There is one match left in the Big Bash League before the break for the day/night Test match to take place and it comes from the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday when two of the top three in the table meet as the Melbourne Stars host the Sydney Sixers.
These two met to open up the new season at the Sydney Cricket Ground where the Sixers handed out an enormous beating so the Stars will be looking for some revenge now that they are on their home patch.
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars were nowhere near full strength in that first game against the Sydney Sixers and paid the price for it but they are much closer to their best now so there will be no excuses for them not to perform and be much more competitive at the very least. That won’t be hard but they know that after winning the two matches since then that there is a chance of them to go top of the table if they can win here and claim the Bash Boost point along the way.
Since that shambles of an effort in that first game the Stars have done the double over the Sydney Thunder, holding their nerve at the end in a tight opening game and then cruising to victory in the second one. On both occasions their bowlers performed well which allowed the batting depth of the Stars to flourish with a bit of freedom and get them over the line. Pretty much all of their key players made contributions to those two wins and that is what every team wants early in a competition.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers built on their win over the Melbourne Stars with another against the Hobart Hurricanes but the defending champions then lost their latest outing against the Hurricanes so they are 2-1 for their season. The Sixers have won both of their games posting a score and defending it but when they were in the field first they were given a good going over by Hobart so that might be something to look for when the bat flip takes place here.
The Sixers do look strong with the ball so the fact they went round the park last time out was something of a surprise. If there is a bad thing to come out of that opening victory it is that their top three dominated the game and you sense their middle order is just a little undercooked so they either need their top three to remain at the party or they need a huge individual effort while that middle order comes to the boil.
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Team News
The Melbourne Stars have named an unchanged squad to the one which won the second match against the Sydney Thunder. That includes both Andre Russell and Qais Ahmad who are not fully included in the squad after their quarantine.
Ben Dwarshuis is expected to make his seasonal bow for the Sixers in this match after he has recovered from injury. Hayden Kerr only bowled one over in the loss to the Hurricanes and would look the obvious man to be replaced.
Betting
Glenn Maxwell made big 50s against the Sydney Sixers in both meetings last season and he looks to be coming to the boil at the right time to have a big say in this match as well. Maxwell was in fine form in the Indian Premier League earlier in the year and although the T20 World Cup didn’t go to plan from a form point of view he hit a good 40 in the last match for the Melbourne Stars and would appear to match up well to the Sixers attack.
That makes me think his performance of 38.5pts is perfectly attainable here, especially when you consider that the bat is far from his only method of scoring in this contest. It remains to be seen how much Maxwell will bowl with a lack of left handers in the Sixers line up but you would imagine he’ll sneak and over or two in somewhere. He’ll also place himself in the hotspots in the field so even if he does fall short with the bat there will be opportunities for him to cover this line in wickets and catches.
Tips
Back G.Maxwell’s Performance – Over 38.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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