Big Bash League preview: Joe Root’s first foray into overseas franchise cricket comes at the perfect time

Joe Root made his disappointment at being unsold in last year’s Indian Premier League action very clear. Ben Stokes, 2017’s MVP, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali all attracted record bids that saw almost £5m spent on English players, but the highly-rated Root was overlooked.

Keen to improve his white-ball game and get a slice of the overseas action, Root was forced to forget the Indian carnival and put away his passport as he got his head down in Yorkshire.

Without coming close to his career best 92*, which he got in 2016, the IPL sides were justified in their decision to turn their nose up at the England captain, but, as he prepares for his first franchise appearance, there is a new feel about Root.

To some extent Sydney Thunder’s offer to bring him to the Big Bash League remains a venture into the unknown, Root’s golden-duck and nine runs in the two summer T20 matches against India is the latest reminder of that, but there is potential for the Yorkshireman to be a key player their charge for a second title.

In the tour of Sri Lanka, Root exuded the poise and freedom of a different player having finally been freed of the burden of Alastair Cook peering over his shoulder watching every move. His bold decision making with the bat and as captain allowed him to present a side in his image.

He joins globe-trotter and England teammate, and now Test vice-captain, Jos Buttler at Thunder as the Sydney side look to address their worrying batting form. “Jos only had good words to say. He didn’t stop smiling,” recalled Root on when he first told Buttler about his intention to play in Australia’s show-piece T20 competition.

Captaining Thunder, who have failed to make the play-off in six of their seven seasons, is Shane Watson, fresh from his heroics in the IPL to win the final for Chennai Super Kings with an unbeaten 117 of 57 balls in one of the finest battling performances of the season. Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummings will join in the action mid-way through the season following the conclusion of Australia’s series against India, while Chris Jordan and Anton Devcich will replace Root and Buttler, who will have to leave for International duty after seven games.

Elsewhere, Jofra Archer will continue his meteoric rise in short-form cricket in his third season with Hobart Hurricanes. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently relaxed their residency rules which allows Archer to represent England in 2019, but he remains one of the most attractive white-ball players to franchises around the world.

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The dusty bowls of Australian cricket grounds in the middle of summer make Archer’s 90 mph deliveries all the more difficult to defend as he crashes onto the wicket. While Archer finished as Ranjasthan Royal’s leading wicket taker in this year’s IPL, a batting average of 3.00 and high score of 8 is definitely something to develop.

Tymal Mills joins Archer at the Hurricanes, while David Willey will represent Perth Scorchers and Tom Curran and Joe Denly are playing for 2018’s favourites, Sydney Sixers.

The Kent star played his first international match in eight years in a one-off T20 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he took 4 for 19, although he was not given an opportunity to bat in warm-up matches and was thus overlooked for the Test side.

A good display in the BBL will do no harm for his World Cup claims, which he hopes will result in an eventual place in the Test squad.

Curran stole the show when he was finally given the chance in Sri Lanka, taking three wickets in four overs in a reduced one-day victory during his first England appearance for over six months.

Of course, there is also the added interest of ECB’s The Hundred. The wishful thinkers at the ECB initially looked at how the BBL targets families to fill its colourful stadia, with family tickets available for $42.50 on average. The BBL heavily promotes women’s cricket, with each of the eight sides having an equivalent women’s side, something the ECB is also looking to observe.

There is a concern in Australia that BBL08 could be a slight slump in the fast-growing league. Kevin Pietersen was a regular figure before his retirement and his absence will be heavily felt as the league waits for the Australian Test players to filter back into the teams.

Whether it is a blip-year or not, one of the most exciting domestic leagues in the world will produce its usual thrilling narratives and Joe Root and the rest of the English contingent will certainly play their part.