Adelaide-S will meet Melbourne-S in the Monday encounter of Australia T20 League 2020-21. Both sides are coming off defeats and sitting at the middle of the table.
Match Timings: Jan 11, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
The runner-ups of the last two editions, Melbourne-S had a different story this season. Maxwell’s troops were the table-toppers after three matches but things changed starting from Christmas. Coulter Nile and Dibar Hussain both ruled out due to injury. Melbourne-S have lost four matches of its last five and slipped to bottom three in the table. In the previous outing, they failed to chase down 129 in 10-overs which was a revised target from Brisbane. Despite the rain interruption, Brisbane got 115 in 10-overs and the top-order failed to chase the total. Larkin looked stunning but his late effort was not enough and Melbourne fell short of 18 runs. Even they couldn’t get the run, which was scored by Brisbane. They cannot blame rain here.
Melbourne-S have its own issues. Despite having the big match-winners, they are not delivering much. Maxwell is in good form but he is not getting support from other batsmen. Pooran has decent outings but he is inconsistent. Stoinis scored two half-centuries this season and out of these two, he didn’t offer much with the bat. Maxwell is also missing the extra bowling option. Haris Rauf made a comeback in the previous game and he will have a big responsibility to perform at this stage. With six games in hand, Melbourne-R can back themselves in playoffs but David Hussey wouldn't be happy with this finish as they have earlier finished in the top two. This season is quite different for them and they are making changes with each game.
Meanwhile, Adelaide have a roller-coaster season. They have lost five matches out of nine but with 17 points, they are playing safe. Adelaide are the potential contender to finish in the top five but Alex Carey would aim for a top-two finish. In the previous finish, they suffered a defeat against the bottom side. Adelaide got its first 50-runs stand and later, Alex Carey and Philip Salt constructed the innings by adding 75 runs. The duo looked solid but in death-overs, they failed to deliver acceleration. In the final 5 overs, Adelaide only scored 41 runs and lost 5 wickets. This late collapse hurt Adelaide throughout the match. Melbourne-R lost early wickets but Nabi took them to the finish line in the final over. Rashid Khan picked two for 24 and he was the only bowler who had the upper hand in the chase. Adelaide is inconsistent this season and they haven’t won two consecutive matches. Carey has to change this approach as they have to play only five more games and defeat can drop them to the bottom three. It’s the first match between two sides this season and after this match, both will face each other in MCG. These two reverse fixtures are crucial for both sides and six points will be at stake. These points can easily confirm the place in the playoffs.
Pitch Report
Adelaide Oval is a fine batting tarck and we haven’t seen an extra change in its behavior since the start of the season. Spinners have a little bit of help from the track. Chasing a good idea until the opposition doesn’t get 180 here.
Possible XI
Adelaide-S
Matt Renshaw, Philip Salt, Alex Carey (c & wk), Jonathan Wells, Jake Weatherald, Ryan Gibson, Rashid Khan, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle, Harry Conway
Melbourne-S
Andre Fletcher, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nicholas Pooran, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Sam Rainbird, Haris Rauf, Billy Stanlake
Key Players
Adelaide-S
Alex Carey
Season so far – M: 7, Runs: 258, Avg: 36.85
Rashid Khan
Season so far – M: 9, Wickets: 14, Avg: 17.07
Melbourne-S
Glenn Maxwell
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 255, Avg: 42.50
Marcus Stoinis
Season so far – M: 7, Runs: 230, Avg: 38.33
