The Big Bash League graces the home of cricket for the first time in BBL13, as the Stars look to bounce back from a heavy defeat against the Heat. Can the Stars cause an upset? Or will the Scorchers get on the board in their hopes for a third straight title?
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BBL 13 Betting Tips
Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers
MCG, Wednesday 13th December, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Stars
Predicted XI: Beau Webster, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Mark Steketee, Liam Dawson, Sam Harper, Usama Mir, Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Marcus Stoinis, Haris Rauf
The Stars will likely make at least three changes from the eleven that suffered a 103 run loss on the opening night of the season against the Brisbane Heat. The Stars have confirmed Glenn Maxwell will miss against the Scorchers with a forearm injury, while Nathan Coulter-Nile looks certain to miss after injuring his calf against the Heat, requiring a runner when he batted. Pakistani paceman Haris Rauf will be available for Wednesday night’s clash, alongside Mark Steketee and Beau Webster who will return from Prime Minister’s XI duties.
It was a horror start to the season for the wooden spooners of BBL12, as the Stars were bowled out for 111 inside of 16 overs in pursuit of Brisbane’s 3/214. The preseason fears around the lack of firepower throughout the Stars batting lineup was confirmed, as Glenn Maxwell (23) and Marcus Stoinis (2) failed to fire. After losing their leading run scorer from last season in Joe Clarke, if their key duo fail to make runs, the Stars don’t have the firepower across the rest of their batting lineup to put up big scores. The return of Beau Webster will help, however it’s clear the Stars don’t have the top end talent with the bat like the side that they’re coming up against on Wednesday.
All six bowlers for the Stars went at over 8 runs per over against the Heat, and although Haris Rauf should boost their stocks, he is coming off a World Cup campaign where he conceded the most runs ever in a single edition of a World Cup. Maxwell’s absence with the bat is big, however it leaves four overs the Stars will need to fill with the ball as well. Mark Steketee will be a big inclusion for the Stars after taking ten wickets from eight games last season for the Brisbane Heat.
Perth Scorchers
Predicted XI: Cooper Connolly, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Ashton Turner, Laurie Evans, Nick Hobson, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Hamish McKenzie, Jason Behrendorff
The Scorchers had a bizarre start to their BBL13 campaign, as their first match was abandoned after just 6.5 overs due to dangerous pitch conditions in Geelong. The defending champions head to the MCG for the second part of their Victorian leg of the season and will likely take the same eleven with Ashton Agar unlikely to be fit as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.
Despite not having their full complement of players to choose from, the Scorchers still possess a stacked batting lineup featuring three of the top six run scores from BBL12. Aaron Hardie (460 runs at 41, 1st), Josh Inglis (431 runs at 35, 3rd), Ashton Turner (381 runs at 42, 6th) headline a star studded side, which includes Laurie Evans who scored 361 runs at an average of 40 in BBL11.
Jason Behrendorff comes into this season in excellent form after starring with the ball for Australia in the T20I series against India in November. In a series dominated by the bat, Behrendorff took six wickets at an average of 18, with an economy rate of 6.68. With Behrendorff heading up the bowling attack alongside Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye, the Scorchers are going to give opposing batting units a tough time this season.
Match Prediction
After seeing what the Stars produced in their opening game, it’s impossible to have any confidence in what they can produce against the best side in the competition, without their best player in Glenn Maxwell. With the difference in firepower between the two batting units, the Scorchers simply have too much scoring capacity for the Stars to compete with.
The Stars have scored above 175 in just one of their last eight completed innings, and coming up against a bowling attack with three players who have played at international level, it’s difficult to see the Stars returning to form with the bat. The Scorchers have a remarkable record in Victoria, having won their last twelve games in Victoria. The defending champions have also won nine of their last eleven games against the Stars, and will be far too strong for the Stars on Wednesday night.
Perth Scorchers to Win
$1.47 (2 units)
Same Game Multi
Josh Inglis 20+ Runs: Inglis has scored 203 runs at an average of 38 in eight games against the Stars. Inglis’ last innings against the Stars have produce returns of 19* 74 and 26 and will be full of confidence after being a part of Australia’s World Cup winning campaign in India.
Aaron Hardie 15+ Runs: Hardie was the player of the tournament in BBL12, scoring 460 runs at an average of 41. Hardie passed the 15 run mark in ten of his fifteen games last season and despite the treacherous conditions in Geelong on Sunday, still managed to get to 20 not out before the game was called off.
Jason Behrendorff To Take a Wicket: Behrendorff has taken at least one wicket in sixteen of his last seventeen BBL games, and produced hauls of 2/22 and 3/32 against the Stars last season. Behrendorff has taken at least one wicket in his last five games against the Stars.
