We have another double header of action in the Big Bash League on Wednesday and the first game comes from the capital as two of the bottom three teams in the standings meet when the Sydney Thunder host the Melbourne Renegades at the Manuka Oval.
The Thunder made a good start to their campaign but the smoke affected match they had here seemed to have derailed them and they haven’t really been the same since. It has been a season to forget for the Renegades.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder halted a run of one win from six matches last time out when they overcame the Hobart Hurricanes but that isn’t really much of a form guide. The good thing for them here is that the Melbourne Renegades are even worse than the Hurricanes so there is a good chance for the Thunder to get a second win in succession under their belts and get themselves right back in the mix for the minor playoff spots.
To be fair to the Thunder, they have generally bowled well this season so if the form their batsmen showed against the Hurricanes, in a run chase which could easily have got away from them had they allowed it to, can be repeated here they will feel confident of a victory. The Thunder had to overcome the suspension of a key player in their bad run but they look to have turned the corner, and will hope to prove that here.
Melbourne Renegades
It is hard to say too much about the Melbourne Renegades other than the big concern is that their last outing against the Adelaide Strikers was their worst one, and you wonder if this long run of losses have finally caught up with them. It can’t be easy to be playing for the better part of a month without winning and dragging yourself back to the well. It was hoped that fresh personnel might make a difference but that wasn’t the case.
The Renegades just can’t bat a decent 20 overs to give themselves a chance of winning at the minute. There have been many occasions where they have been in a good position after 12-15 overs but have failed to capitalise and that really has been the story of their season. They haven’t bowled particularly well at any stage in the competition, but to be fair to them they have bowled better than nine straight defeats would suggest.
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Team News
Jay Lenton and Gurinder Sandhu are two men who will come into the squad for the Sydney Thunder as they look to freshen things up out in Geelong. It might be that they name the same team but they want all bases covered.
Andrew Fekete comes into the squad for the Melbourne Renegades in their only change as they look to finally pick up a win in the tournament at the tenth time as asking. He replaces the all-rounder Nathan McSweeney.
Betting
I’m a little reluctant to get involved in this match because the Sydney Thunder haven’t completely convinced in recent times while the Melbourne Renegades aren’t going to go all 14 matches and not pick up a win in any of them. I took the Renegades in their last match and they turned in a shambles of a performance. I don’t expect that again but you just can’t be sure so I’m going to head to the side markets for a punt on this one.
That side market is one I’ve taken in the past in the form of the performance of Daniel Sams which the line is 34.5 for. That looks low. In seven of the nine matches he has played this season he has taken at least two wickets, including against the Renegades in the reverse meeting. That would be enough to cover this total but he is also a handy batsman and a decent enough fielder so all the scoring options are open to him and with that in mind my money is on his side as well.
Tips
Back D.Sams’ Performance – Over 34.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with 888sport
Back him here:
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