Melbourne-R and Melbourne-S will take part in the reverse fixture of the Melbourne derby. The previous MCG clash was taken by Maxwell’s troops by 6 wickets.
Match Timings: Jan 20, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Melbourne-S and Melbourne-R made travel to Docklands from MCG to play second derby encounter in Australia T20 League 2020-21. Nothing has changed in Melbourne Derby, and Maxwell’s champs edged past the Finch‘s troops for one more time. The first match at MCG went in favor of Melbourne-S. After the Spiceman show against Adelaide, the green outfit secured back-to-back victories to enter in the top five. The playoff looks possible for Glenn Maxwell. Melbourne-S bowled out the visitors on 150, courtesy of Hatcher’s 3-wickets haul. Zahir Khan was also economical, with two for 23. Stoinis and Larkin produced quick runs from the start, and Melbourne-S chased down this target with five balls spare. Other players are coming in the form for Melbourne-S, and it’s a good sign ahead of the crunch matches. Fletcher scored 89 off just 49 balls in the last game, and Larkin also had a good outing. Stoinis has also contributed well. Maxwell had decent numbers in the last couple of games but the skipper impressed with the bat and ball.
With bagging six bash boost points, they now have 23 points from 11 matches, and they moved to third in the table. After Hobart’s victory over Sydney-T, the table got interesting. With three more games remaining, Maxwell cannot afford a loss here. The poor form of the opposition can help Melbourne-S to get full points from this game.
Meanwhile, Melbourne-R is just completing its campaign, and they would try to forget this season. After winning the title in 2018-19, Finch’s unit has disappointed, but this season was below average. In the first derby clash, they lost the opportunity to convert the start into big. They have to reform the team combination after back-to-back failures. They finished bottom in the last edition, and it’s going to repeat for this season too. In MCG, they repeated its batting issues and collapsed in death-overs. From 120/3, Melbourne-R bowled out on 150 with adding just 30 runs and losing 7 wickets. This middle-order collapse was out of the mind. Sam Harper contributed fine 63 off 52 balls, but he didn’t get support from another end.
Finch’s form has been a big problem for the side. The captain got his second duck of the season, and he has played below the expectation. He has an average of 15.90, and only once, he crossed the mark of 30. Shaun Marsh is the only consistent player in this side. Harvey showed good intent, and he should be promoted up in the order. Finch accepted one thing for sure that his side cannot make into the playoffs for the second consecutive season with three more games remaining. They cannot even change its position in the table, considering the form of other teams.
Pitch Report
Docklands’ surface is good for batting. It will be the second game on this surface. It will offer a little bit of help to spin. Chasing would be an ideal call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Melbourne-R
Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (c), Sam Harper (wk), Jack Prestwidge, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Kane Richardson, Peter Hatzoglou, Noor Ahmad
Melbourne-S
Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Billy Stanlake, Zahir Khan
Key Players
Melbourne-R
Shaun Marsh
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 271, Avg: 30.11
Kane Richardson
Season so far – M: 11, Wickets: 15, Avg: 21.60
Melbourne-S
Glenn Maxwell
Season so far – M: 10, Runs: 312, Avg: 34.66
Adam Zampa
Season so far – M: 9, Wickets: 18, Avg: 12.55
