Finn Allen Joins Melbourne Stars After T20 World Cup Success
Finn Allen’s fireworks have found a new stage.
Fresh from torching attacks at the Twenty20 World Cup in India – where he blasted a record-breaking century against South Africa to propel the Black Caps into the final – the aggressive opener is heading back to the Big Bash, this time in the colours of the Melbourne Stars.
“The Stars are a powerhouse team in this competition, so it’s going to be a lot of fun playing for them,” Allen said, sounding every bit like a player ready to lean into the spotlight. “They’ve already got a huge fanbase and they’re only getting bigger, and I can’t wait to be a part of that.
“I think all cricketers love playing at the MCG, so to be able to call that my home ground now is really exciting.”
For a hitter built to clear fences, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a dream canvas. A packed January crowd, the long straight boundaries, the Stars’ neon green – it all fits the trajectory of a batter whose game has shifted into overdrive over the past 12 months.
Seifert switches cities after title-winning surge
Allen won’t be the only Black Cap changing Big Bash addresses.
His international opening partner Tim Seifert has signed a one-year deal to swap the Melbourne Renegades for the Sydney Sixers, a move that gives the perennial contenders another proven white-ball operator at the top.
Seifert’s numbers in last season’s Big Bash were solid rather than spectacular – 285 runs at 28.50 – but he arrives in Australia on the back of a golden run in England. Turning out for Manchester Supergiants in the Hundred, the 31-year-old hammered 394 runs at an average just under 50 and saved his biggest statement for the biggest night, crunching 72 from 38 balls in the tournament final.
That kind of form travels. The Sixers know exactly what they’re buying, even if the price tag remains under wraps, with no details yet on the value of Seifert’s deal.
Chapman on the move, Santner stays the course
The Kiwi influx is unlikely to stop there. Fellow Black Cap Mark Chapman is expected to link up with his countrymen in Australia’s domestic league after opting out of his New Zealand central contract earlier this week. He is understood to be bound for the Adelaide Strikers, a move that would add another left-handed punch to a batting order already built around aggression.
One senior New Zealander will not be joining the migration.
White-ball captain Mitchell Santner has turned down a two-year offer from the Strikers, choosing instead to double down on his test ambitions and a looming international calendar that leaves little room for detours.
“When you look ahead to the summer we’ve got, India here for white ball and tests and Australia away – there’s not many bigger than that – it’s quite an exciting time,” Santner told the Herald. “I’d like to still be part of that.”
He made no attempt to pretend the Big Bash proposal was insignificant.
“The offer was good, I’m not going to lie. They knew it would have to be a good offer for me to entertain it with contracting and what would come up.
“I did entertain the thought of it, but coming back to what we’ve got coming up, even if I’m not going to play every game of test cricket, I still feel like there’s a role for me.”
So while Allen chases sixes at the MCG and Seifert hunts powerplays in Sydney, Santner will stay anchored to New Zealand’s red-ball push, a reminder that in a landscape crowded with leagues and opportunities, not every decision is about the next contract.
For the Big Bash, though, the equation is simple: more New Zealand firepower, more intrigue, and a summer where Australian crowds will see just how far this Black Caps generation can stretch its influence.
