Melbourne Cricket Ground Pitch Report For STA vs HEA BBL 2024-25 Match 4

Debashis Sarangi

Melbourne Cricket Ground [Source: @Pallavi_paul21/X]Melbourne Cricket Ground [Source: @Pallavi_paul21/X]

On Wednesday, Melbourne Stars will lock horns with Brisbane Heat in match 4 of the ongoing Big Bash League. The high-voltage clash will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. 

Led by Marcus Stoinis, the Stars had a poor start to the BBL 14, losing their first game against Perth Scorchers. Batting first, the Stars posted a slightly sub-par 146-run total, which the Scorchers chased in 17.1 overs, riding on Cooper Connolly's fireworks. So, moving on to this game, the Stars would be keen to turn things around and open their account on the points table. 

On the other hand, this will be Brisbane Heat's first game of the season after they lifted the title in BBL 2023-24. Despite missing the likes of Khawaja, McSweeney, and Labuschagne, the defending champions' formidable bowling attack and all-round core make them a team to beat in the competition. 

So, as both teams gear up for a cracking battle, let's see how the surface at MCG will behave throughout the contest. 

Melbourne Cricket Ground Stats And Records In BBL

Criterion
Data
Matches Played79
Matches won batting 1st34
Matches won batting 2nd45
Average 1st innings score152.9
Average 2nd innings score136.4

Melbourne Cricket Ground Pitch Report: Is It Batting Or Bowling Friendly?

The surface at Melbourne Cricket Ground will offer a hint of lateral seam movement to the fast bowlers early on with the new ball. The track's pace will be less than what we generally witness in Brisbane and Perth. 

However, the MCG pitch will provide the pacers with spongy bounce, which the hit-the-deck pacers will exploit throughout the game. This is the reason why Brisbane Heat's Spencer Johnson could be effective with the ball in this match. 

The batters must get on top of the bounce and neutralise the first few overs before shifting gears. MCG has huge boundary dimensions; so, batters who can fetch the gaps might be crucial. The spinners generally don't play a significant role at MCG; however, bowlers like Mitchell Swepson, who tend to toss the ball up, might be successful if they challenge the batters to hit against the turn towards the bigger side of the ground. 

Teams batting second have been more successful at MCG in BBL. Also, given that it's the first game of the season at this venue, the toss-winner might opt to bowl first. 

Players To Watch Out For At Melbourne Cricket Ground

Marcus Stoinis

  • Melbourne Stars' captain Marcus Stoinis was run out for 37 runs in the last game. Considering he has slammed 1100 runs at an average of 35.48 and a strike rate of 134.63, Stoinis might play a key role for the hosts in this match. 

Mitchell Swepson

  • Mitchell Swepson is Brisbane Heat's most successful bowler at MCG, scalping 12 wickets in seven BBL matches. If he can utilise the ground dimension in his favour, Swepson might emerge as the Heat's wrecker-in-chief with the ball. 

Paul Walter

  • Apart from Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett, Paul Walter could be one of Brisbane Heat's key players in this game. Besides scoring crucial runs down the order, the tall bowler can be effective with his wily variations in the final two phases of the game.