Melbourne Stars Women vs Brisbane Heat Women, WOMENS BIG BASH LEAGUE 2019-20, Today Match Prediction 01 Dec 2019

mlsw vs bhw Match Prediction & Analysis

This is the penultimate game of the group stages and it’s the No. 2 placed team on the table taking on the last-placed team.

Brisbane Heat have been excellent in this tournament. They have won nine out of their 13 games this season and a win here (and also a loss for the Adelaide Strikers) will help them finish at the top of the table. Be it batting first or chasing, the Heat have found success doing both. They have won some tight and close games as well.

Meanwhile, nothing has worked for the Melbourne Stars. They’ve tried everything but nothing seems to have gone their way. There have been only two wins in the entire season for them and another win will not affect their position on the points table. It will take them to six points whereas Hobart Hurricanes have nine points. But they will be looking to finish off on a high and look to start afresh next season.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Melbourne Stars Women Preview

The batting has blown hot and cold quite a bit. Barring the South African duo of Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez, none of the batters have been consistent. Lee has scored 459 runs at an average of 38.25 in this season. Moreover, she has a strike-rate of 132.27 which is the best for a Melbourne Stars batter. Du Preez has been good as well. She has scored a little over 400 runs and has complemented her countrymate decently.

Skipper Elyse Villani has been inconsistent throughout the season. She has made 319 runs at an average of 24.53. Meanwhile, the likes of Annabel Sutherland, Erin Osborne, and Nicole Faltum haven’t stepped up.

The bowling hasn’t been too great either. Osborne is the leading wicket-taker and has taken 11 wickets. Madeline Penna is the only other bowler who has taken 10 wickets but she didn’t play the last game. None of the other bowlers have even more than five wickets and thus, Melbourne Stars have struggled big time.

Melbourne Stars Women Predicted Playing XI:

Elyse Villani (c), Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Annabel Sutherland, Erin Osborne, Nicole Faltum (wk), Tess Flintoff, Lucy Cripps, Nicola Hancock, Alana King, Holly Ferling

Melbourne Stars Women Actual Playing XI:

Mignon du Preez, Nicole Faltum, Erin Osborne, Holly Ferling, Lucy Cripps, Lizelle Lee, Alana King, Elyse Villani, Tess Flintoff, Annabel Sutherland, Kristen Beams

Brisbane Heat Women Preview

It’s the bowlers who have been largely stepping up games for the Brisbane Heat. The batting has done well but the spotlight has largely been on one player – Beth Mooney. The left-handed opener has amassed 622 runs at an average of 69.11 and is only a few runs behind Sophie Devine who is the leading run-getter of the tournament. Jess Jonassen has been brilliant too. Be it with bat or ball, the all-rounder has been very impressive. She has scored 348 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike-rate of 131.81. With the ball, she has 17 wickets and is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. The other batters haven’t really done a lot.

Maddy Green, Laura Harris, and Amelia Kerr have blown hot and cold. With the ball, three players have 16 or more wickets. As mentioned, Jonassen is leading the wicket charts with 17 while Delissa Kimmince and Sammy-Jo Johnson have taken 16 wickets apiece. Moreover, they have been very economical as well. Kerr has chipped in nicely as well.

Brisbane Heat Women Predicted Playing XI:

Beth Mooney (wk), Maddy Green, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Jess Jonassen, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Kirby Short (c), Mikayla Hinkley, Georgia Prestwidge

Brisbane Heat Women Actual Playing XI:

Grace Harris, Beth Mooney, Maddy Green, Kirby Short, Jess Jonassen, Mikayla Hinkley, Amelia Kerr, Sammy Jo Johnson, Delissa Kimmince, Georgia Prestwidge, Laura Harris

Weather Conditions

The weather in Melbourne is a bit gloomy for this game. It is predicted to be cloudy all day and there is even rain expected around the game. In fact, the highest chances of rain are around 3 PM, the scheduled start of play. The pitch here has been a decent one to bat on and the average first innings score this season at this venue is 146.

Venue Details

The Junction Oval in Melbourne is a regular domestic venue in Australia. It is a pretty popular venue for the Women’s Big Bash as well. This year, it has already hosted nine games and it is scheduled to host a couple more on the final day of the group stages.

Toss: To Bowl

With the rain around, both teams will want to field first. Moreover, this has been a tournament where teams batting second have found more success. But Brisbane Heat have won doing both, so they shouldn’t really mind either way.