The first Big Bash League match of 2021 comes from the Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast where the Melbourne Renegades take on the impressive looking Sydney Thunder in what is yet another key game in the competition.
The Thunder begin 2021 sitting in second place in the table whereas having seen the Perth Scorchers win on New Year’s Eve, the Melbourne Renegades will take the field on Friday sat bottom of the pile once again and in desperate need of a win with the top five beginning to pull away.
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades opened up their season with a win but it has all gone wrong for them from there. They have now lost four on the spin and in a couple of those contests they just weren’t at the races. There were signs of life last time out when they looked to have the Sydney Sixers beat, but somehow that match got away from them and while they can take a fair bit out of that game, the loss only serves to pile the pressure on them even more.
It is hard to say that anything is working all that well for the Renegades, although their batsmen did at least put up a competitive total in the last game which was needed after a couple of pretty dismal efforts with the bat prior to that. What they now need is their bowling attack to live up to expectations and start delivering the goods. The Renegades’ position looks a bit forlorn at the minute but successive four-point wins could soon rectify that.
Sydney Thunder
It has been the exact opposite in terms of the campaign for the Sydney Thunder. They dropped their opening match but since then they have won four on the spin and really are looking like the best team in the competition at this stage. Not only have they won their last four matches, they have won them emphatically and with a confidence that suggests they mean business this term, and rightly so with the depth that is in their squad.
The Thunder go into this match with every department of their team working to the maximum. Their batting line-up all have runs to their name and look to be hitting the ball well, and equally as importantly they are one of the few sides to make the most of the Power Surge, while their bowlers are bowling to their plans and are being backed up in the field with some excellent fielding. They also have a good captain who doesn’t crumble under pressure so the Thunder look good at the minute.
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Team News
The Melbourne Renegades haven’t named their squad for this match at the time of writing but something has to be done with their bowling attack. Zak Evans has offered little in the competition so far and could be vulnerable to being replaced by Joel Lalor. They might also choose to bring Beau Webster back.
Sydney Thunder have named an unchanged squad and you would think they will name the same starting XI unless Nathan McAndrew is fit to play after he missed out in the previous game. Chris Tremain could go back to being an X-Factor replacement option if that id the case.
Betting
It is hard to go against the Sydney Thunder in this match. I think they are the real deal as I highlighted in the tournament preview post when taking the Thunder to win the competition. I’ve certainly seen nothing to suggest that they are failing to live up to the billing. That is one reason to stick with them here while the other reason is the huge gulf between the two sides when they met last week, with the Thunder coming out on top to the tune of 129 runs.
The slight concern about the Thunder is that this is their first away match and first game away from the Manuka Oval but they have shown in their games to date that they are properly balanced with the bat and the ball. The same can’t really be said of the Melbourne Renegades. They are all or nothing with the bat and haven’t really come up with anything resembling a plan with the ball. Until they do it is hard to see them being consistently competitive. Even if they improve here 129 runs is a huge gap to bridge. I think the Thunder will be too good.
Tips
WON – Back Sydney Thunder to beat Melbourne Renegades for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Bet365
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