Bush Rangers face Central Stags in T20 Champions League

Victorian Bushrangers are the stronger of the two teams, at least on paper, but would be looking to shed their rusty form which perhaps cost them the game against the Warriors. Both the bowling and batting departments need to put up improved performances if the Bushrangers are to win against the Stags. Expect Dirk Nannes and Shane Harwood to look like a different lot of bowlers than they did in the opening game. Rob Quiney, Brad Hodge and Matthew Wade will look to give a better account of their batting reputations.

Central Stags didn’t do all that badly with the ball in the game against CSK. In fact many feel that keeping a Chennai side that boasts names like Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, M Vijay and S Badrinath down to a score of 151 highlights the quality of their pace attack. Yet, if the Stags are to have any real chance of beating the Bushrangers, it is their batsmen, who only put up a total of 94 runs in the game against CSK, who will have to fire.

Key players

Rob Quiney, the Bushrangers’ left-handed opener, had an ordinary game against the Warriors, having found himself back in the pavilion with only a solitary run against his name. Quiney will look to correct that in the match against the Stags.

Doug Bracewell was the standout performer with bat and ball for the Stags against CSK. His 2 for 28 and knock of 30 runs gave the Stags an all-round performer they required desperately in the absence of Jacob Oram. Bracewell will have his task cut out for him as the Victorian side’s pace attack is better than that of CSK as is their handling of fast bowling vis-à-vis the team from Chennai . Nevertheless, expect Bracewell to come good when the going gets tough.

What Next

Playing in a group where the Warriors have already won two games, and a strong Chennai outfit looking like the team to beat, a loss tomorrow for either side will make the route to a semi-final appearance virtually impossible or a function of net run rates. So sit back and anticipate in a high octane encounter with some superlative ground fielding which is the hallmark of Trans-Tasmanian cricket.