Melbourne-R will take on Adelaide in the reverse fixture of the Australia T20 League after a humiliating defeat at Adelaide Oval. Melbourne-R takes the bottom spot while Adelaide are sitting in the middle of the table.
Match Timings: Jan 08, 12:40 PM IST
Team Preview
What Melbourne-R does become a horrible element. After a poor performance in the last edition, Finch’s troops haven’t changed the attitude and lost seven straight matches this season. The manner of the defeat summarizes the entire story of Melbourne-R’s campaign. The worst thing is happening with its batting unit, which is getting poor day by day, and they are not even getting spark from the bench. In a previous outing, Adelaide comfortably took four points against Melbourne-R. Chasing the target of 172, they were bowled out on just 111. Melbourne-R scored its fourth below-120 score, and it’s a pathetic batting show. The captain, Finch, got a golden duck, but Harvey showed some determination with Sam Harper. From 67/1, Melbourne-R collapsed badly and lost its 9 wickets on just 44.
The sad part is Imad Wasim, and Mohammed Nabi haven’t showcased any extra-ordinary talent so far. Big names are delivering mess. In the previous match, they missed their key batsman Shaun Marsh who has aggregated 247 runs so far at an average of 35.29. Marsh might be available for this match. Apart from Marsh, only two half-centuries have been recorded from this side. This poor mindset is putting them behind in the table. Finch has to win all remaining matches to make it into the playoffs, which look tough here. Rilee Rossouw might be dropped for this match. He has an average of just 17.50, and he didn’t take the chance in middle-order. Harvey looked better at the top, and Finch can send him at number 4. A similar trend has been set in bowling as well. They have conceded 200 plus score twice this season, and in each match, they easily concede boundaries. Melbourne-R needs to keep its morale high to find one confidence-boosting victory.
Meanwhile, Adelaide are on the right track, and they are one of the top contenders to finish in the playoffs. The poor form of Melbourne-R made the equation between seven teams only. With four wins and four losses, Adelaide are sitting in the middle of the table. Alex Carey would hope for easy playoff qualification, but they would also look for the top two spots. At the halfway mark of the season, Adelaide faces the battle with Melbourne-S, Perth, and Brisbane. One bad match can give these teams an upper hand in the points table.
In the previous match, they thrashed Finch’s side, but they struggled in the batting unit. At one stage, they were four down on 72 in 11 overs. Ryan Gibson and Weatherald both put a fabulous stand of 96 runs off just 52 balls. The poor bowling in death helped Adelaide to get 171. When you get a competitive total against Melbourne-R, you won the half-battle, which happened in the second innings. Peter Siddle and Wes Agar got three-wickets each to snatch 60 runs victory. Adelaide also earned its fifth bash boost point this season. Matt Renshaw scored 35, and it’s a boost to Adelaide as the new signing from Brisbane has been poor with the bat so far. The bowling unit is in terrific form, and they are the favourites to win this match.
Pitch Report
Adelaide Oval is a pure batting surface. Pacers can take some assistance from the pitch, and spinners draw a little help from the track. Chasing would be an ideal call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Adelaide-S
Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (c & wk), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle
Melbourne-R
Aaron Finch (c), Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Beau Webster/M Harvey, Mohammad Nabi, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, Peter Hatzoglou, Noor Ahmad
Key Players
Adelaide-S
Alex Carey
Season so far – M: 6, Runs: 216, Avg: 36
Rashid Khan
Season so far – M: 8, Wickets: 12, Avg: 17.91
Melbourne-R
Shaun Marsh
Season so far – M: 6, Runs: 247, Avg: 35.28
Kane Richardson
Season so far – M: 8, Wickets: 11, Avg: 21
