Winter Watch | Week 6

Hurtling towards Christmas at velocity now, another Friday arrives with another Winter Watch, too. What have we today, then? In this week's edition, we bring news from afar, as usual, with prominent performances with both bat and ball. Let's commence in Brisbane...

Tom Alsop

Returning to Brisbane Heat after debuting in the BBL last winter, Alsop's campaign will begin on 15 December at Melbourne Renegades.

You can keep up to date with Alsop's BBL campaign here.

Jofra Archer

At around this time last week we were singing the praises of England and Bazball after Joe Root had recorded his first century in Australia and Archer had added valuable runs to the first innings total with a stellar cameo. 

Yet cricket is a cruel sport, particularly from an English persuasion. 24 hours later and Archer and England were staring down the barrel at a 2-0 deficit in the Ashes. Best to move swiftly on and look ahead to Adelaide...

Anna Buckle

For what seems to be the umpteenth time in this Winter Watch series, we're once again shining the light on a brilliant Buckle display with the ball in a comprehensive victory for UTS North Sydney.

Skittling St-George Sutherland all out for a mere 64, Buckle's side earned a 34-run win with the Sussex bowler taking three wickets from her four over spell for the loss of 16 runs. That'll help the average.

Oli Carter

It was a strong showing with the bat for Carter in a high-scoring One Day Cup clash against Port Adelaide last weekend.

A narrow defeat - Port Adelaide reaching the 278 target with 14 balls to spare - but Carter made a reputable 40 in what was his side's (Sturt) second highest score.

Tom Haines

A good, solid, effective stint captaining England Lions atop the batting order for Haines spawned notable scores of 77, 38 and 31 with the bat whilst also claiming figures of 2/51 with the ball in the penultimate match of the Tour.

A valuable outing for our top-order batter, who will return to Sussex full of confidence ahead of the forthcoming 2026 season.

Daniel Hughes

Following the mention of his winter high-score of 55 last time out, Hughes' success alas did not quite carry over into last weekend's showing having been a victim in a brutal opening Ryan Fletcher spell that claimed the opening four batters.

They sealed the win, though, by 52 runs courtesy of a stellar Max Glen century. 

Dan Ibrahim

It's the big one! Dan Ibrahim versus George Thomas, Cornwall versus Central Hawkes Bay. And both Sussex players can walk away with their heads held high following an entertaining T20 match.

We'll start with Ibrahim, though, for this is his chapter. Excellent he was with the bat, ripping a raucous 89 runs from just 50 deliveries - an innings that featured six fours and seven sixes. Who took his wicket, you say? Well, you must read on for such information...

Nathan McAndrew

A third consecutive fixture for McAndrew's South Australia side against Tasmania, and this one was perhaps the pick of the bunch as the all-rounder took five wickets across the match - two in the first inning, three in the second.

More importantly, though, was the outcome: a 10-wicket victory that shifts South Australia up to third in the Sheffield Shield table. 

Ollie Robinson

Despite the defeat, it was a fairly profitable performance with the white ball for Robinson last Friday, as the bowler earned excellent figures of 10-2-22-2 against Bankstown. 

He's back in action tonight (11pm GMT), with his team facing UNSW in the Belvedere Cup.

Jayden Seales

There's always a Seales update, and it's often a positive one, too, even if his West Indies side aren't always getting the desired result. 

But in the opening Test against New Zealand last week, his side were immaculate to earn a draw in the most unlikely circumstances. Seales claimed three wickets in the match, two more than he did in the second Test, which was won by New Zealand in the early hours of the morning. 

1-0 it is, then, as they head into the third and final Test at Mount Maunganui, starting on the 17th December.

John Simpson

Coming in at 11th for the most runs scored in this year's Nepal Premier League with 172 in his eight matches with Kathmandu Gorkhas, his side's journey ended on Wednesday in the semi-final with Lumbini Lions.

He's kept wicket brilliantly and has ultimately enjoyed a successful stint in Nepal as he returns home in fine stead ahead of the forthcoming campaign with Sussex.

George Thomas

Well, you've waited this long to find out who dismissed Ibrahim in the Cornwall versus Central Hawkes Bay on the other side of the world and, indeed, it was Thomas! He took two wickets in the end during an efficient four over spell, and scored 20 runs in his side's innings with the bat as Ibrahim's side ran away with the victory.