The busiest period of the franchise season is currently underway, with three major men’s tournaments currently in action.
This is the prime period for English county players to cash-in during the depths of the winter at home, before arriving back to their respective domestic and international commitments as required. Many county players are currently in action around the world, but we’ve picked out the top performers in each league.
Tom Curran (BBL)
8 matches, 15 wickets at 14.73, ER: 7.36, BBI 4-10
The oldest Curran brother is one of the most prominent faces from the English domestic scene on the franchise circuit. Currently playing for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, he stood out in their rout of Adelaide Strikers this week, taking 4-10 as they were bowled out for 83. Those were his career-best figures, and helped to boost the Stars’ chances of reaching the knockout stage.
Jamie Overton (BBL)
9 matches, 12 wickets at 16.66, ER: 7.40, BBI: 3-19
Another English face still in Australia is Jamie Overton, who gave up his chances of being in England’s Ashes squad by announcing an indefinite break from first-class cricket ostensibly to pursue franchise and white-ball contract offers around the world. Overton has been a central part of Adelaide Strikers’ campaign, with two three-wicket-hauls to his name already and a steady stream of wickets. After his 30 off 20 in his first match, however, his returns with the bat have tailed off.
James Vince (SA20)
4 matches, 197 runs at 49.25, SR: 166.94, HS: 77
Vince made back-to-back big scores in the opening stages of the SA20. He scored 75 off 43 opening for Joburg Super Kings against a strong Paarl Royals bowling attack, before following up two days later with 77 off 43 against MI Cape Town. While his efforts weren’t quite enough to get Joburg over the line, he held up against a collapse at the other end faced with a huge 235-run chase.
Jonny Bairstow (SA20)
7 matches, 180 runs at 36.00, SR: 152.54, HS: 85*
Having been stood down across formats by England, Bairstow is now free to spend his winters as a T20 ace. He showed his continued destructiveness against Pretoria Capitals, combining with Quinton de Kock to chase down 177 in just 14.2 overs without losing a wicket. He finished unbeaten on 85 off 45, having hit six sixes.
Jos Buttler (SA20)
8 matches, 169 runs at 33.80, SR: 150.89, HS: 97*
England’s former white-ball captain will be back in national colours when their series against Sri Lanka starts next month, but for now he’s piling on the runs for Durban’s Super Giants. He was left stranded just three runs short of a ninth T20 hundred last week, having hit 97 off 52 balls from No.3 only for the side to collapse to 186 all out chasing 202.
Richard Gleeson (SA20)
6 matches, 9 wickets at 19.33, ER: 10.31, BBI: 3-2
The 38-year-old Gleeson put in a devastating spell for Joburg Super Kings against Durban’s Super Giants. He took three wickets in just 13 balls while conceding only two runs to contribute to bowling the side out for 86. He then went on to take another three wickets in the repeat fixture, albeit at a more expensive rate on that occasion.
Adam Rossington (BPL)
6 matches, 258 runs at 64.50, SR: 139.45, HS: 73*
Rossington, who was released by Essex this winter, dominated the run-scoring in the BPL for four consecutive innings. He made 60*, followed by 73*, 58 and 49, all in the first week of the year. After 20 matches in the tournament, he was its leading run-scorer and was the key reason Chattogram are virtually confirmed a play-off place (should the league resume).
Dawid Malan (BPL)
6 matches, 203 runs at 40.60, SR: 105.72, HS: 63*
Having been involved in the Nepal Premier League at the back-end of last year, Malan is currently part of Rangpur Riders’ squad in the BPL. He started his campaign with a half-century as part of a big opening stand with Litton Das. He made it back-to-back half-centuries against Rajshahi Warriors on New Year’s Day, scoring an unbeaten 63, and anchoring Rangpur to take the match into a super over despite an end of innings collapse.
Moeen Ali (BPL)
4 matches, 5 wickets at 11.40, BBI: 2-8
A return to county cricket may be on the cards for Moeen, but he’s currently plying his trade in the BPL. He signed off the ILT20 in December with a 49-ball 79, but has had more success with ball than bat in Bangladesh. He took 2-8 in his most recent appearance for Sylhet Titans, bowling 16 dot balls in his four-over spell.
Tymal Mills (SA20)
5 matches, 5 wickets at 21.80, ER: 7.97, BBI: 2-17
Mills began with steady wickets in the SA20, taking 2-17 and 2-31 in his opening two matches. He had a difficult most recent outing, however, conceding 34 runs without taking a wicket.
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