There is another double header of action in the Big Bash League on Saturday and with the teams only having two regular season games remaining there is plenty at stake. The day gets underway at Marvel Stadium where the Melbourne Renegades host the Brisbane Heat.
In terms of this season this match offers little for the Renegades but that is not the case with the Heat. They have dropped out of the top five in recent days and anything but a win here could see their finals hopes end.
Melbourne Renegades
We shouldn’t keep harping on about how poor a season this has been for the Melbourne Renegades, particularly after they delivered an excellent win in their last outing against the Melbourne Stars. That win came against the odds for a couple of reasons, but importantly for them some of their younger players were the ones who stood up and were counted, which at least offers them something to take forward with them even in a dismal campaign.
The concern with the Renegades is that their death bowling has repeatedly been exposed and has not been good enough. Whether that is something Aaron Finch can resolve by managing his bowlers better remains to be seen. The other thing that has been an issue all season has been the lack of runs from their top order. The men in red will hope that with the gone from their matches those players can free up and show their best form.
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat looked like they were managing their way into a position where they could be serious factors in the latter stages of the competition, but successive defeats, and heavy ones at that, and three losses in their last four outings have just left them slightly adrift from where they need to be. Therefore it is imperative that they do not drop points against the worst team in the competition so a win here is a must for them.
The problem the Heat have is that both sides of their team have started to let them down. Their bowlers have leaked 174 and 197 in their last two matches and their batsmen have floundered under the weight of scoreboard pressure and offered little. Those defeats haven’t just hurt their point tally but also their net run rate so not only do they need to win this match but they could do with picking up all four points as well.
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Team News
The Melbourne Renegades haven’t named their squad for this match at the time of writing but we know they will be without Kane Richardson here who is out for the remainder of the season. It would be surprising if the Renegades make any changes to a winning side.
The Brisbane Heat have named 18 players in their squad as they look to end their recent slump. It will be interesting to see whether James Bazley remains an X-Factor option or whether he gets in from the start given that their batting has struggled recently.
Betting
The Brisbane Heat haven’t been completely convincing in recent times but to be fair to them their last three defeats were to the Sydney Sixers who have been one of the best teams in the competition, the Perth Scorchers who are on fire at the minute and the Adelaide Strikers, where they ran into an outstanding knock from Alex Carey so it might just be the schedule which has beaten them as much as any poor play from themselves.
The Melbourne Renegades took advantage of a sloppy display by the Melbourne Stars last time out but they have plenty more questions about them than answers and I’m massively concerned about their death bowling. That could well be the difference in the two sides. The other thing to note is that the Heat have a little extra batting depth and if their top order can avoid getting stuck early on then I would expect Brisbane to come out on top here.
Tips
WON – Back Brisbane Heat to beat Melbourne Renegades for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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