MR W vs ST W Live Score: Melbourne Renegades are all set to lock horns with Sydney Thunder in Match 19 of WBBL 2023 to be played at the Junction Oval, Melbourne on 1st November 2023. The last time when both these teams met it was Sydney Thunders who emerged victorious by defeating Renegades by 8 wickets. The Renegades have two losses in three matches & their middle-order collapses have cost them major fixtures. Along with skipper Hayley Matthews at the top, Josephine Dooley and Harmanpreet Kaur have been out of form in the middle order. Their batters need to get back into the groove if winning against Sydney Thunder is on their mind.
On the other hand, Sydney Thunder was quite expensive against Hobart Hurricanes in their last fixture which allowed the Hobart Hurricanes to march up on the Points table. Their batting order is their biggest positive which they could use in front of Renegades.
Coming to Melbourne Renegades, bowlers are their biggest strength. Hope that their standout bowlers Georgia Wareham and Hayley Matthews lead their bowling order. Can Renegades batters up their game & lead Renegades to their second win? Your questions will be answered on the field at Oval.
MR W vs ST W TEAMS PREVIEW
Melbourne Renegades Preview
The home side has a disappointing start to the WBBL 2023 as they have won just one out of four matches they have played so far. They still have time to result in a turnaround by displaying thrilling performances. The fixture will be crucial for Renegades whose batting order suffered huge batting failures. They must find their rhythm & mojo back in this fixture. Their next two fixtures will be played at the W.A.C.A stadium in Perth where the bowlers will be dominant and pose a tough challenge.
In their batting order, Hayley Matthews will be their biggest bet looking at their batting prowess. She is a match-winner who can score single-handedly turning the game in their favor. Her opening partner Tammy Beaumont has looked promising & delivered a gleaming start while chasing 165 runs against the Sixers in their last clash. However, middle-order collapses in the last two matches have put the Renegades behind.
A 165-run target was achievable & the 42-run start in the powerplay overs could have helped the Renegades chase the target easily. But a struggling out-of-form middle order has cost them another fixture. Kaur is an experienced big hitter who should aim for a comeback if the hosts want to settle the score against the Thunder Women. While they have many options in the bowling attack but presence of Hayley Matthews and Wareham is a boon for their bowling order.
Melbourne Renegades Predicted Playing XI:
Hayley Matthews (c), Tammy Beaumont, Josephine Dooley (wk), Harmanpreet Kaur, Jess Duffin, Georgia Wareham, Erica Kershaw, Georgia Prestwidge, Sarah Coyte, Ella Hayward, Sara Kennedy
Sydney Thunder Preview
Sydney Thunder are coming into this clash on the back of a defeat at the hands of Hurricanes. They will aim to get back into winning terms in this fixture. In the batting order, Chamari Athapaththu looks completely out of touch as she scored 13 off 22 while chasing 175 runs against the Hurricanes. This poor performance from their star opener has put Thunder quite behind the opponents in their chase. The fall of both the openers’ wickets along with captain Knight’s dismissal resulted in an early setback for Thunder.
In high chases such a poor start can put a team behind, resulting in the team losing the match. If Thunder aims to avoid a similar situation in their upcoming clash then Tahlia Wilson and Athapaththu need to get back to scoring runs at the top. The likes of Heather Knight and Marizanne Kapp at 4 and 5 add experience to the middle order and Phoebe Litchfield at 3 makes for the perfect number 3 batter. The middle order looks solid on paper at least.
Litchfield has delivered on the ground by scoring 68 runs off 43 balls which ended in a losing cause. And 54 off 28 balls against the Sixers in the opening clash. She will be their biggest bet in this fixture. In the bowling order, they will not have some one better than Samantha Bates to rely on for quick wickets. She will be a crucial figure in the bowling attack that is led by skipper Heather Knight and Marizanne Kapp.
Sydney Thunder Predicted Playing XI:
Tahlia Wilson (wk), Chamari Athapaththu, Phoebe Litchfield, Heather Knight (c), Marizanne Kapp, Anika Learoyd, Olivia Porter, Claire Moore, Hannah Darlington, Samantha Bates, Ebony Hoskin
MR W vs ST W Pitch & Weather Conditions
The weather at Melbourne will be partially cloudy with the pitch being a balanced one offering help to both bowlers & batters. The pitch will stay good for batting throughout the fixture. While bowlers need to execute their strategies well to scalp wickets on this batter-friendly pitch. The average first innings score at Junction Oval is 152 runs in T20Is. And a competitive total should be over 170-175 runs considering the pitch conditions and the batting strength of both teams.
Toss to bat first
The team that has won all three matches at this venue has batted first. And considering the batting form of players of both the teams we think chasing is not a good option for them. Scoring a mammoth total & then defending will be their agenda for the team winning the toss.
MR W vs ST W Winning prediction
Both teams look equal in terms of squad strength. But speaking about the current form of players Renegades are struggling to build valuable stands in the middle order and will be under pressure as they take on SYT once again. Meanwhile, Visitors have promising batters at the top & middle order & look slightly more settled than Melbourne Renegades.
We predict Sydney Thunder to win this clash.
Also read, SA vs NZ Live Score, ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 32
