Event of the Day: Melbourne Stars versus Perth Scorchers

Our event of the day is the Big Bash League fixture between the Melbourne Stars and the Perth Scorchers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Stars are having themselves a good season, bouncing back from a 0-2 start to find themselves third in the league. Meanwhile, the Scorchers are 1-5 in their worst start to a season since the league began in 2011. They have struggled to find an effective opening batsman and have already lost more games through the first six than they have lost in any previous full season. The teams are 6-6 against one another so expect an exciting day of cricket in Melbourne. The Stars started the season 0-2, marking the second consecutive season that they have done so. However, the losing didn’t last long and they have bounced back to go on a three-game winning streak. Most recently they recorded an eight wicket win over the Sydney Thunder, with the Stars’ bowling never allowing their opponents to find quick runs on the sluggish surface at the Carrara Oval. Stars captain, Glenn Maxwell, is once again having a strong season, having scored 169 runs in 99 balls faced. However he will be missing today as he with the Australia side preparing for the One Day series with India. Meanwhile, new addition Dwayne Bravo, top wicket taker in the league last season, has flourished in recent matches after a relatively slow start to the season. Recently Bravo took three wickets in a 7-wicket rout of their biggest rivals, the Melbourne Renegades.

Meanwhile, the Perth Scorchers, a three-time champion team, have had a woeful start to the season. They have gone 1-5 through their first six games, their worst start to a season since the league began. Their 1-5 record is also the first time they have lost more than three games in a season. They have started four different opening batsmen through their first six games. Sam Whiteman managed 8 runs in two matches, including being stumped on the first ball of the Scorchers’ second game of the season. Joel Inglis scored 22 runs in the third match of Scorchers’ season, his lone outing out as a Scorchers opener. Will Bosisto scored 0 runs, out lbw on the first ball of the Scorchers’ fourth game. Michael Klinger has proved to be successful, scoring 46 runs in two games and providing hope for a turnaround for the Scorchers. The two sides have met twelve times previously, splitting those games evenly with a 6-6 record. The Scorchers won the last meeting between the two sides, taking a 17-run victory in a tightly contested match. However, these are very different sides that will meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground so expect a hard-fought and exciting match.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA where the Houston Rockets face the Milwaukee Bucks at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are 5th in the Western Conference and come off a win against the conference-leading Denver Nuggets. James Harden, the Rockets’ star, is having one of the best seasons of his career and is in contention for the MVP award, an award that he currently holds. Harden and the Rockets, who came within a game of the NBA Finals last season, are a team no-one wants to face right now. Meanwhile the Bucks hold a slim half game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. They will look to take a win over a strong team like a Rockets in order to ease the pressure been put on them by the second place Raptors. The Bucks are one of the best teams right now and will look to prove that against some of the strongest contenders in the NBA. This is sure to be a match you won’t want to miss. Elsewhere, in the Carabao Cup, Manchester City host Burton Albion in the first leg of their semi-final. In the NHL, the Calgary Flames host the Colorado Avalanche. In the WTA, the Hobart International continues, with day 3 of competition.

 

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

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Photos by BBL

 

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