BBL08 CONTEST PREVIEW GAME 3: THUNDER v STARS
“Manuka is usually a batsman’s paradise, so I am not expecting any economy bonus tonight. Stacking as many Thunder and Stars top order batsman as i can!”
The Re-cap
What a sh*t show that was! Perth rocked up to Marvel thinking they had it won and lost what looked the unlosable game against a second-rate Renegades side who they had 4-17 after 4 overs. Trusting the class and experience of Marsh and White killed the team whilst the Pakistani spinner failed to find his groove with limited opportunities. Due a touch of luck third-up.
Likely XI’s
Stars – Dunk, Stoinis, Dean, Maxwell, Bravo, Larkin, Gulbis, Boland, Zampa, Morris, Lamichane, (Beer, Coleman)
- Stoinis/Dean may change but aside from that looks a fairly straight forward XI.
Thunder –Watson, Buttler, Ferguson, Root, Sangha, Sams, Nair, Green, Rainbird, Sandhu, Ahmed (Cook, McAndrew)
- No need for the spinner Cook given there’s already 3 in there whilst McAndrew I suspect will be the seamer to miss out. Both sides will likely take any batsman they have in their squad here on what is usually a very high-scoring wicket.
Selection Committee
I’m stacking as many batsman in here as I possibly can and hoping that the field sees the bowling-dominance of the first two games as a trend. Manuka is usually a batsman’s paradise, so I am not expecting any economy bonus tonight. Something I am tracking is the weather in Canberra which could possibly impact proceedings and make this game shorter. Something to monitor.
Selection
Jos Buttler ($17,100): No excuses here on a good deck against a sub-standard Stars attack. Suspect he will be the highest owned player in the contest at around 60%. Expect him to take Boland/Gulbis down big time for a monster triple figure dfs score. No way I’m missing out on that.
Ben Dunk($13,600): Found some form in the trial game this week and if he can avoid being embarrassed by Chris Green then a score beckons for the two time BBL Highest Runs Scorer.
Callum Ferguson ($12,200): My team is being built around Watto going cheaply (and huge ownership) so if he has a big night this side will struggle but if he does go early, Fergy is likely to see solid overs in the middle. Should be very low owned here, thinking sub 15%.
Jason Sangha ($10,000): Impressive 60 runs in a trial earlier this week. Game situation will dictate where he bats. May come in at #3 depending how the openers start.
Glen Maxwell ($18,700): Must play well for the Stars to win and is capable of anything. Should bat #4 but again could elevate himself up the order if the openers start well.
Dwayne Bravo ($17,400): Crucial all-rounder for my team. Will bowl death overs and bat top #5 which is premium dfs BBL exposure. Crossing the fingers people go for the high-priced power-hitters and leave Bravo alone. A 2-wicket / 20 run game is very doable for the short-form champ.
Daniel Sams($8,900): I expect Sams to bat #6 tonight. Think of him as Ben Cutting but he can bowl well. Our game script has Sams Knocking over Stoinis and Dean in a ripping first few over spell.
Remaining Salary: $2,100
Final Thought
As I said I just don’t see that many bowlers (if any) getting economy bonuses tonight. I’ve identified runs should be scored and have managed to get a full team of top 6 batsman into my side whilst still finding 6-10 overs with the ball depending on how many Sams and Maxy get. Having both keepers gets me any caught behind catch points whilst Bravo and Sams are two bowlers I have hopes of getting a wicket or two of what will be a pretty friendly batting deck. The exposure is there to reap those runs and if 2 or 3 (or 4!) of my batsman get hot this team should be right up there.
Season so far…
It’s not great reading after two games but I’m feeling third time lucky tonight!
Games: 2
Spend: $30
Win: $0
Profit: -$30