Joel Davies will walk into Saturday’s Big Bash League final looking – and feeling – a very different cricketer to the one who appeared in the 2024 showpiece. Back then, the left-hander scraped 15 off ten balls as Sydney Sixers stumbled to a heavy defeat against Brisbane Heat. Two seasons on, the 22-year-old owns 14 wickets at 12.00, an economy of 6.00, and 118 runs struck at 163.88 – figures that underline his new-found influence with bat, ball and in the field.
“I think in that season, I sort of thought I was filling a number in a way. I wasn’t bowling and I was batting 7 or 8 and I wasn’t really in the team to do either one,” he said, reflecting on that earlier final. “But now, I think I’ve solidified my spot that I’m in there to bat and bowl.”
The turning point arrived long before January. An early-summer grade match earned Davies a five-game suspension – three matches suspended – after a celebration the governing body deemed lewd. He responded with an unbeaten fifty on Sheffield Shield debut for New South Wales in December, and from there the trajectory has been upward.
Opportunities with the ball
Last season Davies delivered just eight overs for the Sixers. This year he has become a trusted option, often operating in the powerplay or at the death.
“I think this year I’ve got a bit more opportunity with the ball,” he explained. “Luckily enough, I’ve made the most of it. The first over wasn’t great tonight [against Hurricanes], so I was happy to come back and finish it off a bit better.”
That comeback produced 2 for 17 in the Challenger final, an effort topped off by 27 from 12 deliveries – enough to secure Player of the Match honours and, more importantly, another crack at the trophy.
Learning from mentors
Davies credits veteran figures for refining his methods. With NSW he works closely with assistant coach Anthony Clark, while at the Sixers he still leans on former team-mate Steve O’Keefe.
“He’s the guru,” Davies said of O’Keefe. “We’re both pretty similar, we don’t spin the ball too much. It’s just [about] trying to keep the ball out of the batter’s swinging arc. We’re more defensive bowlers and if we get the odd wicket here and there, it’s a bonus.”
That focus on limiting risk – bowling stump-to-stump, varying pace, hiding the ball on the hip – has complemented the Sixers’ pace-heavy attack, and freed skipper Moises Henriques to juggle his seamers around the left-arm spinner’s four overs.
Fielding value
If the ball doesn’t swing and the bat doesn’t fire, Davies adds value in the ring and on the rope. Two catches against Hobart highlighted that point: a sharp, one-handed return chance to remove Matthew Wade, and a sliding effort at deep midwicket that ended Ben McDermott’s stay.
“I think the one off my bowling, probably could have got two hands too, but we’ll take it,” he admitted. “It’s good for the cameras. But, yeah, I do a lot of work on it [fielding]. I think in terms of if I don’t perform with the bat or ball, I can still have an impact on the game and the field.”
Praise from a World Cup winner
Mitchell Starc, in and out of the NSW dressing-room between international duties, has watched the youngster’s development first-hand.
“He’s clearly very talented. I just think as a Blues [NSW] group we know the talent he’s got and everyone’s starting to see it now at the BBL level,” Starc noted. “Tonight was another example of that. He’s great in the field [and] I think he’s got a pretty mature head for a young fella with bat and ball. He’s pretty happy with some of the attention, too, I’ll say that.
“I think all his skills have been on display and he’s been working hard. Really happy to see him get some of those rewards and he’s a handy li”
Assessment and outlook
Davies’ numbers stack up against any bowling all-rounder in this season’s competition. A strike rate below ten with the ball combined with a batting strike rate above 160 is rare currency, especially for a player still carving out a role. The left-arm spin offers Henriques control, the power-hitting lengthens the order, and the fielding turns half-chances into wickets.
The Sixers have leaned on their star names – Henriques, Sean Abbott, Steve Smith in his cameo – but their return to the final has as much to do with Davies’ rapid progress. Whether or not silverware follows, the youngster has already moved from bench option to central cog. The next challenge is to reproduce that impact on the biggest night of the season – and then, perhaps, to carry it into higher honours.
