England's players to watch in the Big Bash

The sixth edition of Australia's Big Bash gets underway tomorrow, and as the tournament's profile has grown exponentially in recent years, so too has the involvement of England players, thanks in no small part to the ECB's reinvigorated interest in white-ball cricket.

So, if you fancy a midwinter flutter, and want an extra reason to pay heed to the contests (which for the most part will be taking place in a very palatable breakfast-time window), then why not lay down a few quid on some of the roving Englishmen in the BBL ranks?

Leading the field is the Big Beast of Melbourne Stars, Kevin Pietersen. Long since banished from England's thoughts, the 36-year-old remains nonetheless one of the drawcards of the world T20 scene, and at 9/1 with Bet365, he is the second favourite, behind Chris "Lynn-sanity" Lynn, to be the tournament's top-scorer.

Another England old-stager, and Pietersen's long-standing middle-order ally, Ian Bell, is set to make his tournament for Perth Scorchers this month. And at 24/1, he perhaps represents better value in the leading run-scorers stakes - he will be available for the whole tournament, and at 34, he is still a class act on the world's domestic circuits.

Some of England's younger guns will also be on parade - Jason Roy and Sam Billings perhaps the most notable of the batsmen. However, both will find their odds of 33/1 and 50/1 respectively hard to stand up, seeing as they'll be out in India in mid-January ahead of the one-day series.

The English bowlers in Australia include David Willey and Stuart Broad, but keep an eye on Chris Jordan at Adelaide Strikers. He's not involved in England's one-day plans, but he has a T20 pedigree - he was an integral part of the World T20 squad that reached the final in Kolkata in April - and he is likely to be entrusted with several death overs. At 28/1 with Bet365, he's a decent shout to get in among the wickets.