Shane Warne: Melbourne Stars have all ingredients to capitalise on flying start to BBL campaign
Melbourne Stars are flying under coach David Hussey, sitting top of the BBL table after a 5-1 start. Former Stars skipper Shane Warne says the perennial contender has never had a better platform to be successful. SUPERCOACH TIPS
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Melbourne Stars could not have asked for a better platform for BBL glory.
With five wins from six matches under new coach David Hussey, the Stars are primed to end their run of outs in Big Bash finals.
Hussey’s side has all the ingredients of a genuine contender and their hunger for success has been evident after last year’s disastrous BBL final collapse.
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Australian selectors have done the Stars a huge favour by omitting Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell from the one-day tour of India.
In recent years, their title hopes have been derailed by the absence of key players during the run to finals.
As impressive as Adam Zampa has been in BBL09, the Stars have a quality replacement as their No. 1 spinner in Sandeep Lamichhane.
Peter Handscomb, the other Star selected to tour India, has only faced 72 balls in five matches.
His wicketkeeping role will likely be taken by Ben Dunk, while former Australian all-rounder Hilton Cartwright can slot into the middle-order in a sign of the club’s depth.
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The Stars are the team every SuperCoach should hone in on for Round 7.
They play the first of their two fixtures this round against Sydney Thunder on Wednesday night and will be targeting a clean sweep of their BBL09 derbies when they take on the Renegades on Friday.
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The Stars have provided plenty of joy for SuperCoaches this season.
Paceman Haris Rauf started at $42,000 and his price has skyrocketed by more than $115,000, while Maxwell ranked sixth for total points after Round 6.
Stoinis has averaged 63 points a game despite an injury which has kept him from bowling, while Zampa (60.7), Dale Steyn (56.3) and Lamichhane (50.2) have averaged more than 50.
Maxwell and Stoinis are the type of players every SuperCoach should be aiming to build their team around.
Their quality will be crucial if the Stars are to ice their dominant start with a breakthrough BBL title.
Brisbane Heat, who will soon welcome AB De Villiers, remain the Stars’ biggest threat despite a 3-3 start.
SHANE WARNE’S TEAM
Club 23 Legends — Round 6 scores
Rashid Khan 70
Mitch Marsh 169
Fawad Ahmed C 98
Cameron Green 47
Ashton Agar 34
Riley Meredith 33
Sam Harper 113
Will Sutherland 11
Cameron Boyce 4
D’Arcy Short 173
Caleb Jewell 38
Score: 790
Overall rank: 10,061