This article focuses on where the Melbourne Renegades have gone wrong in the WBBL 06 and what corrective measures they can take to still compete for a place in the top 4.
MLR – W are currently at the last position in the points table with just 1 win from 6 completed games. Their campaign has been marred by injuries and nothing that they have tried seems to be working. What aggravates their issue is that Georgia Wareham has also been ruled out of the WBBL 06 with an injury. Wareham has been the leading run-scorer in the squad and is the only batter in the side with a SR of over 100 amongst batters to have faced at least 50 balls.
POWER PLAY ISSUES – BATTING UNIT
The power play issues have been evident for the MLR – W. As a batting unit, they have the worst run-rate in this phase of the inning amongst all teams and have the worst bowling average in the power play amongst all teams.
As a batting unit, the pressure is on Lizelle Lee to be the aggressor and do the damage. Molineux is not an aggressive batter by nature and her slow starts do not help the team. With Lee also struggling for form, their issue of scoring runs and escaping the power play unscathed, has become impossible. Their average power play score this year has been 26-2.
The struggle to get going can be proved via the table below where not even a single batter has a SR touching 100 in the power play.
They tried to do something different by letting Leeson open the inning in the previous game against Hobart. They demoted Lee to #4 and Fazackerley continued at #7. Leeson had scores of 0 – 0 – 6 at #8 & #9 before she made an impressive 31* and on the basis of just that one knock, she was promoted to open in a bid to solve their power play woes. The move did not work as Leeson bagged another 0.
Don’t mind such changes being made, but they just seem needless in nature when there are other batters who have proven to be better in that role but not utilized well.
Corrective measure:
Erin Fazackerley was one the most successful and aggressive openers in last year’s WBBL with over 200 runs and SR of 120+. The MLR – W do not seem to have utilized her properly thus leading to a drop in her confidence with the bat.
Let Fazackerley open alongside Lee and let her play her natural game rather than wasting her down the order.
POWER PLAY ISSUES – BOWLING UNIT
The lack of penetration with the ball is very clear with only Rosemary Mair having been able to do the damage in this phase. She has picked 4 out of the total 7 wickets picked by the MLR – W in this phase.
To make their matters worse, their most economical bowler Maitlan Brown is out of the tournament with injury.
Corrective measure:
With must win games approaching, there is very little that the team is left with because of circumstances out of their control and with key players injured.
The best way to do it is include Makinley Blows. Let Mair and Hayward bowl in the power play along with Molineux. Post power play, the likes of Strano and Leeson can be utilized and even an over or two of Fazackerley and Blows, if need be.
They can look to add Neale against teams who do not have a good record against pace, and go for Hayward is a very impressive bowler against teams who are heavy on LHB.
LINE-UP
The team will be further hit with Wareham’s absence after Brown got injured and Duffin withdrawing her name from the WBBL for legitimate reasons. Although Strano has been the best WBBL bowler, she has struggled this year with her line and has managed just 3 wickets in 22 overs at an average in excess of 50.
The new line-up should be as follows and Molineux batting down the order is very important.
Cricket Strategist 