WITH the Big Bash League finals starting tonight, Hawthorn chief selector Jarryd Roughead has named his T20 XI.
There’s bound to be a few lads disappointed to miss out on this side – but in typical Hawthorn fashion, it’s a pretty tough team to crack into.
Here’s Roughy’s XI (plus a 12th man)… featuring a bit of creative commentary from the hawthornfc.com.au team.
1. Luke Hodge (bat)
Everything Hodgey touches turns to gold, and a quick MyCricket search tells you that he’s pretty handy with the stick.
Not dissimilar to another famous Colac product, Melbourne Renegades’ skipper Aaron Finch, we’re hoping Hodgey can get us off to a flyer.
2. Jack Gunston (bat)
If Hodgey’s blasting boundaries, we’ve got Gunners pegged as a more technically correct stroke-maker.
In the mould of Brisbane Heat opener Joe Burns, we’re hoping Gunners can be the rock at the top of the order who skips down the track when the spinners come on.
3. Luke Breust (bat)
It’s the most important spot on the batting order, and it’s Punky at first drop.
With the capability to steady the ship if an early wicket falls, or accelerate if we get off to a strong start, Punky could be a bit like Renegades’ number three, Cam White.
4. Jarryd Roughead (bat)
We’ve appointed Roughy skipper, even though he was hesitant to pick himself in this team.
Last year’s Ultimate Athlete episode with the Stars shows exactly what Roughy is capable of – and if you need further proof, his 227 for Town CC in the Leongatha and District Cricket Association back in 2007 featured 16 fours and 19 sixes.
We’ve got him lined up for the role played by Brisbane Heat skipper, Chris Lynn.
5. Grant Birchall (all-rounder)
Pivotal to a good T20 team is having a couple of handy all-rounders, and Birch definitely fills one of these spots.
With a good eye and some handy medium-pacers – and a Tassie connection – Birch has been pencilled in for the role played by Hurricanes all-rounder Dan Christian or Stars all-rounder James Faulkner.
6. Brett Ratten (all-rounder)
An experienced head in the middle order is exactly what we needed, and similar to star Sydney Thunder all-rounder Jacques Kallis, Ratts is more than handy with bat and ball.
And we hear if he gets fired up, he can still push the 140kmph mark.
7. Jordan Lewis (bat and keeper)
In cricket terms, Warrnambool is probably more famous for producing Adelaide Strikers keeper Tim Ludeman, but we’ve got Lewy filling his shoes in our side.
We’re expecting a bit of chat from behind the stumps and the ability to score quick runs at the back end of the innings, kind of like Renegade gloveman Matty Wade.
8. Tim O’Brien (bowler)
If the ball’s swinging around early, we hope Timmy O can cause some havoc.
At 193cm, we’re sure he’ll be able to extract a bit of bounce to complement a good line and length, a bit like Sydney Sixers' Josh Hazlewood.
9. Billy Hartung (bowler)
It’s a well-known fact that Billy turned his back on a promising junior cricket career to run triathlons to help improve his footy, but Roughy has called him up for the Hawks’ T20 outfit.
With plenty of miles in the legs, he’s bound to be the workhorse of the attack (even though you can only bowl four overs), not unlike Renegade Peter Siddle.
10. Blake Hardwick (bowler)
Be afraid, very afraid.
We’ve heard some mixed reviews about Dimma’s bowling – but Roughy’s got plenty of faith in the young speedster.
The word from the inside is that he’s lightning fast, but doesn’t always know where they’re going… he just lets them rip and brings the fear factor, a bit like Hurricanes strike weapon Shaun Tait.
11. Cameron Bruce (bowler)
An out-and-out competitor who doesn’t like to be beaten, Brucey gives our bowling attack some real grunt.
We reckon he’ll be bending his back and banging it into the deck, a death overs specialist, similar to Stars quicks Scott Boland and John Hastings.
12th man... Liam Shiels
Tough, uncompromising and a real ball-winner on the footy field, Pup will have to tone down his natural instincts… because he’s running the drinks.
We're not too sure about his cricket pedigree, so he’ll perform a similar role to Stars’ chief hydration officer, Andy Lee.
Coach: John Hastings
With one Test, 16 ODI and three T20 caps for Australia, it's a pleasure to have The Duke accept the offer to jump on board as coach of the Hawks Big Bash team over Twitter.
One of the Melbourne Stars' biggest names, we're sure he'll have plenty of solid advice for the boys.
