The final match of the regular season of the Big Bash League comes in the third offering of the triple header in the tournament on Tuesday, as the Melbourne Stars take on the Sydney Sixers in a clash which could yet determine the fate of both sides.
The Melbourne Stars will still be able to make it through to the knockout stages of the competition should either the Brisbane Heat or the Hobart Hurricanes lose earlier in the day. The Sydney Sixers could yet seal top spot in the table if the Perth Scorchers have slipped up so there is plenty on this one.
Melbourne Stars
Usually by now in the regular season the Melbourne Stars have wrapped up top spot in the table and they are looking forward to the playoffs. That isn’t the case this year however and instead they go into their final game knowing that anything but a win here will not be enough to extend their season. It might be that they need four point win so they are going to have to keep tabs on the 10 over score in both innings which could be significant.
The Stars are in this position because they have finished the season very poorly. After winning two of their opening three matches they have only won three of the 10 since then and probably only the Melbourne Renegades are in worse form at present. Now isn’t the time for pointing the blame though. They need their star players, and there are plenty of them in this side, to stand up and be counted and make sure they deliver the goods.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers were the best team in the competition until a week ago. They had surged clear at the top of the table and secured their spot in the top two but as with a lot of teams once they had achieved their primary goal they have found getting up for the battle tough and have dropped their last two games. That now means that their fate is out of their own hands in terms of whether they will host the first Qualifier in the final series.
If the Perth Scorchers win earlier in the day then the Sixers will be heading west at the weekend but should the Scorchers lose then the defending champions will begin their postseason hosting the Scorchers. If they are going to come out of this match with a win then they are going to have to start bowling better than they have in their last two games. They have sent some terrible stuff down and paid the price for it. Their batsmen have still been in decent touch though which is certainly a positive.
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Team News
The Melbourne Stars have named a 17-man squad for this match but there is no place in it for Andre Fletcher who remains on the sidelines due to injury. Liam Hatcher and Sam Rainbird will be hoping to find their way into the side.
The Sydney Sixers are also picking from the 19 they have carried around so far. Their bowling attack has to change here so we can expect recalls for Jackson Bird and Steve O’Keefe. Ben Manenti and Ben Dwarshuis are most likely to sit out.
Betting
I’m expecting this match to be a higher scoring game than it might ordinarily be. I say that largely because the Sydney Sixers bowling attack has completely lost their way in recent matches. Their last two bowling efforts have been pathetic and they would have conceded well over 200 on both occasions had the Hobart Hurricanes not collapsed towards the end of their innings last time out. The Sixers bowlers have sent some serious filth down in recent times and the Stars have the players to take advantage of that.
When you think the Sixers have Sean Abbott batting at eight with a First-class century to his name they don’t lack for batting depth and neither do the Stars. The players up the order are all class and have plenty of quality and power so I suspect the bowlers might have their work cut out here, even allowing for the fact that it is the second game on the ground. We’ve seen the boundaries peppered here more this season than any other and with the twos and threes on offer I think both these teams can rack up the runs. I like over 306.5 runs here.
Tips
WON – Back Over 306.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Betway
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