BBL6 Game 22 Preview - Melbourne Stars v Adelaide Strikers @ MCG
Melbourne Stars (2-2) V Adelaide Strikers (2-3) @ MCG
Preview - The Melbourne Stars will be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time in BBL6 when they host the Adelaide Strikers at the MCG on Tuesday night. The Stars had endured a mediocre start to the season, before they demolished the Renegades by 46 runs at Docklands Stadium, to get revenge for their New Year's Day defeat at the hands of the same opponents. Half centuries to the returning Robert Quiney and maverick overseas import Kevin Pietersen helped propel the Stars to their biggest score of BBL6 as they racked up an imposing 6/200 after a couple of scratchy batting displays in defeats to the Renegades and Thunder previously. The Strikers are just about hanging in to this competition with a 2-3 record, but can ill afford another heavy defeat. The Strikers salvaged their season with a 5-wicket home victory over the Hurricanes, with Ben Dunk starring with an unbeaten 85. The Strikers are 0-2 on the road this year, having suffered heavy defeats to the Scorchers and Hurricanes. With the Stars losing some players to international duty, this is an opportunity for the Strikers to put themselves right back in the final’s mix.
Squad Changes - The Stars are most affected side in BBL6 after the announcement of the Australian ODI side to take on Pakistan in a 5-match series starting in Brisbane on Friday. The Stars lose Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner and Adam Zampa, three of their key starting players, for the duration of BBL6. The Stars do welcome back Test batsman Peter Handscomb to their squad, and his return could hardly have come at a better time. Handscomb has had an astounding start to his Test career with his imperious form yielding 399 runs at an average of 99.75 and two centuries. I would expect him to slot straight into Number 4 for the departing Glenn Maxwell. Seb Gotch and Cameron Gannon are back in the squad, while Liam Bowe, a left arm spinner, wins his first place in the 13-player squad. Bowe has taken 18 wickets for Essendon this season in Victorian Premier Cricket, and travelled with the Stars on their pre-season trip to New Zealand.
The Strikers also lose two of their big guns to international duty, with Travis Head and Billy Stanlake both called up to the Australian ODI side. While Head hasn’t fired in BBL6, he is still a big loss to the side. Stanlake was the bolter for selection, and his hugely impressive BBL6 campaign clearly wowed national selectors. The Strikers also lose Chris Jordan to injury after his impressive all-rounder performance in their victory over the Hurricanes. Into the squad come Tim Ludeman, Wes Agar and Ish Sodhi. Ludeman has been somewhat of a fan favourite in the past. I'm not exactly sure why Ludeman has been on the outer, as he did some damage in BBL5 and has a good T20 record overall, averaging 30 with the bat with a strike rate of 122 from 38 matches. Wes Agar is a promising young fast bowler who took 8 wickets in the Matador Cup for South Australia earlier this season. Ish Sodhi is a leg spinner from New Zealand who has played double digit Tests, ODIS and T20s for the Black Caps. He has a good T20 record with the ball, with 51 wickets from 52 games at an economy rate of 7.2.
Melbourne Stars Scouting Report - It's no shock the Stars two best batting performances this year have come with Robert Quiney at the top of the order. Quiney has peeled off two superb half centuries, and has 126 runs at an average of 63 and a brutal strike rate of 176 in his two BBL6 innings to date. With fellow opener Luke Wright averaging in the 30s, and Kevin Pietersen averaging 49 from three innings at a strike rate of 163, the Stars will fancy their chances of taking on a relatively inexperienced Strikers’ bowling outfit in the batting Power Play. David Hussey belted 27 from 11 balls against the Renegades as the Stars finally nailed their latter overs batting. He, along with Handscomb, represents a pretty imposing Top 5. In the absence of James Faulkner, Marcus Stoinis needs to step up as the premier all-rounder, after he was dropped on Saturday after a patchy start to BBL6.
The Stars have been pretty well served by strike bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus and Scott Boland throughout the first four matches. With 10 wickets between them, the pair are making key breakthroughs, and while they are both going at 8 an over, that seems about the going rate for most strike bowlers in T20 cricket. With James Faulkner and Adam Zampa unavailable, it is likely Marcus Stoinis will have to step up and bowl some crucial overs through the middle of the innings. Stoinis has done well in the past, with 20 wickets at a bowling average of 19 and only going for a respectable 8.1 runs per over.
Adelaide Strikers Scouting Report - The Strikers’ recruitment of Ben Dunk in the off-season has proved a masterstroke. Dunk has looked in majestic form at the top of the order and is currently the second leading run scorer in BBL6, with 232 runs at an average 58. Dunk's strike rate of 175 is just 2 points lower than leading run scorer Chris Lynn who has been getting all the headlines and was recently called up into Australia’s ODI side. Jake Weatherald has struggled opening the batting, with 95 runs at an average of 19, and I would be very tempted to bring in Tim Ludeman to replace him at the top of the order. Brad Hodge will assume even more importance in the absence of Travis Head. Hodge continues to defy his years and has once again been one of the best batsmen in BBL6. Hodge is the fifth leading run scorer, with 204 runs at an average of 51 and a strike rate over 140. West Indian Keiron Pollard has been awfully quiet with the bat, and I wonder if the Strikers so far and time is running out for the big West Indian to make an impact.
The Strikers have plenty of holes to plug with the ball in this game having lost the overs of strike bowlers Chris Jordan and Billy Stanlake, as well as part time spinner Travis Head. I expect Keiron Pollard to take on the role as senior seamer alongside Ben Laughlin in a pretty inexperienced Strikers’ bowling outfit. Pollard is a canny bowler, and is capable of stepping up against a big name Stars’ batting line up on the cauldron that is the MCG. Michael Neser has had a BBL6 campaign to forget so far, however could get another opportunity to impress. I'm sure Ish Sodhi will come straight into the Sixers’ line up, given his international experience with New Zealand.
Verdict - Initially I thought the Stars might be a bit vulnerable here, given the mass changes due to International call ups. However, that has really been offset with both sides losing three players. Billy Stanlake was a deserved but surprise inclusion, and with Chris Jordan’s injury the Strikers’ advantage in this game has been well and truly nullified. The Stars look to have better depth to their squad, and the Strikers do not have a player the quality of Peter Handscomb to come into their batting line up. The Stars’ Top 5 bats are all in good form, and I expect them to go hard at the Strikers early here, and try and nail them for 60+ in the Power Play to set up their batting innings. The Strikers have looked really poor on the road this year, and the Stars do not often lose two games in a row in front of their home fans at the MCG. The Strikers will be desperate, given they are 2-3 with little room for another loss, however Melbourne are also in a dicey position at 2-2, so I expect both teams to be really up for this game. Stars deserve favouritism at home.
The Lurker - "It's been a tough couple of nights for The Lurker, but I am confident the Stars can get me back in the winner’s circle tonight. I have come up with a different exotic option of the Stars to lose their first wicket after 25.5 runs have been scored. For the popular high bat double, I have landed on Luke Wright into Brad Hodge."