Sam Harper named player of the BBL after career-best season

Melbourne Stars wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper has been named player of the tournament in the BBL after a impressive season at the top of the order.

Harper, 29, who played his 100th BBL match during the season, had a career-best summer in his ninth season in the league. In the home and away season he made 371 runs at 61.83, striking at 155.23, including scoring his maiden BBL century against Sydney Sixers at the SCG and two other half-centuries.

In his eight previous seasons, including five with Melbourne Renegades before he was traded to Stars as part of the deal that sent Australia legspinner Adam Zampa to Renegades, he had never averaged more than 25.36 or struck at higher than 144.55 in a single season. He had only scored three half-centuries in a season once before in 2022-23.

The BBL player of the tournament is adjudicated based off 3-2-1 votes awarded per game by the on-field umpires. Harper finished on 16 votes, one vote ahead of Sydney Thunder skipper David Warner who had a stunning finish to the season with two centuries. Adelaide Strikers allrounder Liam Scott finished equal second with Warner after a break-out season with bat and ball.

Two other bowling allrounders, Sixers' Jack Edwards and Harper's Stars' team-mate Tom Curran finished equal fourth on 14 votes.

Harper said earlier this season that he had unlocked his career-best form by keeping a lot stiller at the crease and leaving all areas of the ground open to score, with Stars captain Marcus Stoinis being a key sounding board having previously fallen into the trap of premeditating too much.