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The road to the BBL finals: Melbourne Renegades

Cameron White returns for the Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide. (AAP Image/ Hamish Blair)
Roar Pro
30th January, 2018
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Not much is expected of the Melbourne Renegades as they enter the finals. So often in the shadow of the Melbourne Stars, the Renegades have only once featured in the final four.

The Aaron Finch-led side has had a patchy season. They started well, winning four of their first five games, but they stuttered afterwards, winning only twice since.

Their midseason slump aligns with the loss of their two best batsmen and leaders in Cameron White and Aaron Finch. The two lined up for Australia against the English in the ill-fated one-day series.

White excelled at the start of the Big Bash League season with 302 runs at 100.66 but struggled on his return to the Australian side. Meanwhile, Finch, who had only managed 108 BBL runs at 18, dominated at the top of the Australian order, plundering two tons and a half-century.

The Renegades will regain veteran White for their semi-final clash against the Adelaide Strikers. The 34-year-old will be hoping that a return to the red will mean a return to form.

White will wear the captain’s armband with Finch still on national duties. The hard-hitting opener is Australia’s vice-captain. Finch also holds the second spot in the ICC Twenty20 rankings.

(AAP Image/ Hamish Blair)

Tom Cooper also looms as a key figure in Friday’s clash. Cooper has worked his way into excellent form as the season has worn on. He’s compiled 262 runs at 43 with a strike rate in excess of 140.

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The right-hander picked up man-of-the-match honours in the final game of the season, notching up 65 not out from only 36 balls. His off-spinners are handy and he fields well too – his one-handed catch against the Brisbane Heat is evidence of that.

Brad Hodge is unlikely to play due to appendicitis. The Renegades will miss his leadership, but his illness could prove a blessing – Hodge has failed to have an impact with the bat. The 43-year-old has scored just 68 runs this season.

Kane Richardson departs as Cameron White returns from Australian duties. The fast bowler is in the Australian Twenty20 squad along with his BBL captain, Finch.

Richardson started the season slowly but, like Cooper, he found form late. The 26-year-old from South Australia picked up consecutive four-wicket hauls in the final two games of the season. He’ll be hoping to carry that form into the international arena while his Renegades hope to cover the loss.

(AAP Image/Hamish Blair)

Dwayne Bravo is the most likely to pick up the slack. The West Indian has had a strong season topping the wickets tally with 17 at 18.58. The Melbourne side will need to draw on all of his Twenty20 experience (374 games) to restrict Colin Ingram and his Adelaide Strikers.

Bravo’s compatriot, Keiron Pollard, could prove pivotal. No-one has played more than this West Indian’s 402 games of Twenty20 cricket. The big-hitting Pollard, standing at nearly two metres tall, can take the game away from the Strikers with the bat in hand. He has sustained a strike rate of more than 150 over his lengthy career. Pollard can play a role with his canny medium pacers too.

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The Renegades are not without a chance on Friday. The Strikers are depleted thanks to the upcoming international tri-series. They lose batting power in Alex Carey (425 at 53.12) and Travis Head (245 at 35) and they lose bowling potency in Billy Stanlake (11 wickets at 22.36).

There hasn’t been a better time to face the Adelaide outfit. Should the Renegades win on Friday, it will be their first time in the BBL decider.

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