Rohit Sharma passes fitness test, will travel to Australia for Test series

BBL 10 | Renegades vs Scorchers: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

After an exciting opening to the season in Hobart, the action will shift once again to Manuka Oval in Canberra when two heavyweights, Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, will face each other in the fourth game of the Big Bash League (BBL). It will also be a double-header day as, in an earlier game, the city neighbors of the Renegades, Melbourne Stars would take on Sydney Sixers. In total, the two teams have met 12 times in nine seasons with the Scorchers winning on 10 of those occasions. It would thus be interesting to see how it pans out in the 13th meeting, the number Australian's consider unlucky. Renegades bank on experience The Melbourne Renegades team have with them one of the most experienced squads who have performed across leagues, all around the world, and can be trusted to deliver for this franchise as well. The likes of Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh in batting along with the fresh addition of Rilee Rossouw adds power to the batting lineup. Along with the batting, the bowling too is filled with T20 specialists in James Pattinson, Kane Richardson, Imran Tahir, and Will Sutherland. With all this experience of playing in pressure situations, the Renegades will back themselves to go bonkers in the first game itself. The Afghan imports of Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad will get late for the first game and hence the team will miss them, at least Nabi for sure. Scorchers to turn up the heat with pace trio Mitchell Marsh, the Australian all-rounder who got injured during the IPL, is back and most probably will play as a batsman and captain of the team. However, the real threat for Renegades will be the pace trio of Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, and Andrew Tye. All three of them would be playing together after some 670 days and Tye believes that it is a reason that other teams should fear them. But along with the trio, Fawad Ahmed, the leg-spinner is handy as well, having picked up 15 wickets last season. Then there is the deadly pairing of Colin Munro and Jason Roy with the bat, although Roy might not be available for the first game. Thus with all the firepower, it is surely going to be an interesting game. Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers: Match Details Match Number- 04 Date & Time- Dec 12, 2020, 1:45 PM IST, 7:15 PM Local, 8:15 AM GMT Venue- Bellerive Oval Hobart Broadcast: Sony Ten Network and Sony LIV Pitch Report If the first game is anything to go by, then the pitch remained true throughout the game and got better as the game progressed. However it wasn’t a flat deck and there was something for the bowler if they hit the right lengths, offering swing initially too. Of the 40 domestic games played so far, teams batting first have won 21 times while those batting second have managed to win 19 times, leaving nothing conclusive as to what the team winning the toss would do. The average score at the ground in a T20 game has been 168. Weather and Toss The weather is going to be fantastic for a cricket game as there is no chance of rain although the temperatures would be low giving chilly air for the swing on offer, especially with the breeze coming in from the sea Team News Melbourne Renegades The Renegades would be happy that skipper Aaron Finch is available for the first game and thus the team will be built around that. Nabi and Noor Ahmad would not be available for the first two games and neither would Imad Wasim. So that leaves only two foreign options of playing with Tahir and Rossouw. Predicted XI Aaron Finch(c), Sam Harper (wk), Shaun Marsh, Rilee Rossouw (OS), Beau Webster, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jack Prestwidge, Josh Lalor, Cameron Boyce, Kane Richardson, Jon Holland Perth Scorchers The scorchers wouldn’t have the luxury to play Jason Roy either in the first game and neither would Ashton Agar be available. The probability of Mitchell Marsh playing as a batsman is high and hence it would be a great boost having him in the middle. Predicted XI Joe Clarke, Josh Inglis (wk), Colin Munro, Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Turner, Cameron Bancroft, Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Andrew Tye, Fawad Ahmed Renegades vs Scorchers: Dream11 and fantasy team suggestions Josh Inglis(wk), Aaron Finch (C), Shaun Marsh (vc), Colin Munro, Rilee Rossouw, Cameron Bancroft, Beau Webster, James Pattinson, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Imran Tahir Captain: Aaron Finch Vice Captain: Shaun Marsh

Finch available for Renegades opener against Scorchers

The Melbourne Renegades Coach Miacahel Klinger has confirmed that skipper Aaron Finch would be available for the team;’s opening match against the Perth Scorchers to be played in Bellerive Oval, Hobart. 'He's(Finch) definitely going to be playing; He'll have his hit out tomorrow with us leading into the game so he's ready to go and he always comes to the Renegades set up with a fantastic attitude,” said the 40-year-old Klinger. Finch has been the most prolific batter for the renegades over the years as he has scored 2252 runs in 63 matches for them at an average of 38.83 in the nine seasons. The runs have been distributed among 18 fifties and two magnificent hundreds. Thus he is a prized property for the Red and Black and the coach also knows. He thus confirmed that the 34-year-old would be allowed to take a break within the tournament to spend some time with the family. ''There may be periods where we give him time to go home. We're quite lucky in our first period where we've got two blocks where we've got six-day breaks after our back-to-back games on the 12th and 13th so there may be a period there where we can get Finchy home,” he said. Finch was rumored to be missing the first two games early on.

BBL 2020 Team Preview: Melbourne Renegades will put behind an off season to ignite the fire within

Melbourne Renegades, boosted by the current amazing form of their skipper Aaron Finch and new signings in the wings, would look to improve upon their last year’s showing, the worst in the history of the league. Coach Michale Klinger is hopeful that this year it would be different saying, “Everything last year was going a hundred miles an hour." BBL so far The Renegades have been one of those stories which if have unfurled well at the start of the season, had gone on to make the playoffs regularly. Into their 10th season now, the red machine have been in the Playoffs, with the best showing in the 2018-19 season, where they went on to defeat the city rivals, Melbourne Stars in a low-scoring thriller. The worst season came in the title defense, i.e. last year when they were unable to rise above the last spot for the most part of the season and ended there as well. The foreign signings If last season was a hurried one for Klinger and also the two Pakistani players pulling out, just ahead of the season, was a main worry for the new coach, he seems to have covered all this time around by signing some of the very experienced and quality foreign recruits Mohammad Nabi is one of them. The traveler, who like his Afghan junior Rashid Khan, has been in great demand across leagues, has been retained by the red and black. With an experience as vast as 270 T20 games, more than 4000 runs with the bat, and 267 wickets, there could hardly be anyone in the opposite camp who would not fear him as a player. And that’s his advantage apart from quick runs and tight bowling. Alongside him is his fellow Afghan, the young leggie Noor Ahmad. Just about 16 years, the Afghan impressed all with his brilliant showing in the Under-19 World Cup and was regarded as a prodigy after his excellent showing at Shpageeza Premier League, the premier T20 tournament in Afghanistan. He was readily signed by St. Lucia Zouks for CPL 2020, although he couldn’t reach the Caribbean to play. "We've [also] been tracking Noor Ahmad closely for more than a year now and although he's in the early stages of his career, he's an exciting prospect and he has a few tricks that'll make life difficult for batsmen," Klinger said about Ahmad. Along with these two, there are two very professional spinners in Pakistani all-rounder Imad Wasim and Pakistan-born South African leg-spin maestro Imran Tahir to bolster the bowling attack as well. However, it is the buy of Rilee Russow, the South African hitter that is going to be crucial for the Renegades, considering that he has scored nearly 5000 T20 runs in 201 games at a strike rate of more than 135 and can hit them as cleanly as anybody else. Talking about his plan of involving the foreign recruits all the time, Klinger said, “We're hoping to have three of them available as much as possible. It's going to be a combination of trying to fit in your best three of them at any stage with a combination of availability and sometimes tactical (factors) as well. We're really excited to have those (five) players with us." Melbourne Renegades BBL 10 Squad Squad: Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Boyce, Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Josh Lalor, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Beau Webster Overseas Players: Noor Ahmad (AFG), Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Rilee Roussow (RSA), Imran Tahir (RSA), Imad Wasim (PAK) Head Coach: Michael Klinger List Manager- Andrew Lynch, Assistant Coaches- Simon Helmot, Andre Borovec, Mick Lewis Strength & Conditioning Coach- Richard Johnson, Physiotherapist- Nick Adcock Home Ground: Marvel Stadium, Docklands Experience of Finch and Marsh crucial Shaun Marsh has been one player that has performed throughout the formats, be it First Class, List A, or T20s, he could be the most bankable player that can ever exist. Even in the last season, when things were downhill for the Renegades, the Western Australian was among runs. In fact, he had the most number of runs (449) for any Renegade in the entire league. He was also one of the lead scorers in the Sheffield Shield of both the 2019-20 season and the ongoing 2020-21 season. Finch, the skipper was also among runs last season. This season, he has been in great touch, moving to the top 10 of the ICC ODI rankings. Thus, it would be between these two to take the lead and get the Red Machine running. Klinger also thinks that the batsmen need to put their hands up. “We probably need some more match-winning performances from our top six. Bowling, it's just about finding the balance to get 20 quality overs. This year I feel like we have the squad to do it," he said. The T20 Specialists: Kane Richardson and James Pattinson Kane Richardson and James Pattinson are two bowlers that Australia have had an eye on for a long and they have performed throughout the leagues as well as for the country to make a name for themselves in the shortest format. Pattinson has just recently been an instrumental figure in Mumbai Indians’ victory in the IPL 2020. Though Richardson, 32, didn’t play in the IPL or the Australian home season citing personal reasons, he would be itching to get on the pitch and prove that he is still the favorite fast bowler of the team. Not really a T20 favorite, but Pattinson has improved his line and length to suit the game a lot more thus becoming one of the spearheads, picking 11 wickets in the last IPL for the Mumbai Indians. In his last season with the Heat, he picked up 9 wickets in six innings to get a call from MI as Lasith Malinga’s replacement. Richardson was flawless last year as well, as he picked 10 wickets in eight innings for the Renegades. It is these two that would have to lead the attack to get things on board. Spinners will pave the way Spinners and especially leg spinners have been a treat to watch in the T20 format. Considering their importance, the renegades renewed their arsenal by adding two to it in the form of Ahmad and Tahir who would be playing alongside Cameron Boyce. While Tahir has experience of playing around the world and taking 392 T20 wickets, Boyce has been handy with the ball in hand. Along with these pure spinners, all-rounders like Nabi and Imad will also be crucial for the team’s growth in the tournament. “Obviously you need one of those spinners to be able to bowl a Power Play over generally. Both Imran and Noor can do that. It's going to be a huge advantage having two wrist-spinners to go with someone like Cameron Boyce,” Klinger said. Possible Best XI: Aaron Finch, Sam Harper (wk), Shaun Marsh, Rilee Rossouw (OS), Beau Webster, Mohammad Nabi (OS), Will Sutherland, James Pattinson, Cameron Boyce, Kane Richardson, Imran Tahir (OS) The Renegades play their first game against Perth Scorchers on Saturday i.e. 12th December at Hobart.

BBL | Hurricanes vs Sixers: Talking points from the game that changed between the two Power Surges

The new Big Bash season kicked off with the first game being played between the Hobart Hurricanes and last year’s champions Sydney Sixers. More than the game in focus, it was the new rules that were on the cards to be discussed and debated. And surprisingly it was one such rule- the Power Surge that changed the dimension of the entire game. The host Hurricanes had an unlikely victory as the match in the second innings was dominated by the Sixers thanks to some brilliant batting display from James Vince (67 off 41) and Jack Edwards till the time they decided to take the Power Surge. The new rule allows the batting team to break the six-over power play into two sections i.e four overs mandatory powerplay in the first four overs and then the rest of the two overs can be taken by the batting side at any moment in the games that they wish to. The Power Surge produced contrasting results for the teams in this game. While Hurricanes, who were 96 at the end of the 14 overs, took the Surge in the 15th and from there on went on to score 82 runs in the last six overs to reach a more than competitive total of 178/6. Jordan Silk of the Sixers made a valiant effort while fielding as he saved a certain six and was appreciated widely for this act of his. However, Sixers, who were going smoothly in the chase with 99/1 in 11 overs went downhill after opting for the surge as they tumbled from there to 162/6, scoring just 63 runs in the last nine overs. For Hurricanes, Tim David as batter and the bowling of James Faulkner and Scott Boland won the game. While David scored a fearless 33 ball 58, he was well supported initially by Colin Ingram and later on by Nathan Ellis. Among the bowlers, Faulkner and Riley Meredith were brilliant, Meredith went past 150 on a regular basis and was threatening with pace in the ball while Faulkner with the change of pace did the damage. Faulkner finished with figures of 2/22 in four overs while Meredith has the figures of 2/29 from four. Among the other new rules, the X factor was not used by either of the teams while the Bash boost was won by the Sixers as they were ahead of the Hurricanes’ score in the first 10 overs of the innings. While people appreciated the new rules, there are also those who criticized and that included the likes of Kiwi man James Nessham. With this victory, the team from Hobart occupies first place while Sixers remained at second with one point of the Bash Boost. In the second match of the series, Melbourne Strikers would face Brisbane Heat.