Thought i'd get in first here - Poomas - 1. NG Miokovic 2. MSM Monkeywrench 3. KD Jones 4. SA Flack (5) 5. TA Miokovic 6. B Olsen 7. SLO Graham 8. C Man (1) 9. AJ Izett (3) 10. AD Hunt (4) 11. JP Wilkinson (2) Stickies - 1. JP Thornton 2. DG Speirs (5) 3. PE Trainer 4. AJ Parker 5. DA Alessi 6. EI Morris 7. AJ Son (6) 8. MD Dorn (4) 9. BC Jacobs (3) 10. JR Denton (2) 11. SDR Laing (1) Breaking it Down: Openers Stickies have the openers of the season really. Thornton's 1568 @ 62.72 has been consistant, something sorely lacking in the past for him. Speirz has been a superb compliment with 1311 @ 48.56. Between them, they have passed 75 on only 8 occasions together, proving that they are strong individually. In the last 3 rounds, only Thornton has manged 45 against the Ravens, and 58 against the Vipers. Pumas top 2 have been average in comparison. Nick's scored 820 @ 30.67, whilst Peaches has chipped in with 915 @ 36.60. Interestingly, neither Pumas opener has passed 50 in the last 3 rounds, Nick got close with a 38. No Arguments here, advantage Stickies. The Middle Order Stickies middle order is a bit of a mixed bag. Trainer has come back down to earth since a stellar debut, and has ticked over 517 runs @ 32.31. Parker has been fantastic at 4, and is coming off the back of twin centuries against the Ravens to see the Stickies into this match. His 51 average will be needed to counter the strong Pumas lineup. Alessi has been slighty flat this season also, only averaging 29.46, and not going past 92 all season. Morris rounds out the middle order with a respectable 35.82 average. Alot rides on Parker here. The inexperience, and underperforming around him is arguably the biggest weakness in the Stickies Side. Pumas middle order is, quite frankly, class. Jones isn't anything too flash at 3, averaging 28.46. Flack's easily the most vital wicket for the Stickies. Cricsim's Number 1 batsman is averaging 60.04 this season, and has a habit of stepping up when it's needed. Theo's going to be a hunted man this match. With an average of 42, it's hard to believe he spent time in ALC this season. Billy finishes off quite possibly the watch-winning quartet for the Pumas. Whilst 33 doesn't sound like alot, Billy is a seasoned campaigner, and knows what's needed to dig in. Advantage Pumas here. Much the same as the openers, no arguments, Puma's are just simply better. The Lower Order The Stickies 7/8/9 Combo are all new comers to SWXI this season, but have pospered. Mousey comes in on the back of his maiden BS century against the Ravens, and has had a solid season in ALC, racking up 1098 runs at an impressive 52 average. SM has made a fist of BS this season, finally. After 2 on and off seasons, he appears to have found his spot in the stickies, contributing a tidy 36.43 average lower down the order. Incey's been a rock of the lower order. Averaging 30, the seasoned professional has stood up big time, and for filled some pre-season hype that was placed on him The Pumas also will have much confidence in their 7/8/9. Slogga's been fantastic form at 7 for the Pumas. The keeper's been in the thick of it, average 43.10 all season, contributing vital runs down the bottom of the order. Choco's been a pretty decent number 8 for the Pumas. The man known for tormenting batsman, has had his way with bowlers, scoring a half-century, and averaging 15 this season. Roaddogg will sorely tested by the Pumas. Not a world-renowned batsman, his average of just under 6 will be needed to hold up one end, and in fact, his 14 run high score will be a good target for the Kiwi. Well, as far as batting goes, i'm going to call it even. Slogga's been fantastic this season, and being a keeper/batsman i think will give him an advantage over the 3 all-rounders the Stickies have. Bowling Attacks Stickies - Denton/Laing, Jacobs, Dorn, Speirs, Son Pumas - Man/Wilkinson, Izzet, Hunt, Flack Stickies have gone for a spin-dominated attack, with 4-spinning all rounders doing the trick against the Ravens. Denton and Laing have been a fantastic combo this season, and will need to strike early and expose the strong Puma's middle order to the new ball. Pumas attack is pretty consistant, and very classy. Alot will rest on Hunt's shoulders as the sole spinner, but he is the 9th best bowler in Cricsim, and should be able to handle it. With 2 completely different attacks, i can't really compare them. There are alot of quality bowlers here, who on their day, are capable of changing the match. Interesting Facts Both teams clashed in round 1, with the Stickies registering what many considered a suprise 9 wicket win. From those lineups, the Pumas retain virtually the same side, with the only change being L Lover out, and AJ Izett in. The Stickies, have made 3 changes to that side, with Nova, Logan and Whicker all finding their way down to ALC, replaced by Dorn, Son and Trainer. Speirs, once considered a frontline bowler, has only taken 2 wickets in the last 4 rounds of BS. And in the 2 games against the Pumas, hasn't taken a wicket, and given up 33 runs. Flack has had a good time against the Stickies bowlers. Scoring 111, 17, 173 in his turns at the crease. He has fallen to Whicker, Laing, and Jacobs in those bats. Key Players and Predictions I can't definately say what way this is going to go. Either way, i think it will be a 2 or 3 wicket win to whoever takes first innings points. Thornton's overdue for a big game, and i'm picking him to put a stamp on his season, and lead the Stickies Batting attack. Flack's an obvious choice for the Pumas, but i'm going to go Theo. He will want to step up against his former team, and he has the ability to score big here. Denton's the key for the Stickies bowling. He's been in great nick this season, and will make life tough for the lesser skilled Pumas openers. Izzet will be the man who will do the damage for the Pumas. Averaging a tidy 25 with the Ball, he will test the Stickies batsman regularly with his probing lines and lengths. So let the discussion begin on what will be one of the games of the season And no offence meant or anything to the herald by this, i was just wanted to get some discussion going
Yeah good job SM was much needed. Couple fo key things for this match. 1.Stickies should be hoping to get the pumas 3-4 early on and get into that tail early cause lets face it the pumas will either make 250 or 500 imo against the Stickies attack. 2.The Stickies have to hit big in both innings as they cannot rely on their bowling attack like the Pumas can. 3.Spin for the Pumas deck is only 5 IIRC so stickies allready pushing shit up a hill.
The Middle order really is the key. If they fire, we're in shit. But if they go cheaply, the lower and tail will only really add another 20-30 runs
Incey, Denton, and Laing all taking wickets at 30 and under.... Stevil Oval is a road, with Spin Assistance of 4, so i don't think we will be too fussed by the Pumas deck
Agree sort of I'd say the key is not letting their top 3 get more runs than they deserve they've been extremely average all season and Denton and Laing need to make quick work of them to really put pressure on 4,5,6,7 Olsen hasn't been to flash either so if you can pretty much make Flash,Miokovic and Slogga do all the leg work they'll feel the pressure from your spin bowlers.
Also, calling player's by their username = fail. good preview other than that. Afaic, it comes down to the big names. I'm tipping Choco, Muesli and Flack to take the Pumas to victory with their superior class.
