BBL08 GAMES 41: SCORCHERS V THUNDER
Selecting Klinger petrifies me as he is either grossly out of form or has gone the way of Roger Murtaugh.
The Re-cap
We picked McDermott, we picked Phillipe, we just missed on Vince (at great ownership) which in the end proved the difference in a strange game that had very little economy for the bowlers. Slightly into the red now for the season but we will take inspiration from Ben Dunk here who has been out of form but kept trusting his process until form came.
Likely XI’s
Game 41: Scorchers v Thunder @ Optus Stadium Perth
Scorchers –S. Marsh, Klinger, Bancroft, Turner, M. Marsh, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Tye, BehrenDorff, Quadir, Kelly (Hobson, Guthrie)
- No Agar, Willey or Richardson and this side still looks frighteningly good with the Marsh brothers back in as well as Behrendorff. Expect the two youngsters sit. Turner/M. Marsh to bat #4 and #5.
Thunder – Watson, Devcich, Ferguson, Sangha, Holt, Sams, Green, Jordan, Sandhu, McAndrew, Ahmed (Gilkes, Rainbird)
- Cook and Nair come out for some more pace at Perth, likely McAndrew. Lenton also out so Gilkes/Holt in a fight for the keeping duties. Holt been in good form for aussie youth side probably just in front. Likely to be named at #5 but could slide up or down depending on game situation so be careful
Selection Committee
Building around two things happening – #1 is Shaun Marsh batting well and #2 is Dorff taking 2 early poles. The Scorchers batting 2nd would be ideal for this lineup because I really do worry about selecting Klinger. Much prefer him if he knows there is little to no run rate pressure. You’ll see below I have heavy exposure to the thunder lower order which correlates positively to taking Behrendorff and the Scorchers opening bats. Just needs to fall our way tonight. Quadir the POD play.
Selection
Shaun Marsh ($21,000): Marsh is a T20 gun and worth every cent of his price tag here on a deck that should suit him. I can’t see the Thunder openers in Green, Sams or McAndrew troubling him, especially if the Scorchers bat second and he has a small total to chase. Expect he will be low owned given that price tag with so many upper-tier Scorchers bowlers to pay up for.
Michael Klinger ($8,000): Selecting Klinger petrifies me as he is either grossly out of form or gone the way of Roger Murtaugh. His price tag and batting position combine to make him appealing though for me in a game where, as above, he may not have too much to do if they bat second.
Jason Sangha ($11,600): The Sausage sizzled last-start thanks to a near run-a-ball 50 and he can repeat here in a game where he could very well bat #4. Taking Sangha over Ferguson only because I fear Behrendorff’s early swing could have Watson in trouble early which exposes Ferguson so Sangha is a safer selection tonight for mine. Fergy in form though and no harm taking both.
Chris Green ($15,300): I don’t expect too much out of Green with the ball, hopefully some economy and a wicket, but with the bat I do expect to see him out there for 3-4 overs tonight minimum. There is a decent chance he bats #6 tonight so a 20-25pt return with the willow is not out of reach. It’s a big risk but it could also pay off big time as I expect Green to go really under-owned tonight (mid 20’s) so a 50-60pt return could be the difference.
Jason Behrendorff ($16,800): One of the key pillars of our lineup tonight, I’m very hopeful that Dorff can rip through the Thunder top order. No Willey or Richardson means Behrendorff is assured his 4 overs and could possibly bowl out early if things go his way (which paves the way for our lower-order Thunder bats to go hard late). 2/20 off 4 would be lovely thanks.
Daniel Sams ($17,900): Probably has the best all-round exposure of anyone tonight getting 4 overs and batting top 5 but it’s his price point that appeals to me most here. Grouped with the likes of NCN, Tye and Behrendorff, Sams is likely to be the one who gets squeezed out of a lot of lineups, I’m expecting sub 30%. With no Lenton, Sams should get a chance to come up the order tonight and hopefully he Green and Sams can all knock a few runs around to resurrect the Thunder innings.
Usman Quadir ($9,000): Quadir is our POD play tonight but he is also our sweeper in case Behrendorff fails. If the Thunder top order take to the Scorchers pace attack, Quadir will be the man the Scorchers turn too with no Agar in the lineup. With the Thunder likely to name McAndrew and a rookie-priced keeper and Klinger at minimum salary, Quadir won’t be as highly owned as he might have been had there been no other cheap options.
Final Thoughts
Feeling really good about this team, especially if the Scorchers bowl first. If I am playing multiple sides I am definitely taking a Watson/Devcich/M Marsh/Carty/Thunder bowling stack because the Scorchers are heavy favourites here and based on their team should destroy the Thunder so going against that sentiment appeals in the randomness of DFS BBL.
BBL08 Balance
Games: 38
Spend: $570
Win: $541.48
Profit: -$28.52