There is a double header of action in the Big Bash League on Saturday and it begins in Melbourne when the Melbourne Renegades welcome the Hobart Hurricanes to Marvel Stadium for another big match in the competition.
These two teams begin the day either side of the line between reaching the latter stages of the tournament and not so the Renegades, who are above it starting out, could put a bit of daylight between themselves and the chasers but the Hurricanes could really close in on those above them with victory of their own.
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades are already into the second half of their campaign and have won four matches and lost four matches. They are probably going to need to win four of their last six to extend their season but they might get through with three victories. Given all the injuries they have had in recent times they will be pleased to have Marcus Harris released from the Test squad to be available for this match.
The Renegades started out with three wins in a row but then lost four on the spin but arrested that slump last time out when they dominated the Melbourne Stars. The Stars are bottom of the table though so they will probably need to offer more to get the wins that they need. Their bowlers have shown signs of coming to the party at different times this season and if they can find some consistency there is enough in their batting to deliver the goods.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes have a game in hand of the Melbourne Renegades so if they can win this match then they will know they are in a good position to make the finals. I don’t think just creeping into the finals will be good enough for the Hurricanes because with the personnel they have at their disposal they should be doing a lot better than that, but right now they would probably settle for sneaking in as they face a battle to get into the finals.
They could have made things easier for themselves had they managed to defend 229 in their last match against Adelaide Strikers on Thursday. They let themselves down massively in the last five overs of their bowling innings though and paid the price accordingly and haven’t had long to come to terms with that and get over it. The positive is the batting looks to be in decent order but the bowling really needs to tighten up and fast.
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Key Players
Tom Rogers has been in very good form with the ball for the Melbourne Renegades and he goes up against his former team here. He and the Renegades will know early wickets are essential if they are to keep control of the match.
Caleb Jewell has shown excellent form in the last two matches and if he catches fire in the powerplay he can allow those who follow him the time to build into their innings and push the Hurricanes to a massive score.
Betting
Marvel Stadium is usually a high scoring ground and it certainly was last year when these two met and Ben McDermott smashed one of the most brutal hundreds you will ever see in this format of the game. I expect that trend of run scoring to continue here, mostly because we have a Hobart Hurricanes team who have suddenly clicked with the bat but look like they will go for runs with the ball at every opportunity, as we saw in their incredible defeat to Adelaide on Wednesday.
The Renegades haven’t always batted well this season but they have Marcus Harris available for this match which adds some international quality to the batting ranks and there were signs at times in the win over the Stars that they are beginning to warm to the task. The run line for this one is at 307.5 which has been covered in both matches on this ground this season. Given the way Hobart matches are going I expect it to be covered again here too.
Tips
Back Over 307.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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