The Big Bash League 2021 has just passed the halfway point, and despite the Covid roadblocks, the tournament is rolling along at a good clip. The points table is starting to take shape, and a clear division between the teams in the top half and the bottom half of the ladder is beginning to emerge.
Melbourne Stars will face Perth Scorchers in the following round of the league in a crucial match. The scheduled encounter between these two sides was canceled just a few days earlier due to Covid fears, and now both teams will be ready to play. On January 2nd, 2021, this match will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
MLS VS PER TEAM PREVIEWS
MELBOURNE STARS
While the players’ minds would still be on a Covid positive case in the supporting staff, this brief respite may be quite beneficial. Before the competition, the Melbourne Stars were having a bad run, and this respite could help them recover and get back on track.
Melbourne Stars are presently in sixth place on the points table, with ten points and a net run rate of -1.114. Despite the fact that they have improved since their first match, they are still far from reaching their full potential. They have won three of their six matches so far and will be hoping to build on that momentum as the tournament progresses.
The Stars are coming off a solid win over the Brisbane Heat, in which they successfully defended a score of 207 on a pitch that offered little to the batters. When Melbourne Stars batted first, they came out with all guns blazing, with practically everyone looking to smash the ball far and hard. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Joe Clarke and Hilton Cartwright got sunk in the Brisbane Heat bowlers and guided their team to a score of 207.
Although chasing down a total of 207 was always going to be difficult for the Heat, they were able to accomplish so first up thanks to some outstanding bowling. Qais Ahmed was the pick of their bowlers, returning with 3 for 26 in four overs. Apart from him, all of the other bowlers in the Stars camp have proven to be a little too pricey, and they will want to do a lot better in the upcoming matches.
There are only a few lineups that can match the Stars’ promise on paper. Having said that, despite having all of the star power, the Stars are having trouble executing their plans. We’ve seen enough of individual brilliance from them, with Cartright, Maxwell, Russell, and Clarke all getting runs, but they’ve never been able to get things right in unity. Similarly, they have the necessary potency in their bowling squad, but they have performed considerably below expectations.
Overall, the Melbourne Stars have not yet reached their full potential, but when they do, they will be a formidable opponent. This break may have helped them solve the issues they had in the first half, and if they can get over them and play to their on-paper potential, they will be difficult to beat.
PERTH SCORCHERS
Perth Scorchers made a fantastic start to their season and can’t complain about their first half performance. They looked untouchable in the most of the games and will seek to continue that trend in the second half. With 21 points, they are already in a good position to advance to the next round, and a few of wins from here should be enough to secure a spot in the knockouts.
Surprisingly, the Scorchers went undefeated in their first six games before facing the Sydney Thunder. They got off to a great start bowling first, with Matthew Kelly picking up a couple of wickets in short succession. However, after that, all of their bowlers appeared fatigued and frequently threw out loose balls, allowing Sydney Thunder to not only rebuild but also counterattack. Perth Scorchers regained their rhythm in the final overs, but the damage had already been done, as the Scorchers scored a total of 207.
The Scorchers’ task of chasing down a total of 207 was never going to be simple, and the loss of early wickets only made matters worse. Kurtis Patterson, Josh Inglis, and Mitchell Marsh were all ejected from the powerplay, putting their team in serious trouble. Colin Munro and Andrew Tye both had fighting knocks, but it was too little, too late for the Scorchers, who were defeated by a mammoth score of 166 runs.
On paper, the Scorchers’ unit appears to be in good shape, and the loss should serve as a wake-up call heading into the second half. In poor settings, their bowling appears to be one-dimensional, and that may be the only thing they consider. Any progress they make here will help them become a stronger team. With their momentum, they’ll feel like they’ve been out of the game for a long time and will be itching to get back in. They will be a difficult side to beat in this forthcoming match if they can live up to their on-paper potential.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
We’ve only seen a couple of matches here at this arena so far in the tournament, but what little action we’ve seen has been thrilling. Both bowlers and batsmen have had their say, and we don’t expect anything different in this match. The average first innings total in this match is roughly 170, and that would be a par score. Given the likelihood of the surface being true throughout the game, the team batting first should aim for a total of 180 runs.
MLS VS PER DREAM11 PREDICTION
Check out the Dream11 fantasy squad lineup for Melbourne Stars vs. Perth Scorchers’ bowling Big Bash League 2021 match. Remember to return after the toss to see the most recent updated team lineup.
PLAYING 11
- WICKET-KEEPER:
- Joe Clarke
- BATSMEN:
- Colin Munro
- Curtis Patterson
- Hilton Cartwright
- Laurie Evans
- ALL-ROUNDERS:
- Mitchell Marsh (C)
- Glenn Maxwell (VC)
- Ashton Agar
- BOWLERS:
- Jason Behrendorff
- Qais Ahmed
- Brody Couch