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Writer's pictureJonathan Turner

GameDay Squad AUS Cricket Round 31 Preview: Double Header!

GameDay Squad AUS Cricket Round 31 Preview: The Perth Scorchers take on the Brisbane Heat in the 35th match of BBL13 in Perth at the OPTUS Stadium and the Melbourne Renegades take on the Melbourne Stars in the 36th match of BBL13 in Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday the 13th of January.


Here's everything you need to know ....



Round Preview


Predicted Teams


Game 1

Perth Scorchers: 1. Steve Eskinazi, 2. Sam Whiteman, 3. Aaron Hardie, 4. Josh Inglis, 5. Laurie Evans, 6. Cooper Connolly, 7. Ashton Agar, 8. Jhye Richardson, 9. Andrew Tye, 10. Lance Morris, 11. Jason Behrendorff


Brisbane Heat: 1. Josh Brown, 2. Colin Munro, 3. Nathan McSweeney, 4. Matt Renshaw, 5. Sam Billings, 6. Paul Walter, 7. Xavier Bartlett, 8. Michael Neser, 9. Spencer Johnson, 10. Mitchell Swepson, 11. Matthew Kuhnemann Game 2

Melbourne Renegades: 1. Jordan Cox, 2. Shaun Marsh, 3. Jake Fraser-McGurk, 4. Aaron Finch, 5. Jono Wells, 6. Will Sutherland, 7. Akeal Hosein, 8. Tom Rogers, 9. Fergus O’Neill, 10. Kane Richardson, 11. Adam Zampa


Melbourne Stars: 1. Tom Rogers, 2. Dan Lawrence, 3. Beau Webster, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5.  Marcus Stoinis, 6. Hilton Cartwright, 7. Peter Handscomb, 8. Imad Wasim, 9. Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10. Joel Paris, 11. Scott Boland


 

Start Vs Sit


Batters - Laurie Evans vs Shaun Marsh

Evans has been impressive this season and has ranked as one of the top three batsmen in four of his five matches, when he spends time at the crease. When he played against the Heat a couple of days ago, he scored 51 runs off 29 balls. Marsh has played four matches in BBL13 and averages 39 points. He's had two innings where he has scored 50+ runs and in the other innings he didn't really trouble the scorers. As middle order batsmen tend to score well in Perth, I'm leaning towards Evans. However, I do think Marsh can be a very good POD option. Especially if the Renegades bat second.


Start: Laurie Evans


Game 4 Preview

All-Rounder - Michael Neser vs Beau Webster

Neser had has best game of the season against the Scorchers. He scored 145 points and this was the second best score by any player in AUS Cricket. Prior to this game, Neser was averaging 37 points, he is now averaging 52 points. Webster is the 7th ranked all-rounder in AUS Cricket with an average of 55 points. Over his seven matches, he has been ranked as one of the top four all-rounders on four occasions. Even after Neser's brilliant performance, I'm leaning towards starting Webster. I prefer Webster because of the favorable matchup against the Renegades. Middle order batsmen average 42 points against the Renegades. Over the BBL12 and BBL13 seasons, middle order batsmen average 48 points at Marvel Stadium.


Start: Beau Webster


Bowler - Lance Morris / Spencer Johnson

It's a battle between two of the fastest bowlers in the BBL for my third starting spot. Morris averages 47 points over his six matches and has taken ten wickets. Johnson averages 36 points over his seven matches and has taken nine wickets. Both players have been ranked as one of the top three bowlers in a match on three occasions. Both the Heat and Scorchers have been allowing an average of around 34 points to pace bowlers. Over the BBL12 and BBL13 seasons, pace bowlers have averaged seven points more when they bowl in the first innings.


Start: Whoever bowls in the first innings out of Lance Morris and Spencer Johnson


 

Game 1

Matchup Matrix



Key Takeaways:

  1. Opening and middle order batsmen have struggled to score against the Heat

  2. Spin bowlers have struggled to score against the Scorchers

  3. Opening batsmen have had success against the Scorchers


Ground Matrix



Key Takeaways:

  1. Avoid starting spin bowlers

  2. Lower order batsmen have been able to score well here

  3. Pace bowlers have scored well here in the first innings


Game 2

Matchup Matrix



Key Takeaways:

  1. Opening batsmen have scored well against the Stars

  2. Middle order batsmen have scored well against the Renegades

  3. Pace bowlers have scored well against the Stars


Ground Matrix



Key Takeaways:

  1. Opening batsmen in the first innings have struggled to score

  2. Avoid spin bowlers if they bowl in the second innings

  3. Middle order batsmen have scored well here


 

Hot Take

The Stars will lose both openers early. Webster and Maxwell will put on a 100 run partnership for the third wicket with both of them scoring half centuries.

 

Who to play in your GDS starting XI


  1. BAT - Colin Munro

  2. BAT - Jake Fraser-McGurk

  3. BAT - Laurie Evans

  4. ALL - Glenn Maxwell

  5. ALL - Paul Walter

  6. ALL - Aaron Hardie

  7. ALL - Beau Webster

  8. WK - Josh Inglis

  9. BWL - Jason Behrendorff

  10. BWL - Scott Boland

  11. BWL - Lance Morris / Spencer Johnson


 

Game 4 Preview

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