BBL 12: Hurricanes survive late flurry of wickets to seal the win
Big Bash League, Stars vs Sixers: Preview, Prediction, and Fantasy Tips
Sixers decimate Stars, move to the fifth in BBL 12 points table
BBL 12: Joe Clarke slams his first BBL century
Clarke's innings was laced with nine fours and four sixes, and it was also the first ton of this BBL season.
Can Melbourne Stars cope up with the absence of Glenn Maxwell?
How does the Melbourne Stars' squad look in absence of Glenn Maxwell for the 12th season of BBL?
Match Report: Zak Evans five-for puts Hurricanes out of the BBL race
Melbourne Renegades finally pulled off the surprise that everybody had been waiting for as they became a party pooper for Hobart Hurricanes and their fans, beating the men in purple by 11 runs at the MCG in what was a must-win game for the latter. Zak Evans was the hero of the game picking up 5-33 in his four overs. Chasing a modest total of 151, the Hurricanes couldn’t get to a desirable start as they lost the skipper Matthew Wade at the score of 26, in only the third over of the innings. From there onwards, it was a struggle for the ‘Canes batsmen as their highest run-getter Ben Mcdermott got out without giving much trouble to the scorers as he was bowled by the young Peter Hartzgolu for just one. Dawid Malan, D’Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb, and Tim David, none of them could do what was expected of them as the Hurricanes lost wickets at regular intervals. Both Malan and Short had eaten up a lot of deliveries to get settled and just when the pressure built, they threw away their wickets, putting Hurricanes in all sorts of danger. The situation came down to 21 off the last over with the bowlers in form of Nathan Ellis and Scot Boland at the crease. Eventually, their innings ended at 139-9 in the 20 overs. With this loss, the Hurricanes crashed out of the race to the BBL 10 Finals even after being at equal points with Adelaide Strikers (28 points each) on the basis of the net run rate. Earlier in the afternoon, Hurricanes after winning the toss chose to field first and their bowlers did prove the decision right as, after the first 10 overs, they had Renegades on their knees at 58/4. But after that, Mackenzie Harvey and Beau Webster added 63 off 46 balls before Webster cased on and got a fifty (54 off 35) even as Harvey got out for 40. This result has now made the Stars vs Sixers game yet another interesting affair as a win with the Bash Boost for the Glenn maxwell side would see them into the BBL Finals and would knock out the Strikers.
BBL10 | Match Preview: Rejuvenated Stars face down and out Renegades in Melbourne Derby
A rejuvenated Melbourne Stars after their huge victory over the Adelaide Strikers on their coming to the MCG would be up against their cross-town rivals Renegades in what could be another walk in the park for Glenn Maxwell’s men, considering the form of the Aaron Finch led side in this edition of the Big Bash League. This game at the MCG would also be an opportunity for the Stars to make their way into the top four of the Points Table once again and thereby making their contention for a playoff spot even stronger. In-form batsmen biggest asset for Stars Andre Fletcher, who had been persisted with by the Stars for nine games without him actually getting into the act and giving the starts that the team needed from an opener, finally hit the best knock (89 not out off 49 balls) of his small career and won a much-needed game for the Men in Green. It is his form and that of the skipper Maxwell which going to be crucial for the Stars, not only in this game but for the remaining part of the tournament, as the Stars’ bowlers haven’t really got going, apart from the last game, where Strikers’ actually threw much of their wickets away in pressure. Along with them, Hilton Cartwright hitting clean sixes was also a good sign for the Stars. Cartwright, Marcus Stoinins, and Nic Maddinson would also be required to showcase their skills with the willow if the Stars want to go all the way. In this match, the batting would have to get a notch better also because they don't have the express Haris Rauf in the side as the Pakistani has got elected for the Test team to face South Africa in a historic series in Pakistan. Renegades have nothing to lose Finch, the renegade skipper in one of the in-match interactions with the broadcast commentators said that there was no going away from the bubble and that it has really got into the minds of the players. In such a situation, the best way to go about for the Red Machine would be to give everything that they have got in the last four games they have left this season. They did fight well versus the Heat, and there should be no doubt in the fact that they would be going all-out against their biggest rivals Stars too. Finch along with Beau Webster and Jake Fraser-McGurk wouldn’t mind showing their class at their Victoria home ground and if anything the fact that they have nothing to lose while the opposition has a lot of it might make them even more dangerous to face. Stars vs Renegades: Match Details Match Number-42 Date and Time: Jan 16, 2021, 1:45:00 pm IST, 06.40 pm Local, 08.15 am GMT Venue- Melbourne Cricket Ground Broadcast: Sony LIV, Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The MCG wicket as evident in the last game was a good wicket to bat if the batsmen spent some time on it. The ball came nicely and at a decent bounce too. It was only a matter of getting the eye in. And as a bowler if the right lengths were hit, there was something in it for them too, all in all, a perfect T20 wicket. A similar track would be expected in this game as well. Weather and Bat Flip There would be clouds in the evening but without a chance of rain. Captains winning the toss would look to field first for some initial assistance for their bowlers with overcast conditions. Chasing would also be preferred as the wicket would get better with the passage of time. Stars Strongest XI Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Sam Rainbird, Zahir Khan Renegades Strongest XI Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (c), Sam Harper (wk), Jack Prestwidge, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Kane Richardson, Peter Hatzoglou, Jon Holland
BBL10 | Match Report: Joe Burns take Heat to victory as Renegades run out of luck
It was once again a matter of luck combined with a lack of application from the Melbourne Renegades as they were beaten by a struggling Brisbane Heat at Manuka Oval Canberra in a BBL10 encounter. Experienced Joe Burns guided the Heat to the victory by scoring a 15 ball 31. With this win, the Heat have now reached fifth place in a tightly contested points table where only one point separates four teams in the middle of the table. Burns to the rescue The Heat were going well as two experienced campaigners in Chris Lynn and Joe Denly had built a 59 runs partnership timing the chase of 150 to perfection. But as soon as skipper Lynn fell to Kane Richardson, there was chaos in the Heat camp and within a span of 12 runs and 14 balls, four Brisbane batsmen had been sent back to the pavilion. Denly, Lynn, James Bazely, and Lewis Gregory, all match winners were back in the hut and the Heat still needed 33 from 23 balls with two new men in Burns and wicket-keeper batsman Jimmy Pierson at the crease. Instead of backing down to the terrific spin bowling from the Renegades, the Australian Test opener decided to take the attack to the opposition and hit Peter Hatzoglou for 12 runs in the 17th over bringing down the equation to 22 from 18. He then hit Noor Ahmed the Afghan left-arm chinaman for another 12 runs, reducing the target to 10 from 12. Eventually, he hit Kane Richardson for a four to the third man to seal the deal on the fifth ball of the 19th over. It was Burns’ 31 off 15 in which he hit four boundaries and a six that got Heat over the line in what was a tight match, albeit the scorecard unable to suggest so. Luck quotient: Lynn had plenty, 'Gades kept searching for it Luck seems to have deserted Renegades in this year's BBL as Lynn, who scored 50 off 40 balls was dropped twice, once at 22 and another time (though the ball did not reach the fielder, it was a catch nonetheless) in his 40s. If this was not enough, even after getting caught, he remained alive as the ball was declared a no-ball, not a front foot no-ball but a back foot one as Jack Prestwidge’s back foot just cut the white line of the crease. Although they tried a lot to make a match out of it, then young Hatzoglou Bowled short of length to Burns just when the pressure was mounting on the Heat in the death overs. Similar was the case at the time of the Bash Boost point. The heat needed 13 from the last over to win the Boost point, Noor Ahmed who had dropped Lynn in the last over was given the opportunity to defend it and he got swanked for a six via a damaging slog sweep by Denly, before straying down the leg to give three leg byes to fine leg and losing the Boost and a single point that the Renegades might have got. Webster gets Renegades' bowlers a total to defend Renegades, much like their previous encounters were once again found to be lacking in the batting department as after being sent to bat first by the Heat, they lost their top scorer Shaun Marsh on the very first delivery that he faced. Youngsters Mackenzie Harvey and Sam Harper tried to build a partnership, but that couldn’t last long either. Skipper Aaron Finch, who was pushed into the middle order continued his miserable run in the tournament as he went down for 13 off 13 balls. The ‘Glades were struggling at 59-4 when Beau Webster joined Jake Fraser-McGurk at the crease in the 9th over. The two then stitched together a slow but needful 58 runs from 51 balls. But just as they were thinking to accelerate Fraser-McGurk was picked by Mark Steketee in the 17th over. Prestwidge followed him as well, as not a single run was added for the next five deliveries. At that moment, Webster was joined by Imad Wasim who fed him strike at regular intervals. Utilizing the opportunity, Webster smoked 28 runs in just 12 balls to get to his much deserved fifty and also pushed the total to 149. He hit three fours and two sixes in his 40 balls 50 not out. What's next? Renegades will now travel to the MCG to play the all-important Melbourne Derby on 17th January while Heat will face the Scorchers in a fight for the Playoffs at the Docklands on 19th January.