FANTASY
Follow UsFor Melbourne Renegades, there isn’t much to play for apart from pride. Whatever the result of this match, they will finish at the bottom of the table for the second successive season in the Big Bash League (BBL). Hobart Hurricanes, though, have a lot to play for and the situation for them is quite simple. They can guarantee themselves a place in the playoffs with a win in this game. If not, they will have to rely on results in the other two matches on the same day going their way.
There’s nothing to separate the two teams when it comes to past contests, with each securing six wins over the other. The Hurricanes, though, have won their last four matches against the Renegades, which includes a six-wicket win earlier this season.
BBL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 12 | Renegades – 6 Wins | Hurricanes – 6 Wins
Last 5 Matches: Renegades – 1 Win | Hurricanes – 4 Wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points.
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
In the three matches held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during BBL 10, the average run-rate has been 8.3 while bowling average and strike rate have been 25.3 and 18.7 respectively.
Spinners have bowled a decent number of overs (41%) while taking just under 40% of the wickets at the MCG this season. Hence, we have picked one front-line spinner and two all-rounders who also bowl spin in our team.
There’s not a lot to choose from between Imad Wasim, Sandeep Lamichhane and Peter Hatzoglou – we went with the two Renegades players because we already had six players from the Hurricanes in our side.
There could be a few interesting match-ups too.
Shaun Marsh and Scott Boland have been around the BBL for a while now and this should be a really good contest if it does take place. In five innings in T20 cricket, Marsh has scored 39 runs from 30 deliveries against Boland while being dismissed once.
There are a few left-handed batsmen in the Hurricanes’ line-up, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Renegades use Imad Wasim. While he is a left-arm spinner, Wasim doesn’t tend to turn the ball a lot. One of the Hurricanes’ left-handers is Dawid Malan, whom Imad has dismissed twice in 35 deliveries across seven innings in T20 cricket (batting strike rate – 117.1).
CAPTAIN SELECTION
D’Arcy Short, after a slow start to the tournament, seems to be gaining some form with the bat. In his last four innings, he has notched up three 40+ scores, which included a superb 72 against Sydney Sixers on Sunday (January 24). Short has also taken seven wickets in 13 matches.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Short could score 17-40 runs and could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
X-FACTORS
Shaun Marsh is the Renegades’ second highest run-scorer this season, having scored 300 runs at an average of 27.3. His form has dropped since the New Year, but among the Renegades batsmen, we feel he is the best option. He has got starts in two of his last three innings and will be hoping to close the season with a big innings.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Marsh could score 14-37 runs in this match.
Matthew Wade was simply brilliant during his 86 against the Sixers. For a lot of his innings, it looked like he would make a hundred, but he fell short in the end. Across BBL 9 and 10, Wade has a batting average of 49.2 and strike rate of 173.7. His wicketkeeping might also get you some valuable points.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Wade could score 15-38 runs in this match.
Peter Hatzoglou had done so well in his debut BBL season that you wouldn’t have thought he came into the tournament with no experience of top-level T20 cricket. He has bowled in 11 innings this season, picking up 16 wickets at a strike rate of 16.1 – impressive numbers in a team that hasn’t performed very well.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hatzoglou could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
