Smith named in team of tournament after BBL cameo

Jasper Bruce | February 1, 2023

Steve Smith’s swashbuckling Big Bash League cameo has been enough to earn him selection in the league’s official team of the tournament.

The eight BBL coaches cast their votes for the best players at the end of the regular season, which were then compiled into a team that was announced on Wednesday morning.

The team featured no overseas players, with much of the best visiting talent leaving early to play in the UAE’s International League T20 or the new SAT20 tournament.

Smith joined the Sydney Sixers after the home Test summer finished and played in five of a possible 15 games, including last week’s qualifying final loss.

In that time, he averaged 86.5 runs, became the first man to hit a century for the Sixers – he ended up with two – and finished the regular season with the most sixes of any player in the tournament.

“That was some of the most incredible batting we’ll probably ever see in Big Bash cricket in a four or five game stretch,” Smith’s Sixers teammate Jordan Silk said.

Smith was one of four players nominated by all eight coaches, alongside his fast-bowling Sixers teammate Sean Abbott, player of the tournament Matt Short and Perth Scorchers batter Aaron Hardie.

Short found success opening the bowling for the Adelaide Strikers and scored the most runs of any player by the end of the regular season, while Hardie enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Scorchers with four half-centuries.

Abbott, meanwhile, took more wickets than any other player this summer and became the first man to claim 150 BBL scalps.

“I was pretty disappointed with the way I started the season,” Abbott said.

“But I feel like I’m executing quite well towards the back end of the season.”

The grand-final hosting Scorchers contributed the most players to the team (three), while the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder were the only sides without representation in the XI.

Aaron Finch was named captain for guiding the Melbourne Renegades back into the BBL finals after three years finishing last.

The BBL team of the tournament:

1 Matthew Short (Adelaide Strikers) – 8 votes

2 Steve Smith (Sydney Sixers) – 8 votes

3 Aaron Hardie (Perth Scorchers) – 8 votes

4 Aaron Finch (capt, Melbourne Renegades) – 6 votes

5 Josh Inglis (Perth Scorchers) – 7 votes

6 Tim David (Hobart Hurricanes) – 5 votes

7 Michael Neser (Brisbane Heat) – 5 votes

8 Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers) – 8 votes

9 Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers) – 5 votes

10 Tom Rogers (Melbourne Renegades) – 6 votes