INTERNATIONAL imports are often some of the ‘must buy’ players in SuperCoach BBL, particularly those whose representative countries are not performing at international level throughout December, January, and February.

The best become ‘set and forget’ — you know they’ll step up when the moment arrives, either hitting out at the top of the order and getting their team off to a cracking start or taking those key ‘death’ wickets, earning big SuperCoach points in the process.

We’re taking a look at the key available international players, some of whom have their signature ink still drying on fresh contracts, some who are sticking with their BBL|07 side, and some who are yet to commit to a new year’s cause.

Regardless of the fact they’ll tour the West Indies at the end of January and start of February, here are five English players you need in your SuperCoach BBL side:

1. Joe Root (Sydney Thunder) | BAT | $200,000
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cleared Root and English T20I vice-captain Jos Buttler to play the first half of the tournament as it falls between winter tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies. The English skipper will be a favourite of SuperCoaches, but will his anticipated sky-high price be worth it, given he’ll leave to prepare his side for an overseas tour mid-season? Root has never played an overseas T20 tournament, and will make his Thunder debut against the Melbourne Stars on December 21.

2. Jos Buttler (Sydney Thunder) | ALR | $160,200
The gap in international commitments could allow Root and Buttler to play up to seven matches in the first half of BBL|08. One of the premier T20 players in the world, Buttler has signed up with the Thunder once more, having played six times for the them in the 2017-18 season, where he opened and kept wicket, hitting 67 and 81 during a six-game run before leaving to join up with England’s ODI squad. He previously played for Melbourne Renegades several years before, playing five games with a top score of 61. As a top of the order player and a neat catch of the ball behind the stumps, he’s an astute buy as both a ‘keeper’ and a batting option in SuperCoach BBL.

3. Ben Stokes (TBC)
The big question around Stokes is will he be down under this summer? Latest rumours have it the Sydney Sixers, the BBL team who were leading the chase to sign him, have eliminated any formal approach until after a cricket disciplinary commission has reached a decision on any punishment for his stoush in the streets of Bristol, for which he escaped conviction. But as an allrounder who is a big hitter and a key bowler at any level of cricket, he’s worth his weight in SuperCoach gold ... at least until he heads to the Caribbean towards the pointy end of the season.

4. David Willey (Perth Scorchers) | BWL | $194,900
The English allrounder will be back at the Perth Scorchers in BBL|08, as the club begins a new season under the watchful gaze of new coach, former Australian batsman Adam Voges. Featuring in 20 matches over the past three seasons, Willey could be one of those classic set-and-forget choices as either a batsman or a bowler, given that his international commitments will come after the conclusion of the BBL season. With the allrounder flexibility of a dual position player he won’t be cheap. However, he has taken 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.39, and scored 200 runs at a strike rate of 119.05, complete with a highest score of 55 in his 20 matches.

5. Joe Denly (Sydney Sixers) | BAT | $186,800
Having debuted as a mid-season signing for the Sixers in BBL|07, Englishman Joe Denley’s impact on the tournament was fleeting but memorable. Denley knocked 146 runs across a four-game stint in magenta last year, helping the Sixers storm home with victories in each game he played. Having re-signed with Sydney for BBL|08, Denley is coming off a season-best summer in England, where he was recently announced as the highest-ever run scorer in England’s T20 domestic league, notching a lazy 3,927 runs to date. At 32, Denley will no-doubt open the batting order for the Sixers and whilst he is listed purely as a batsman, Denly gives the Sixers a bowling option with his leg spin.