Rogers tops bowling charts for Hurricanes
Arts graduate and high school teacher Tom Rogers was among the top five leading wicket takers in this season's Men’s Big Bash, completed on Friday night.
Published on the 01 February 2022 by David Gavin
The right-arm seam bowler led the charge for the Hobart Hurricanes claiming 20 wickets at the excellent average of 19.3 runs per wicket, returning to the club with whom he played three seasons from 2017 to 2020.
Rogers joined Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan in equal fourth on the BBL's wicket takers list.
They were 10 wickets behind Khan’s Adelaide Strikers’ teammate Peter Siddle, and trailed Sydney Sixers’ Hayden Kerr and Perth Scorchers’ Andrew Tye, both taking 25 scalps.
Rogers graduated from UNSW in 2015 and was a Ben Lexcen Scholar throughout his degree. He played in the UNSW team that represented Australia at the Red Bull World Campus Cricket Finals in London, 2014.
In that side, the now 27-year-old joined three sets of brothers – all of whom studied at UNSW – Brandon and Hayden Mclean, Charlie and Tom Wakim, Marcus and Tom Atallah.
Friday night’s BBL Final won by the Perth Scorchers was Dan Christian’s 14th professional T20 Final with the veteran allrounder chasing a 10th title in the shorter format.
Despite overcoming so many challenges just to make the Final, including COVID withdrawals and several battered bodies, the Sixers fell at the last hurdle at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
Christian nevertheless finished the season with 264 runs, seven wickets and 11 catches, which was the equal second most by any player in the tournament. In two seasons with the Sixers, the 38-year-old has scored 536 runs at a strike rate nearing 150 and taken 22 wickets.
With Christian’s return to his home state for BBL|10 in 2020, the allrounder also returned to the UNSW Cricket Club to play his Grade cricket.
UNSW alumni Charlie Wakim (Melbourne Stars) and Tom Cooper (Brisbane Heat) were also part of the BBL’s most recent edition.
Tom Rogers celebrates a wicket // Getty Images - Steve Bell