings, Finch's 2015 was blotched with a range of injuries that stunted his season. After recovering from these Finch is all set to play for the Melbourne Renegades for a fifth consecutive year, where he will be joined by Chris Gayle at the top of the order.
Peter Handscomb
Handscomb is a young wicket keeper-batsman who will feature for the Melbourne Stars in BBL 5. With a Big Bash League hundred already to his name, the 24 year old had a misfiring season for Gloucestershire where he failed to go big with the bat at any point during the UK tournament. The Australian will look to fulfil his obvious talent and find better form in the BBL where he will be joined in a batting order featuring David Hussey, Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen.
Shaun Tait
The Twenty20 specialist had an incredible campaign for Essex Eagles in this year's NatWest T20 Blast. Bowling consistently quick, the former Australian Test player racked up the tournament's third highest amount of wickets with 23 at an average of 19.34. The former Glamorgan bowler will join up with another ex Glamorgan player Darren Sammy at the Hobart Hurricanes, who will be looking to find the form they showed in the 2013/14 season where they reached the tournament final.
John Hastings
Hastings has played for Durham Dynamos in the last two editions of the NatWest T20 Blast and the all-rounder has had success with both bat and ball. Averaging 30 with the bat, Hastings has scored at a strike rate of nearly 180 and hence has unsurprisingly cleared the rope 22 times in the 17 innings he has played. The right arm medium fast bowler has also taken 27 wickets in the 21 games he has played in the English competition and it is his form with the ball that saw him finish top wicket taker in the 2014/15 BBL. Hastings will feature for the Melbourne Stars in BBL 5 where he will look to help his side break past the semi final stage at the fifth attempt.
Clint McKay
The 32-year-old bowler recently featured for Leicestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast and he took 14 wickets over the course of the 2015 campaign. With a lethal slower ball, McKay can often be relied upon to bowl at the death where his variations make him hard to get away. This year has seen the Australian move to Sydney Thunder who are looking for a more successful season than previous editions.