Sports

Wayne Clark’s BBL Preview: Renegades vs Stars

Renegades vs Stars (Marvel Stadium)
Sunday 17th February, 11.45am WST

A first-time winner will be crowned when BBL08 comes to completion with a Melbourne Derby on Sunday. Neither team have won a title and it is the first final the Renegades have competed in.

The Stars were very impressive when defeating the in-form Hurricanes in their Semi-Final. Execution of their plans by the bowlers and the captaincy of Glenn Maxwell were super-impressive. Daniel Worrall showed us his worth with the new ball, Bravo was as consistent as ever, while the spin of Maxwell, Lamichhane and Zampa showed how difficult they can make it for any batting line-up.

Lamichhane is a class act and his return has given a great boost to the Stars confidence. Stoinis (14 wickets) wasn’t really needed in the Semi but he will be a key with the ball in the Final.

The Stars batsmen seem to have hit form at the right time of the tournament. Skipper Maxwell has led from the front, Stoinis has shown growing maturity with the bat and Seb Gotch proved he is up to the mark with an impressive innings on Thursday night.

Dan Christian (14 wickets) has been important for the Renegades with the ball; however it was his heroics with the bat (31 off 14 balls) that led them to a thrilling win over the Sixers. It was a stunning effort by the Renegades to chase down 180 on a wicket renowned for being difficult to score on.

Finch showed patience at the top, Harper (335 runs) continued his good form and Cameron White (29 off 17) who replaced the absent Nabi, showed he is still a dangerous conveyance and will cause concern for the Stars.

As stated, the wicket was much more run friendly than we have seen at Marvel Stadium and if similar on Sunday, should provide an exciting contest. The Renegades bowling attack struggled early against the Sixers. Cameron Boyce’s 2/33 kept them in the game and more will be needed from Richardson, Tremain and Gurney.

Both teams have individual players who can turn a game, so picking a winner is difficult. I am swaying towards the Stars as their side looks balanced and I was really impressed with how the bowling attack executed their plan in the Semi. Stars to win!

Tips

Winner: Stars

Renegades Most Runs: Cameron White
Stars Most Runs: Peter Handscombe

Renegades Most Wickets: Dan Christian
Stars Most Wickets: Dwayne Bravo

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