KFC BBL|12
A second-straight season among the BBL's top three run-scorers has resulted in Matt Short becoming the first Adelaide Striker to win Player of the Tournament
Jack Paynter
30 January 2023, 09:00 PM AEST
@jackpayn
Higher honours may now be calling for Matt Short following a second-straight KFC BBL season in the top three of the competition runs tally, but the man himself is determined to just let his batting and bowling do the talking.
Short tonight capped sensational back-to-back seasons with the Adelaide Strikers since his shift to the top of the batting order, crowned the BBL|12 Player of the Tournament at the Australian Cricket Awards.
The 25-year-old finished the regular season as the tournament's top run-scorer with 458 striking at 144.47 to win the award by three votes ahead of Perth Scorchers wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis.
Short's stunning unbeaten century against the Hobart Hurricanes on January 5 in the highest BBL run chase of all-time was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the season, and he also scored half centuries against the Sixers and Thunder at the beginning of the season.
He also collected 11 wickets to showcase his all-round prowess, opening the bowling for the Strikers with his off-spin in every match with best figures of 3-14.
His form has led teammates and coaches to call for the right-hander to get an opportunity for Australia in the T20 format, while Ricky Ponting declared that Short should be on the radar of Indian Premier League clubs.
He wasn't shortlisted for last year's IPL auction but will be available as a replacement player if required, while other opportunities on the global T20 circuit are sure to coming knocking following another standout Big Bash campaign.
"When I was younger, Greg Chappell once said, you look after everything on field and score runs and bowl well and all the contracts and stuff will take care of themselves, so I've always stuck to that," Short said during the season.
"I just enjoy playing cricket and I'm just trying to take care of the things on field rather than thinking about anything off the field.
"All through my junior career I was an opener, so I've always been used to batting at the top.
"When I first came across to the Strikers it was a bit of a struggle through the middle and I was lucky enough that 'Dizz' (Jason Gillespie) saw faith in me at the top of the order and put me up there last year and I think that really suits my game."
Short – who was fifth in the Player of the Tournament award last season with 21 votes – is the first Strikers player to win the league's top gong, polling 25 votes to finish ahead of Inglis on 22 and Melbourne Renegades veteran Aaron Finch on 20.
Each standing umpire awards three votes to who they believe was the best player in each match, followed by two and one votes for the next best, meaning a player can earn a maximum of six votes in each game they play.
Australian superstar Steve Smith collected the maximum of six votes in three of his four regular season matches for the Sixers to finish equal fifth alongside Cameron Bancroft, who himself only played half the tournament as he was kept out of the Scorchers side by imports Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth.
Aaron Hardie (16 votes), who sits just behind Short as the top run-scorer for the tournament with 443, and Ashton Turner (14 votes), are the third and fourth Scorchers players in the top 10 as the club looks to cap another dominant BBL campaign with an unprecedented fifth title this Saturday.
The Scorchers will host the winner of the Sixers-Heat Challenger final on Thursday night in the Final at a packed Perth Stadium, with 34,000 tickets to the decider snapped up in just four hours after going on sale yesterday.
The league will also announce their official Team of the Tournament on Wednesday ahead of the Challenger at the SCG.
KFC BBL|12 Player of the Tournament – top 10
1. Matthew Short – 25 votes (Strikers)
2. Josh Inglis – 22 (Scorchers)
3. Aaron Finch – 20 (Renegades)
4. Michael Neser – 19 (Heat)
5. Cameron Bancroft – 18 (Scorchers)
= Steve Smith – 18 (Sixers)
7. Chris Lynn – 16 (Strikers)
= Aaron Hardie – 16 (Scorchers)
= Sean Abbott – 16 (Sixers)
10. Ashton Turner – 14 (Scorchers)
= Sam Harper – 14 (Renegades)
KFC BBL Player of the Tournament – past winners:
BBL|01: David Hussey (Stars)
BBL|02: Aaron Finch (Renegades)
BBL|03: Ben Dunk (Hurricanes)
BBL|04: Jacques Kallis (Thunder)
BBL|05: Chris Lynn (Heat)
BBL|06: Chris Lynn (Heat)
BBL|07: D'Arcy Short (Hurricanes)
BBL|08: D'Arcy Short (Hurricanes)
BBL|09: Marcus Stoinis (Stars)
BBL|10: Josh Philippe (Sixers)
BBL|11: Ben McDermott (Hurricanes)
BBL|12: Matthew Short (Strikers)
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