BBL08 GAME 35: RENEGADES V STARS
The form of seamers on this Marvel deck is just too hard to ignore so I’ll be very bowler-heavy tonight.
The Re-cap
The perfect start turned into a horror show as Whiteman started destroying Hurricane economy rates and Archer decided he didn’t feel like it and bowled three no balls. What could have been.
Likely XI’s
Game 35: Renegades v Stars @ Marvel Stadium
Renegades –Finch, Harris, Harper, Cooper, White, Nabi, Christian, Wildermuth, Boyce, Richardson, Gurney (Harvey, Mennie)
- I can’t find a spot for the youngster Harvey with Finch returning but I’m sure several Renegades will be ‘sore’ throughout their fielding innings so the kid can patrol the boundary for much of the innings.
Stars – Dunk, Handscomb, Stoinis, Maxwell, Maddinson, Bravo, Gotch, Gulbis, Zampa, Plunkett, Bird (Morris,O’Connell)
- The Stars get their stars back which makes their starting XI genuinely frightening. There is half a chance Gulbis continues to open and just goes really hard early because he is pretty wasted at #8.
Selection Committee
Finch, Stoinis, Maxwell, Handscomb and Finch are all back for this game which means plenty of teams will opt for a stars and scrubs lineup tonight. Not this little black duck. The form on this Marvel track of the seamers is too hard to ignore so I’ll be taking in a bowling-heavy side and hoping the wicket is playing as horribly as it was a few weeks ago.
Selection
Dwayne Bravo ($17,400): Has not been anywhere near his best this BBL but this pitch should suit him. Banking 4 overs (2 at the death) on what we hope will be a wicket that sees regular wickets fall perfectly suits our game script tonight. Would not expect his ownership to be as high as usual given the returning stars either.
Jack Wildermuth ($11,500): Track specialist. Has 5/63 in 11 overs (5.72 economy) in three games at Marvel this season. Should be definite POD ownership as well against a field of coaches selecting Stars batsman I don’t mind taking the cheap, under-owned Renegade bowler who knocks those batsmen over cheaply.
Dan Christian ($14,900): Averaging a hair under 60 fantasy points from 3 games at Marvel this season. I’ll take that 60pts all day here. Obviously has the ceiling but Christian’s floor is what appeals here. Fits our seam-dominant narrative and is always in the high-frequency catching zones. If the Renegades lose a few early wickets Christian should see 4-5 overs at the crease which is all he needs so smash value.
Sam Harper ($13,500): The only non-bowler in this side, it appeals to me to take both (likely) first drops in this game as both Harper and Maxwell can re-build before launching but they always possess an attacking mindset so you know there will be strike rate bonus if they spend any decent time at the crease. A few catches behind the stumps would also help tonight.
Glen Maxwell ($17,600): Depending on what they do with Gulbis/Stoinis I’d say Maxy comes in at #3 but he could bat #4 as well. I don’t mind either because we have early wickets falling for both sides. No Bowe or Beer means Maxy is the second spinner as well so 1-2 overs is not out of the question at all. Likely to be very popular though.
Kane Richardson ($15,400): Talk about a track specialist. Richo has 9/83 in 12 overs (6.91 economy) at Marvel this season from 3 games. Copped it in the last game against Hobart too (38 runs conceded) but before that his first two games was under 6 runs/over.
Jackson Bird ($9,500): Birdy will love this deck. Can’t believe the Stars waited so long to play him, his two games thus far have been really solid and at Marvel against two batsmen that love to flail outside off stump early, Bird looks a great cheap option. Will likely be close to 50% owned though given the top tier players that people will want to pay up for.
Final Thought
Getting 20 overs with the ball at Marvel seems a sound strategy given how the pitch has played so far this season. No one batsman has really dominated in three games there. More than happy to fade Nabi who has not bowled well there, but taking Boyce and/or Zampa along with say a Bird/Wildermuth or Bravo/Richardson to get those 16 overs of quality bowling is also a solid strategy. If the deck has improved this side could be pushing it uphill tonight with all the power batsman playing in this game but we have to select based on what we’ve seen and so far Marvel has been very difficult for batsman.
BBL08 Balance
Games: 34
Spend: $510
Win: $541.48
Profit: +$31.48