Fourth-placed Adelaide Strikers takes on bottom-placed Melbourne Renegades for the second time in the Big Bash League.
Adelaide won by 60 runs against Melbourne in the first clash. Put in to bat first, they amassed a total of 171 riding on Jake Weatherald's 51 and Ryan Gibson's 43.
Mackenzie Harvey and Sam Harper started well but could not consolidate. The absence of the in-form Shaun Marsh proved to be a big blow. Rilee Rossouw missed out due to a hamstring injury.
Team News
Peter Siddle and Wes Agar scalped three wickets each for Adelaide in the last game. Their bowling attack looks in good shape at the moment.
Imad Wasim was impressive for Melbourne taking two wickets for 13 runs. Josh Lalor once against leaked plenty of runs and Jack Prestwidge was under-bowled.
Pitch and Conditions
The team batting first has won two games out of three played in Adelaide so far. Totals of 170 and above are considered a par score and can be defended by the bowlers with ease. No rain is expected to disrupt the match and clear weather is anticipated.
Probable Playing XI:
Adelaide Strikers (ADS): Matt Renshaw, Philip Salt, Alex Carey (c & wk), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Jake Weatherald, Rashid Khan, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle, Harry Conway/Daniel Worrall
Melbourne Renegades (MLR): Aaron Finch (c), Mackenzie Harvey, Sam Harper (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor/ Will Sutherland, Noor Ahmad
Key Battles:
Ryan Gibson vs Kane Richardson
Gibson was declared the man of the match for his unbeaten knock of 43. He played proper shots on a good batting surface. He earlier played for Sydney Thunder in BBL-06 and BBL-7 before making the switch to Adelaide. With a mature cricketing acumen, he is a vital cog in the middle order.
Richardson took 2 wickets for 38 runs in the previous match. His raw pace helps him to move the ball around effectively. Earlier in the BBL, he was the joint highest wicket-taker for Adelaide. He can bowl at any stage of the innings being a T20 specialist and has a list of smart variations up his sleeve.
Mackenzie Harvey vs Danny Briggs
Opening the batting, Harvey scored a 29-ball 34. The hard-hitting southpaw got dismisses just when he was looking to accelerate the innings. The youngster is highly rated in the cricketing circles and has kicked off well in the BBL.
Briggs had a good outing with the ball in the last game taking two wickets for 17 runs in his four-over quota. The left-arm spinner is a regular player for Hampshire in the English County. He is a wicket-taking bowler who can control the run flow effectively.
Prediction
A win for Adelaide could see them jump to the second spot in the points table with 5 victories and 4 losses. It has been a disastrous BBL campaign for Melbourne having lost 7 out of their 8 matches. They are almost on the verge of elimination from the tournament and are playing just to salvage their pride.
Cricwizz predicts Melbourne Renegades to win the match
