Scorchers Vs Sixers Review

• Another clinical performance from the Scorchers saw them restrict the Sixers to just 112 from their 20 overs, chasing this down within 15 overs for the loss of just one wicket.
• The only Sixers batsman to look remotely comfortable was Michael Lumb, who made 47 on 45 balls, and covered the overs line tipped in my preview within the first five overs. Lumb has quietly had a very good tournament so far, scoring 34, 4, 63, 15, 31 and 47, covering his run line in 4 of 6 (66.6%) innings. With little batting around him, backing Lumb for Top Batsman in the Sixers upcoming games, and to cover his run line should have a positive expectancy.
• The Scorchers were excellent all over the park today, with three strike bowlers getting wickets, Willey leading the pack with 3/22, AJ Tye 2/22 and Behrendorff 2/24. Dutching Behrendorff and Tye for top bowler at 2.12 was a bad beat, with Nic Maddinson lollypopping a simple catch off Willeys bowling to gift him a wicket.
• Lumping on the Scorchers in their upcoming games will make you plenty, they're in excellent form. They're still available at 3.6 to win the competition, and anyone backing them at 6 before the tournament, as tipped in my preview, is sitting very pretty on this.  

The Scorchers visit the Adelaide Oval to take on the Strikers on 5th Jan

The Sixers play the Heat at the SCG on 10th Jan

Stars Vs Renegades Review

• An unbeaten 63-ball 109 from Luke Wright saw the Stars chase 161 with five and a half overs to spare to clinch the Melbourne derby in front of a crowd of 80,000.
• Having had a poor tournament so far, Wrights innings was fairly costly for me, as I was on his unders, and back Stoinis in the Batsman Match market. No major damage, and the chasing-bias flagged up in my preview meant I more than made up for it trading the Match Odds market. 
• The Renegades would have hoped to have made a lot more than 161, but wickets at regular intervals cost them, as did losing two set bats going into the last 4 overs. This wasn't a great batting performance against what was a fairly average Stars bowling attack. 
• Cam White made 54 from 39 balls, claiming top Renegades bat, having looked good throughout the tournament without converting this into runs. With the stellar names in the Renegades side, he's often overpriced in the Top Runscorer market, and is worth backing in future.
• Another bet I like is the Batsman Match Market with Bet365, who had Aaron Finch as underdog against Chris Gayle. In the four Renegades games so far, Finch has outscored Gayle on three occasions, and for me this should be the other way around, and I'll happily take this value in future games. 

The Stars host the Hurricanes on 6th Jan at the MCG

The Renegades visit Hobart to take on the Hurricanes on 4th Jan

2nd January BBL05 Previews

Melbourne Stars Vs Melbourne Renegades - The MCG

• The Melbourne derby see KP return for the Stars, as two sides with gun batting and poor bowling face off in what's likely to be a high-scoring affair. 
• The market has the Stars as slight favourites at 1.85, with the Renegades at 2.16, which seems fair to me before the off, although I can see this being a tight, swingy game, with plenty of trading opportunities. I won't be picking a winner at these odds.
• Historically, the MCG has seen some big scores chased down, and with the two weaker bowling attacks on show another one could be on the cards, or at least offer some volatility during the second innings to trade. I'll be looking for this, especially if a score of 170+ is made in the first innings and a cheap lay of the defending side is available, but will be quite quick to trade out, preferring to lay again on the fall of a wicket, making lots of smaller trades rather than one or two big ones. 
• One market that looks to offer some value to me is the Batsman Matches offered by Bet365. The pairings for this are Finch and Gayle for the Renegades and Wright and Stoinis for the Stars. Finch and Stoinis are both up 2-1in these head-to-heads in previous games, but are the underdogs at 1.9 (vs the 1.8 offered on Gayle and Wright). 
• Luke Wright is yet to pass 18 this tournament, and the 20.5 run line with Ladbrokes looks a touch high for someone in such poor form, and unders at 1.83 is worth a look.

Lay the bowling side during the second innings and trade out quickly
Back Finch (vs Gayle) and Stones (vs Wright) in the Batsman Matches both at 1.90 with Bet365

Back Luke Wright Under 20.5 Runs with Ladbrokes

Perth Scorchers Vs Sydney Sixers - The WACA

• In the first (and probably last) superhero-themed T20 match, the Scorchers playing as Batman, host the Sixers, playing as Superman. It's not clear if the umpires will be Robin and the Joker, but I'll be very disappointed if not. 
• The Scorchers have recovered from their opening-day defeat to the Strikers to chalk up two comprehensive wins, and are strong favourites here, at 1.49, with the inconsistent Sixers at 3s. I think this is about right, as the Scorchers should win comfortably, but there's not a lot of value on offer. If they trade above 1.8 in play, and are in a recoverable position, I will look to get involved. 
• The WACA is historically a ground where sides batting second have struggled, winning just 38% of games, and so the side batting first here has a very good chance, but Perth have a justified reputation for a side able to defend low scores, so this could counteract the historical trend. 
• Michael Klinger has scores of 19, 53* and 90* so far this BBL, and is a batsman in form at the moment. His run line with Ladbrokes is 26.5, which looks good but may come in as other firms price this market up. I got 23.5 with Bet365 in his last game, and would steam into a similar line. Ladbrokes are offering 3.25 on Klinger being top Scorchers bat, which looks a very nice bet. 
• Having missed the first game through injury, Jason Behrendorff has taken 2/32 and 2/14 in the last two Scorchers games. The 4.5 Ladbrokes are offering on him to be Top Scorchers wicket taker is massive, and can be dutched with Andrew Tye, who is 4s, to create a 2.12 shot. Both will likely bowl their full quota, 40% of the innings, and have both performed well so far, so this looks good. 
• Another early run line that looks quite nice is Michael Lumb's, which seems a little short at 19.5, again with Ladbrokes. Lumb has had a good tournament so far, besides dropping a sitter in the first match, scoring 31, 15, 63, 4 and 34. With the WACA being a good batting surface traditionally, the 1.83 on him reaching 20 looks value to me. 

Look for opportunities to back the Scorchers at 1.8+
Back Michael Klinger for top Scorchers run scorer at 3.25 with Ladbrokes
Back Jason Behrendorff for top Scorchers wicket taker at 4.5 with Ladbrokes
Back Michael Lumb over 19.5 runs at 1.83 with Ladbrokes

Hurricanes Vs Thunder Review

• A solid all-round batting display from the Hurricanes, making 163 with contributions of 15+ from all but one of their seven batsmen to face a ball, and a 29-ball 56 from skipper George Bailey. The Thunder couldn't match this, despite getting into a good position during the chase, and the Hurricanes won by 11.
• A good example of how ground history can help in betting, with very few successful chases at Hobart in the previous games played here indicating that opposing the Thunder could pay off. They were available to lay at sub-1.2 at points during the chase.
• The Thunder's unbeaten start to the tournament, winning three of three, has come to an end, and with tougher fixtures coming up, they could continue to struggle. Their batting here was poor, despite Mike Hussey getting them into a position where they really should have won, and being incapable of closing out the game is not a good sign.   
• Jacques Kallis scored a 4-ball duck here, and with scores so far of 15, 9, 49* and 0, I do like talking him on and backing unders on his run-line, as I think he's past his prime. 

The Hurricanes host the Renegades at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on 4th Jan

The Thunder visit the Gabba to take on the Heat on 3rd Jan