Big Bash League 2022-23: Decoding the key tournament stats
Perth Scorchers beat Brisbane Heat by five wickets to lift the Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23 title. Skipper Ashton Turner (53) and middle-order batter Cooper Connolly (25*) helped Scorchers in the 176-run chase in Perth. Earlier, Jason Behrendorff grabbed 2/26 as Scorchers restricted Heat to 175/7. Notably, Scorchers lifted their fifth BBL honor. We look at the key stats from the tournament.
Player of the Tournament: Matt Short (Adelaide Strikers)
Adelaide Strikers' opening batter, Matt Short, was adjudged BBL 12 Player of the Tournament. The 25-year-old finished the regular season as the tournament's top run-scorer, amassing 458 runs while striking at 144.47. He slammed 100* against Hobart Hurricanes, besides scoring half-centuries against the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder at the start of the season.
Sean Abbott wound up as the highest wicket-taker
Sydney Sixers pacers Sean Abbott capped off the season with 29 wickets in 15 matches. The right-armer averaged an astonishing 14.03. He had a strike rate of 11.30. He claimed the best figures of 3/9 against Thunder. It was his first three-fer against Thunder in BBL 2022-23, having picked 3/11 later. Abbott also registered two three-wicket hauls against Scorchers.
Strikers unlock this rare double in BBL 2022-23
On December 16, 2022, Strikers bundled out Thunder for a paltry 15. This is the lowest-ever score in T20 cricket. Earlier, the Strikers amassed 139/9, with Chris Lynn (36) as the top scorer. On January 5, 2023, Strikers slammed 230/3 against Hurricanes while chasing 230. Short's hundred helped them register the highest total in BBL 2022-23 and the highest BBL run chase of all-time.
Smith dazzled for the Sixers
Steve Smith featured in only five matches for the Sydney Sixers in BBL 2022-23. However, the batting maestro made the opportunity count, amassing 346 runs at 86.50 (SR: 174.74). Notably, Smith struck two hundreds, the only player to do so in BBL 12. Joe Clarke and Short were the only other players with a hundred to their name.
Two hat-tricks in BBL 2022-23
Nathan Ellis (4/27) bagged a hat-trick against Thunder. He became the ninth bowler to take a BBL hat-trick. Xavier Doherty, Andrew Tye, Josh Lalor, Haris Rauf, Rashid Khan, Gurinder Sandhu, Cameron Boyce, and Michael Neser are the others. Ellis became the second bowler besides Neser (vs Melbourne Renegades) to pick a hat-trick in BBL 2022-23. Tye is the only player with multiple BBL hat-tricks.
A distinguishable feat for Short
Short became just the third player to smash 400 runs and take 10 wickets in a Big Bash League (BBL) season. He accomplished the milestone during his side's clash against Sixers on January 17. Short concluded with 11 wickets this season. D'Arcy Short and Marcus Stoinis are the only other players to have attained this feat.
Tye races to 300 T20 wickets
Tye, who claimed 1/42 in the BBL 2022-23 final, became the fastest bowler to 300 T20 wickets. He attained the feat in his 211th match, beating Afghan leg-spinner Rashid (213). Tye picked 26 wickets in the concluded season, averaging 20.15.
Scorchers lift their fifth BBL title
Scorchers lifted their fifth BBL title (2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2021-22, and 2022-23). Notably, it was their eighth BBL final appearance. Sydney Sixers have won the title three times, with the most recent being in 2020-21. Meanwhile, Heat won their maiden title in the 2012-13 edition, beating Scorchers in the final. This was also Heat's second appearance in a BBL final.
