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The Melbourne Renegades have seen their finals hopes fade, and now they face the tough task of heading to Tasmania, where the Hobart Hurricanes are looking to go top of the table. Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for live coverage.
Both sides made some big signings during the offseason, and many would have expected the Renegades leading run scorer to be Chris Gayle at this stage, and Kumar Sangakkara for the Hurricanes.
But Gayle currently has an uncharacteristically low strikerate of 121.27, while Sangakkara’s average has sunk into the low twenties.
Instead the two sides have had to rely on their old hands with the bat, with Aaron Finch for the Renegades and George Bailey for the Hurricanes overshadowing any of their teammates. The wickets of these two will be key, but their sides will also hope some of the other big-name players in the top order can fire.
The difference between the two teams on the table comes from their performance with the ball.
The Hurricanes have great variety, with an ideal blend of strike bowlers and containment bowlers. Their two leading wicket-takers, Shaun Tait and Cameron Boyce, have both claimed seven wickets so far.
While at times expensive, Tait has delivered some explosive spells. One of his finest came in his most recent performance, against the Thunder, where ‘The Wild Thing’ claimed two wickets in the first over.
Contrastingly, Boyce earns his wickets through frustrating the batsmen, forcing them into a rash stroke that brings about their downfall. It may be that the Renegades look to simply take him for six an over and avoid losing wickets.
For their part, the Renegades lack a star bowler. Nathan Rimmington’s five wickets makes him his side’s most successful, but with an economy rate of 8.33 he won’t be satisfied with his tournament so far.
Chris Tremain has at times been brilliant, but his economy rate 8.75 of shows he has also struggled, particularly in the latter overs.
This pair needs to set the tone for a disappointing Renegades bowling attack. Early wickets are always key, but against a potentially destructive Hurricanes top order, and with the Renegades final aspirations on the line, they are now more key than ever.
Prediction
Both sides are filled with talent, but the Hurricanes’ talent is more evenly distributed. This, along with the home-ground advantage, gives them the edge.
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