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New Year to start with a Big Bash at the MCG

Roar Rookie
31st December, 2016
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Brad Hogg of the Renegades. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Rookie
31st December, 2016
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The fireworks are set to continue tonight as the Melbourne Stars take on the Melbourne Renegades on home turf at the MCG. Both teams are littered with elite performers in what promises to be one of the best matches of the Big Bash League.

Like the corresponding fixture last year, it is anticipated the crowd will once again exceed 80,000 people. That match obliterated the crowd record for a Big Bash fixture with 80,883 people in attendance and there is every chance that another crowd record will be set tonight.

On that occasion the Melbourne Stars won by 7 wickets with 5 balls remaining. Englishman Luke Wright was the star of the show guiding his Stars home with 109 not out. The Melbourne Stars stalwart has been a prolific run scorer since the inception of the Big Bash League scoring 1,136 runs from 43 matches.

The Renegades have played one more match than their cross town rivals so far this season. The Stars have played just the one match for one win against the Hurricanes in Hobart, featuring a man of the match performance from Rob Quiney, who smashed the ball to all parts with 75 from 43 deliveries.

Whereas the Renegades are one win and one loss heading into tonight. The Renegades started the tournament in ideal fashion with a strong win over the Sydney Thunder at home. However, a narrow loss to the Scorchers with the game going down to the last ball hurt the Renegades.

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Surprise death bowler Aaron Finch must be still reeling from the heroics of Ashton Agar who dispatched him over the rope for six to win that match. As captain of the Renegades, Finch is a vital part of their batting order with an excellent strike rate this season of 170.59.

Both teams possess the roster to take out the sixth version of the Big Bash League featuring headline acts with both the bat and the ball. The Stars line-up includes current and former international players like Glenn Maxwell, David Hussey and Kevin Pietersen. While on the flip side, the Renegades top order includes batsmen of the calibre of Cameron White, Cameron Ferguson and the emerging talent of Marcus Harris who opens the innings with Finch.

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Kevin Pietersen in particular will be sure to draw the masses to the MCG for this derby clash. The supremely confident and sometimes controversial former England batsmen is still one of the most damaging in the world on his day. That was there for all to see last season when Pietersen was the third highest run scorer for the tournament with 323 runs at an average of 40.37.

Then again one should not forget the “Big Show” Glenn Maxwell who also courts his fair share of controversy. Like Pietersen, Maxwell also has the ability to take the game away from the opposition with some explosive and innovative batting.

A hamstring injury to import Dwayne Bravo is a major blow for the Renegades given his proven ability as a dynamic middle-order batsman and death bowler. However, it is the spin duo of Brad Hogg and Sunil Narine that hold the key for the Renegades attack.

The 45 year-old Hogg in particular has been a revelation in recent seasons for the Perth Scorchers and since arriving in Melbourne he has brought the same buzz to the Renegades. His first two matches for the Renegades have returned figures of none for 31 against the Scorchers and an impressive showing against the Sydney Thunder with two for 22 from his allotted four overs.

Sunil Narine complements Hogg well with an outstanding record in this shorter format of the game. The West Indian off spinner is a vastly experienced T20 player with 245 wickets to his name at an average of 17.53 and an economy rate of 5.69. He is one of the most important assets to the Renegades outfit.

Front line bowlers for Victoria, Chris Tremain and Scott Boland, lead the attack for the Renegades and the Stars respectively. The Stars have a few more genuine all-round options in terms of pace bowlers like James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis to complement spearheads Boland and Ben Hilfenhaus, where the Renegades are now a bit light on in that department with the loss of Bravo.

No matter which way the result goes tonight, the eventual winner of this tantalising fixture could be key to determining which of these teams makes the finals.

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