The second half of the New Year’s Day double header in the Big Bash League is a clash between the two teams at the top and the bottom of the table as the Sydney Sixers play host to the Melbourne Renegades.
It is fair to say that this competition is going completely differently for these two sides with the Sydney Sixers looking to move four points clear at the top of the table while the Renegades will be looking to claw back a couple of teams above them.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers have won six of their seven matches, with their only defeat in that time coming in a match against the Hobart Hurricanes where a couple of big players had a day out for the ‘Canes. Since then the Sixers have four on the spin, the first three which they were in complete control of and then the win over the Brisbane Heat last time out where they looked a beaten side at 37-5 chasing 106 before mustering the ability to dig themselves out of trouble.
It is wins like that which make a side feel unbeatable and the Sixers are going to take a lot of confidence from that despite the bad parts that came in their performance in that game. What did come through though was the fact that their bowlers look to be rounding into form again. That was always going to happen eventually and if they maintain that form then the Sixers are going to be a hard team to stop from here on in.
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades offered up hope that this might be a better season for them but that soon disappeared when they proceeded to lose their next five matches. They aren’t completely out of playoff contention just yet but they are probably going to need at least six of their last eight outings and even then they would need to pick up a fair amount of Bash Boost points if they are going to be around when the finals are here.
If that is to happen then the Renegades bowlers are going to have to offer a whole lot more than they have done recently. To be fair their batters aren’t firing on all cylinders either but their bowlers have gone for more than 200 in two of their last three matches and could have gone for it in the other had the target not been reached. That needs to change to give themselves even the slightest chance of winning here.
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Team News
The Sydney Sixers welcome Stephen O’Keefe back into their squad after he has recovered from injury. Jackson Bird is in line for his first outing of the season as well if he is selected. Nick Winter is another looking to come in.
The Melbourne Renegades have lost their captain Nic Maddinson for this match as he has been added to the Australia Test squad. They will also be without James Pattinson who is a Covid precaution. Zak Evans has been added to the squad.
Betting
While this match isn’t being played in Sydney because of how close it is to the fourth Ashes Test match which is being held there, I still think the runs line might be a little high here at 339.5. That means if the chasing side wins the match the first innings has to be 170 and I’d be amazed if the Melbourne Renegades can get to that sort of total without Nic Maddinson and the way they have been batting of late, in which Maddinson has actually be a good contributor.
If the Sydney Sixers bat first, even if they go absolutely mental with the bat and get up to around the 200 mark, the Renegades will still need to score 140 with a batting unit which looked light with Maddinson in it let alone without him, and also against a Sixers bowling attack which looks like it is coming to the party. Melbourne have failed to score more than 140 in half of their matches this season and the Sixers have kept teams to under 150 in five of their seven games. That means the Sixers are going to have to put up record numbers if this line is to be covered. I like the under here.
Tips
Back Under 339.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Betway
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