Expert
Finals chances for the winless Melbourne Stars are gone, but things won’t get any easier when they take on a high flying Melbourne Renegades side in the derby. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:40pm (AEDT).
The Stars have had a woeful first half of the year and with five straight losses against their name, it’s not almost impossible they could make the final four.
John Hasting’s side have been awful with both bat and ball, which is particularly frustrating for a team who had the best XI on paper coming into the season.
Watching the commitment and dedication to the cause of a team like the Perth Scorchers and then watching a team with the talent and unfulfilled potential like the Stars is a polar opposite.
They have at least one positive – being able to hang onto Glenn Maxwell after he missed Australian ODI selection. The big-hitting all-rounder has been one of their best this season and has two half-centuries to prove it.
The rest of the Stars order have been inconsistent. Marcus Stoinis has had some bright spots, but he is now lost to the national team, while captain John Hastings has looked all over the place in rotating his bowlers and finding the best strategies in the field.
It’s a completely different story for the Renegades. They sit with four wins from their first six games and are in third place on the table.
While they may be just one rung below the top sides, they have impressed this season and so nearly found a way to stop the seemingly unbeatable Perth Scorchers in their last contest.
Scoring 185 against their attack is not an easy thing to do, but the Renegades found a way, as they have done all season, winning a lot of games through their big name batting line-up.
While they now lose Aaron Finch and Cameron White to the Australian side, they have plenty of talent to bridge the gap. Brad Hodge brings experience in spades, while Dwayne Bravo is capable of plenty.
Marcus Harris has plenty of potential, but the key to this game may well be the performance of all-rounder Mohammed Nabi. He has stood up with both bat and ball this year and could well leave the Stars in a tail-spin.
It wouldn’t be the first time this season after he led the Renegades to victory in the first derby, picking up a wicket and scoring 50.
Prediction
The Renegades have plenty to play for after their last-start loss and should be able to get back in the winner’s circle here against a Stars team who keep failing people’s expectations.
Renegades by plenty.
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