Mitch Owen, the Star of the BBL14 Final, “Grateful” to be Voted Into the ACA All-Star Team by His Peers

A blistering 39-ball ton to set the Hurricanes up for their maiden BBL title, capped off a brilliant break-out season for Mitch Owen. Owen finished the regular season 3rd in total runs, only behind Cooper Connolly and David Warner, before going on to add scores of 36 and 109 in the Hurricanes’ two finals. He finished the tournament with 452 runs at an average of 45.20.

Prior to BBL14, Owen’s highest Big Bash score was 28, with 79 runs in his 10 appearances for the Hurricanes. A move to the top of the order sparked an incredible campaign. He’s now found himself being recognised by his team-mates and opponents as part of the ACA All-Star Team for BBL14.

“The fact that I'm playing against these guys and they're the ones voting me in, that means I've had a bit of an impact on the game. It maybe means a little bit more coming from peers, so I'm grateful for that” he said.

For the 23-year-old to go from trying to cement a spot in the Hurricanes side to one of the stars of the competition and one of the brightest prospects in Australian T20 cricket, is one of the great examples of the Big Bash providing opportunities for development of our local talent.

“It’s pretty surreal. I never in a million years thought I'd be in this position, and to see my name alongside those great T20 players and international players, it's amazing.”

Looking back on the season from a team perspective, Mitch said he enjoyed every second of it:

“We didn't start off great, but to bounce back and win eight in a row, is special and it's a special group to be a part of.

“When you get that winning momentum and you can win from any position, it’s pretty powerful. Everything went our way, which was great, and personally, super happy that I could impact games and get us into good positions to win.”

The full BBL14 ACA All-Star team is:

In his first season as captain, David Warner topped the run scorers and was voted Captain of the All-Star team. On this, he said:

“I have loved the opportunity to lead the Thunder this season in my first BBL campaign since retiring from international cricket.

“It’s nice to be recognised by your peers. Being picked captain makes it even sweeter.”

Some other great stories out of this player-voted team include first-time appearances for Cooper Connolly and Max Bryant, as well as 35-year-old veteran Jason Behrendorff continuing his impressively ultra-consistent career. Behrendorff lead the competition for wickets taken in his 14th season for the Scorchers. Ben Dwarshuis was also voted into the side; he now sits third in all-time BBL wickets with 148 across his 117 games for the Sixers.

BBL14 was a spectacular campaign on a number of fronts. From the Hurricanes winning their first title, attendances around the country healthy, to young players getting opportunities on the big stage and our Australian Test stars making appearances. The 14th edition of the Big Bash had it all!