In match 29 of the Australian T20 League 2020, Melbourne R take on Adelaide S at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday evening.

With six straight losses, Melbourne R are almost on the brink of ending another season in the group stage. They lost the last game against Perth by 96 runs. They got bowled out for just 89 runs, their third score of less than 100 runs this season. 

Apart from S Marsh, the batting seems to be in shambles at the moment. A Finch, S Harper, R Rossouw, and M Nabi will need to play responsible innings with the bat, considering the overall form of the batting line-up at the moment. K Richardson has bowled well but will need good support from the likes of P Hatzoglou, M Nabi and J Prestwidge. 

Adelaide struggled with both bat and ball in the last game as they lost to Sydney S by 7 wickets. They come into this game with back-to-back losses and will look to turn it around against a team like the Renegades. 

P Salt and M Renshaw got dismissed cheaply. A Carey and J Weatherald scored useful 30s and gave good support to J Wells, who scored his first half century this season. R Khan bowled well and picked up all the 3 wickets to fall. He will need more support from W Agar and D Worrall.

The Strikers are favorites to win here as the Renegades don’t seem to have any clue about how to win games at the moment. Nonetheless, it will be an exciting match where both the teams have an opportunity to kick off the second half of the tournament on a winning note.

Match Details

• Match:  Melbourne R vs. Adelaide S, Match 29
• Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
• Date & Time: Jan. 5, 2021, at 1.45 PM IST

Probable Playing XI

Melbourne R

• A Finch (C), S Marsh, S Harper (WK), R Rossouw, M Nabi, B Webster, J Prestwidge, P Hatzoglou, K Richardson, J Lalor, N Ahmed, 
• X-factor substitutes: W Sutherland, M Harvey

Adelaide S

• P Salt, J Weatherald, M Renshaw, A Carey (C & WK), J Wells, R Gibson, R Khan, D Worrall, D Briggs, P Siddle, W Agar 
• X-factor substitutes: H Conway, H Nielsen

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather in Adelaide will be mostly sunny during the match. The temperature will be around 16 degrees during the game.

Adelaide Oval is a good venue for T20 cricket as it offers enough for both batsmen and bowlers. The ball does a bit in the early overs of the game for seam bowlers, but the small square boundaries and fast outfield offer plenty of opportunities to batsmen. The average first innings score in the two games played here this season has been 155 runs.

The pitch here has always been a good one for chasing totals. Batting seems to be a bit easy under the floodlights, so expect the side winning the toss to bowl first.

Key Players

• S Marsh is the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament so far. He has scored 211 runs in seven matches, at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 137. He has been the best batsman for Melbourne and needs to step up here too.
• S Harper opened the innings in the last game for Melbourne. He has scored 109 runs in the season so far, with his highest being 66* against Hobart. A strong opening partnership will go a long way to resolve the team’s batting troubles.
• K Richardson has been the best bowler for Melbourne this season, picking up 9 wickets at an average of 21.44 and an economy rate of 7.77. However, he has been wicketless in the last two games and will look to get some wickets here.
• A Carey is the top scorer for Adelaide this season despite playing only five matches. He has scored 192 runs, at an average of 38.4 and a strike rate of 120.75, including two half centuries. He will look to continue his good scoring form here.
• R Khan has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 17.63 and an economy rate of 7.618. He had figures of 3 for 18 runs in the last match against the Sixers. He will look to put more pressure on the struggling batting unit of the Renegades.
• W Agar is the joint-highest wicket taker for Adelaide this season. He has taken 11 wickets at an average of 19.7 and an economy of 8.15. He bowled fairly economically, though without taking any wickets, in the last game.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: S Harper, A Carey
• Batsmen: S Marsh, J Weatherald, P Salt
• All-rounders: J Prestwidge
• Bowlers: K Richardson, P Siddle, R Khan, W Agar, D Briggs

• Captain: P Salt/A Carey
• Vice Captain: S Marsh/K Richardson

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!