Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades will meet for a re-match at Adelaide Oval on January 8. After being thrashed by Adelaide Strikers last time out, the Renegades would look for revenge. Melbourne Renegades have managed to win only one match out of their eight encounters whereas the Strikers have won four. Will there be any changes in fortune for the bottom-placed team against the third-ranked? The 33rd match of the Big Bash League will see the Renegades trying to seal a win and make a comeback against the Strikers.
The last match saw Adelaide Strikers at first set a target of 171 for the Renegades and then delivering a top-class bowling performance to bowl them out for 111. Wes Agar and Peter Siddle were the stars of the match, picking up three wickets each. Rashid Khan has also picked up one wicket and seems to be getting back his rhythm. However, the Strikers still have some issues with the batting.
But they tried with Matt Renshaw at the opening slot while Jake Weatherald was demoted to the middle order. The change did work for both beautifully. Alex Carey also got some runs but Philip Salt continues to disappoint. Despite having all these loopholes in the batting department, Adelaide Strikers remain the stronger team in this match.
Melbourne Renegades are also really struggling with their batting. Shaun Marsh has been the only bright spot in a rather miserable tournament for the side and his absence in the last match was quite evident. He missed the previous match due to the niggle but he’s expected to be back for this match. But even with Shaun Marsh in the line-up, the Renegades batting faced some disastrous moments in this tournament. Others need to chip in. The bowling, on the other hand, has been effective on a few occasions. However, the lack of enough runs to defend did not help the bowlers most of the time. Teamwork is what needs to be on display for Melbourne Renegades to do well in the match.
Probable XIs
Adelaide Strikers- Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (C), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle
Melbourne Renegades- Aaron Finch (C), Sam Harper, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Beau Webster, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim, Jack Prestwidge, Josh Lalor, Noor Ahmad, Kane Richardson
Key Players
Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers)
Alex Carey has been in top form in the tournament thus far. With 216 runs in six matches, he has been the highest run-scorer for the Strikers. In the last match, Carey was seen scoring 24 off 24 balls. The best batsman of the side can be expected to deliver a good innings in the next match against the same opponents.
Mohammad Nabi (Melbourne Renegades)
Mohammad Nabi is a top-class, experienced all-rounder. With over 4000 T20 runs and 250 T20 wickets, he can change the fate of any game on his day. He will be a key player for the Renegades especially with the ball on a slow Adelaide track. 78 runs and six scalps from the last six outings- the all-rounder is up for a big show soon.