Brisbane-H will face Melbourne-R in a must-win encounter of Australia T20 League 2020-21. The defeat can end the campaign for Brisbane.
Match Timings: Jan 23, 10:35 AM IST
Team Preview
Back-to-back defeats hurt Brisbane’s campaign, and they are repeating last edition’s mistakes at the final stage of the tournament. Chris Lynn’s troops suffered another defeat against Adelaide. Alex Carey’s hundred helped Adelaide to post huge 197 runs on board. Bowlers were out of the frame, and they conceded 108 runs in the first ten, which set the base for Adelaide. Brisbane also failed to gain the bash boost point and, with two defeats in a row, troubled its chances for the playoffs. The skipper is the leading run-scorer for the side. Marnus Labuschagne made his first appearance in the side and scored 28 as an opener. Max Bryant was demoted at number 6, which was a bad call from Lynn. Bryant had positive numbers as an opener.
Joe Denly and Joe Burns were good signings, but the duo didn’t maintain their consistency. Lynn cannot afford one more loss here. With two more games left, Brisbane have to win both for the playoffs. The batting has been exposed in the last two matches as Brisbane scored just 115 while chasing 175 and 198. Steketee had a nice campaign with the bowl, picking 19 wickets at an average of 19.52. Morne Morkel missed the last game, but he was in good touch against Perth, picking two for 24. Lynn will make a change in the squad after two defeats. Brisbane’s success would also depend on the skipper’s performance.
Meanwhile, Melbourne-R added one more victory of the season in this disappointing campaign. The best part is, the victory came in the reverse derby fixture with Melbourne-S. After Nabi’s heroics in a crunch chase, Melbourne-R showed a similar show from Harvey, who led his side to a fabulous chase. Tight bowling kept Melbourne-S to 158. In the last 3 overs, Melbourne-R gave easy runs to offer this total. Top-order’s poor show continued, and they were struggling at 48/3. After losing five wickets on 97, the chase became intense.
Harvey fired when Melbourne-R required 63 off 27 balls, and Finch’s troops crossed the line with two balls spare. Harvey scored a fine knock of 47 off 21 balls. Harvey is the big positive for Melbourne-R, scoring 153 runs in 7 innings with a strike rate of 151.48. Shaun Marsh couldn’t impress after the return. He has added just 39 runs from the last 4 outings. Before this poor run, he scored three half-centuries as an opener. Finch’s form has also been a big concern for them. Peter Hatzoglou impressed with the bowl, picking 15 wickets at an average of 22.60. They are already out of the playoff qualification, but they would try to end this campaign on a high note. Victory in the next two games will not be enough to avoid a bottom finish for Melbourne-R.
Pitch Report
Docklands offers a good amount of balance between batting and bowling. The surface is good for batting, and batsmen can take advantage of the pitch. Spinners might take a little bit of help in middle-overs.
Possible XI
Melbourne-R
Aaron Finch (c), Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper (wk), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Jack Prestwidge, Josh Lalor, Zak Evans, Peter Hatzoglou
Brisbane-H
Joe Burns, Chris Lynn (c), Joe Denly, Marnus Labuschagne, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Swepson, Max Bryant
Key Players
Melbourne-R
Peter Hatzoglou
Season so far – M: 11, Wickets: 15, Avg: 22.40
Mackenzie Harvey
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 153, Avg; 30.60
Brisbane-H
Chris Lynn
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 317, Avg; 39.62
Mark Steketee
Season so far – M: 11, Wickets: 19, Avg: 19.52
