After spending six seasons at the top of the Big Bash ladder without being able to break through for a championship, the Melbourne Stars went from the penthouse to the doghouse in season seven and it could be more of the same in BBL|08.
While the Stars haven’t had the success of the Perth Scorchers in the seven previous editions of the BBL, they were consistent.
But despite constantly being labelled as the competition’s glamour squad with their superstar rosters and marquee imports, they should have been more successful than they were.
Last season saw a change in fortunes for the worse, though. With maybe the weakest squad the men in green had ever rolled out, they struggled to perform, missing the finals for the first time and claiming the wooden spoon.
Despite a few big-name departures, there haven’t been too many changes to their squad, but there are plenty of questions lingering over the side.
Michael Beer, Jackson Bird, Scott Boland, Liam Bowe, Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Jackson Coleman, Travis Dean, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell (c), Jonathan Merlo, Matt Parkinson (England), Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa
Captain: Glenn Maxwell
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Imports: Dwayne Bravo, Sandeep Lamichhane (to be replaced by Matt Parkinson in January)
Batsmen
The Stars’ batting list is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Ben Dunk needs to have a strong season. After being brought to the club as a marquee signing, his overall performance in BBL|07 was well below par. Dunk only registered 115 runs in ten innings, with a highest score of 47.
Signing Nic Maddinson looked a good move, but he’ll now miss at least the start of the season with a broken arm. Peter Handscomb will need to get back to his best form from two seasons ago for the Stars to go well, while it’s worth keeping an eye on Travis Dean and Seb Gotch.
All-rounders
Dwayne Bravo has been signed by the club as one of their imports and will be expected to play a key role with both bat and ball. He didn’t have an amazing season last year for the Renegades with the stick, scoring just 100 runs, but his bowling was impressive. The West Indian picked up 18 wickets and bowled extremely well at the death.
Outside Bravo, the Stars have some of the best all-rounders in Australian cricket. New captain Glenn Maxwell will lead the charge, having scored 299 runs last season as the only Stars batsman who seemed capable of standing up on a consistent basis.
Marcus Stoinis will also be an important figure. He scored 99 in the season opener against the Brisbane Heat last year, but faded badly as the season went on.
Bowlers
The Stars have attempted to bolster their bowling stocks this season by signing Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who will be replaced later in the season by Matt Parkinson.
Lamichhane is only 18, but has shown he has plenty of talent, having already played in the IPL and boasting an average of under 20 in the shortest form of the game.
Michael Beer has become an out-and-out new ball bowler in T20 cricket, with his darting off spin making scoring difficult for opposition teams, while Scott Boland and Jackson Bird will both need to improve from last year.
Adam Zampa is an unknown factor heading into the season. He has been inconsistent throughout his career, often features in Australia’s short form sides, so his leg spin through the middle overs could prove to be a difference-maker.
The Stars will be hard-pressed to figure out their best attack. With three spinners all deserving of a spot, it’s tough to predict the make-up of their best XI.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
International cricket impact
This is likely to be less than many other clubs this season and could serve as one of the Stars’ bigger advantages.
While they do lose Lamichhane midway through the tournament, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell appear to be the only other three players who will spend a chunk of time in the Australian squad.
Adam Zampa could also be part of the ODI squad, but even then, he, Stoinis and Maxwell won’t miss much more than a week for the series against India.
1. Ben Dunk
2. Nic Maddinson
3. Peter Handscomb (c)
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Marcus Stoinis
6. Dwayne Bravo
7. Seb Gotch (wk)
8. Adam Zampa
9. Scott Boland
10. Jackson Bird
11. Sandeep Lachimmane
Ben Dunk has to deliver at the top of the order
Dunk had a pretty ordinary 2017-18 BBL season. But he’s an exceptional batsman in the shortest format of the game who delivered some excellent performances in previous seasons before moving over to the Stars on a big contract.
With the questions which still linger over the Stars batting line-up, they need to get off to good, fast starts. Much of that will rely on Dunk getting his eye in and going big.
What the left-hander must do is take some time to get himself in and realise 20 overs is plenty of time to build an innings. If he can keep things ticking over and then go big in the later overs, he has the potential to be the best player in the BBL.
That’s exactly what the Stars need from him.
Can Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis deliver with the bat?
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stonis have the potential to take games away from opposition sides if their top-order teammates set a strong platform, just as we saw during the recent T20 series between Australia and India when the two combined for an 80-run partnership in six overs.
(Photo by Jono Searle – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)
Providing that platform falls back on Dunk and the other top-order batsmen scoring plenty and keeping their star all-rounders from the crease early in the innings.
Regardless, there’s little doubt Maxwell and Stoinis will have varying roles to play across the expanded 14-game season, whether it’s building on the platform set by the top order and taking the game away from the opposition, or stabilising and ensuring the Stars bat 20 overs.
Maxwell has been heavily criticised in the past after playing silly shots and getting out at crucial times, but the signs are there that he is beginning to mature as a cricketer.
Whatever the circumstance, the duo are key to the Stars’ chances of doing anything of note this season.
Scott Boland needs to be at his best
Scott Boland has the potential to be a great bowler, but he has been inconsistent across all three formats of the game.
Despite being selected for Australia in limited-overs cricket and boasting a T20 bowling average of just 25, Boland is yet to live up to his potential.
The 29-year-old’s biggest problem is his consistency. There’s no denying his wicket-taking ability – he has a career strike rate of a wicket every 18 balls – but an economy rate approaching eight and a half runs per over isn’t good enough.
Worse than the numbers though, Boland often finds a way to bowl poorly at crucial times of the game, and it’s something the Stars simply can’t afford as they try to limit opposition teams to chasable scores.
How will the Stars use their spinners?
The way in which the Stars use their three spinners this season will be pivotal. The addition of Dwayne Bravo into the middle order should allow them to play two tweakers, but one is still likely to miss out.
Given Zampa has played for Australia and Lachimmane was signed as an import, it would seem unlikely either of the duo will be dropped, meaning the Stars will probably play without Beer, leaving Boland and Bird with the final two bowling spots and creating an incredibly weak tail.
Granted, that’s not why bowlers are picked, but their batting at the bottom of the order could create issues if they were to collapse early.
Regardless of the batting issues, Zampa and Lachimmane will be under pressure to perform with the ball, because Beer will be snapping at the heels for a spot.
The veteran spinner went for under eight runs per over last year, and while he didn’t take nearly as many wickets as he otherwise should have, he got innings off to a reasonable start, darting plenty of good deliveries in during the powerplay.
(AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
| Match no. | Date | Time (AEDT) | Opponent | Venue | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri Dec 21 | 7:15 PM | Sydney Thunder | Manuka Oval | Seven/Fox |
| 2 | Mon Dec 24 | 3:45 PM | Hobart Hurricanes | Blundstone Arena | Fox |
| 3 | Thu Dec 27 | 7:15 PM | Sydney Sixers | SCG | Seven/Fox |
| 4 | Tue Jan 1 | 7:15 PM | Melbourne Renegades | MCG | Seven/Fox |
| 5 | Sat Jan 5 | 6:15 PM | Sydney Thunder | Metricon Stadium | Fox |
| 6 | Wed Jan 9 | 7:15 PM | Perth Scorchers | MCG | Seven/Fox |
| 7 | Fri Jan 11 | 7:00 PM | Adelaide Strikers | Adelaide Oval | Fox |
| 8 | Mon Jan 14 | 7:15 PM | Hobart Hurricanes | MCG | Seven/Fox |
| 9 | Sat Jan 19 | 6:45 PM | Melbourne Renegades | Marvel Stadium | Fox |
| 10 | Wed Jan 23 | 2:45 PM | Adelaide Strikers | Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe | Seven/Fox |
| 11 | Sun Jan 27 | 7:40 PM | Brisbane Heat | MCG | Seven/Fox |
| 12 | Sun Feb 3 | 9:15 PM | Perth Scorchers | Optus Stadium | Seven/Fox |
| 13 | Fri Feb 8 | 8:40 PM | Brisbane Heat | Gabba | Seven/Fox |
| 14 | Sun Feb 10 | 2:45 PM | Sydney Sixers | MCG | Seven/Fox |
Unfortunately for the Stars, it’s pretty easy to see that most of the problems which followed them around last season will be back in BBL|08.
It could be another very long season for the men in green.
Eighth.
Be sure to join The Roar throughout the course of the Big Bash League season for live coverage of every game, including video highlights and all the best analysis and opinion of the competition.
A relieved Sam Harper insists his health has turned a corner after suffering a "grim" concussion while training with the Melbourne Stars. The wicketkeeper…
James Vince has dined out on the Melbourne Stars attack again, leading the Sydney Sixers to a crucial seven-wicket BBL win. Vince was man…
Sam Harper has been cleared of a fracture and soft-tissue damage after being struck in the head at Melbourne Stars training and hospitalised. Former…
Captain Glenn Maxwell has celebrated his 100th BBL game for the Stars with all-round excellence in their Melbourne derby win over the Renegades. Everything…
Marcus Stoinis blasted his way back to form by helping the Melbourne Stars pull off their greatest BBL run chase in a seven-wicket win…
Controversy erupted in the Big Bash League after Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques appeared to take a stunning catch - and injure his shoulder - to remove Melbourne Stars opener Tom Rogers.
