Stars aiming to keep momentum with fast start: BBL|15 preview

Momentum is a priceless thing in sport and Melbourne Stars had it in spades during their surge to the BBL finals 11 months ago.

Though they went down to eventual runners-up Sydney Thunder in the Knockout final – in their first playoffs appearance in five seasons – coach Peter Moores believes they found their method in their barnstorming run of five straight wins to claim a top four spot last season.

Now, the pressure is on to start KFC BBL|15 with that same momentum so they're not playing catch up at the end of the tournament.

"In my first two years we've started slow and then got better," Moores said.

"The challenge for us is to start well and hold on, and that'll give us more chance of qualification for the finals.

"We found a system and a way of playing; it was proven in the back half of that tournament that it was successful.

"The key for us in the lead up to this season is to remind ourselves exactly what that system was and how we did it."

The Stars will face no sterner test of that system than in their opening game of BBL|15 against reigning champions Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG, who started their campaign on Tuesday with a solid win over the Thunder, the team they beat to lift the trophy in January.

BBL|15 club previews

Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Renegades

Stars | Scorchers | Sixers | Thunder

"It'll be a tough game," Moores said. "It's a brilliant benchmark for us; if you beat them up front, you can take a huge amount of belief out of it as a team.

"The key will be that we play our style of game, we play the way we want to play. Because moving forward, we then go on the road and we've got quite a quick run of games."

Instrumental in that late-season comeback in BBL|14 was the Stars ability to take wickets with the new ball, led by quicks Mark Steketee and Joel Paris.

But with Steketee to miss the entire season with a hamstring injury and Paris returning home to Perth Scorchers during the off-season, the Stars will need to find a new pair of opening bowlers in BBL|15.

Moores' side have restructured their attack this season, recruiting experienced leg-spinner Mitch Swepson and young quick Tom Whitney from Brisbane Heat, while fast bowler Liam Hatcher returns to the club after a stint with the Thunder.

And they've still got plenty of new ball options with the evergreen Peter Siddle to play on past his 41st birthday and Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf back in the Big Bash this summer. Captain Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell have also both opened the bowling for Australia in T20 cricket.

"We need somebody to step in," Moores said. "Those early wickets were key for us and 'Stek' did a great job coming in (halfway through last season).

"We've got two good options in Haris Rauf and Liam Hatcher (both) coming back to us.

"Peter Siddle was brilliant last season and we've got our allrounders – Tom Curran likes bowling up front and Marcus Stoinis has taken the new ball, so there's plenty of seam options there.

"We're going to have an interesting debate finding the formula that fits best to make sure we're targeting early wickets and then we can still get wickets in the middle, because if you let those good players get too close to the back end, they hurt you."

Last season

Result: Fourth

 

Most runs: Glenn Maxwell (325)

 

Most wickets: Mark Steketee (15)

BBL|15 squad

Austin Anlezark, Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Jon Merlo, Haris Rauf, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Tom Whitney. Replacement player: Aryan Sharma

 

Ins: Liam Hatcher (Thunder), Mitch Swepson (Heat), Tom Whitney (Heat), Aryan Sharma

 

Outs: Beau Webster (Hurricanes), Joel Paris (Scorchers), Brody Couch (Scorchers), Peter Handscomb, Blake Macdonald, Doug Warren

 

Internationals: Joe Clarke (England), Tom Curran (England), Haris Rauf (Pakistan)

 

Head coach: Peter Moores

Season schedule

Possible best XIs

Full strength: Joe Clarke, Sam Harper (wk), Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Peter Siddle, Haris Rauf, Mitch Swepson, Scott Boland

 

For the first game: Joe Clarke, Sam Harper (wk), Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Peter Siddle, Liam Hatcher, Haris Rauf, Mitch Swepson

Player availability

Scott Boland didn't play for the Stars last season due to his Test commitments, and he again won't be available until after the Ashes. Mark Steketee has been ruled out of the season with a hamstring injury, with the club bringing in teenage left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Aryan Sharma as a replacement player, who was last week named in Australia's Under-19 World Cup squad for next year's tournament.

The Stars' overseas recruits – Tom Curran, Haris Rauf and Joe Clarke – are all available for the full BBL|15 season as well as finals.

Overseas recruits

Tom Curran (England): Returns for the second year of his Stars contract after a frustrating BBL|14 campaign when he missed five matches with a calf injury. An experienced and dynamic T20 allrounder who has represented England in the shortest format on 30 occasions, Curran adds balance to the Stars' middle to lower order while also being able to bowl in any situation of the innings.

The right-armer was part of Oval Invincibles' third straight Hundred title in August, while in the Big Bash he has 56 wickets in 42 games with the Sixers and Stars, while his 441 BBL runs have come at a strike rate of 140. "He's a situational player," said Moores. "His quality as a player is in winning the big moments."

Haris Rauf (Pakistan): The second pick in June's overseas player draft, MCG fan favourite Haris Rauf returns for his fourth stint with Stars and adds firepower to their bowling line up in BBL|15. His first season with the Stars (BBL|09) yielded 20 wickets including a hat-trick at a strike rate of 11.3 – a figure that has been fewer than 13.3 in all bar one of his BBL campaigns.

Capable of producing frightening speeds, Rauf is now an experienced T20 campaigner with 94 international caps and 341 wickets from 253 matches in the format. A genuine wicket-taker with pace, bounce and clever variations, the Stars hope he will prove a match-winner again in BBL|15.

Joe Clarke (England): Back at the Stars again for a full season after a brief two-game cameo as a replacement player last season, Clarke gives the side much-needed reliability at the top of the order as well as another wicketkeeping option alongside Victorian gloveman Sam Harper. Taken with pick 18 in the draft, the right-hander is a two-time player of the season winner at the Stars, with his BBL average an impressive 27.41 with a top score of 101 not out, scored against the Hurricanes at the MCG in BBL|12.

"It's nice to get Joe Clarke back for a full season, Tom Curran comes back for his second season and Haris Rauf, so having three overseas players all available for the full tournament we'll hopefully be really settled as a group," Moores said.

Inside word with Stars coach Peter Moores

Arrival of Mitch Swepson

Since Adam Zampa was traded to the Renegades three seasons ago, the Stars have lacked a high-quality local spinner, going to the draft each year to get the likes of Usama Mir and Imad Wasim.

Mitch Swepson is that guy, arriving at the Stars as a Big Bash champion with the Heat following an exceptional decade-long career with his hometown team that's yielded 72 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66.

The MCG, his new home ground, is the most productive venue of his BBL career outside of the Gabba with 13 wickets in eight games at an exceptional economy of 6.27.

"I'm excited because Mitch Swepson has come over," Moores said. "He gives us another angle to attack in the middle overs.

"Every time you can get two spinners bowling at the same time at the MCG, it's powerful. Maxwell is better than anybody ever gives him credit for, he's very canny operator.

"We've started to find our style here (at the MCG) and we need to win at home to become a good team."

All-round depth

Between Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright and Tom Curran, the Stars' middle order is stacked with allrounders. Add in Campbell Kellaway, whose left-arm spin according to Moores has developed enough to provide skipper Stoinis with another slow bowling option, and the Stars have batting depth and an abundance of players to throw the ball to if required.

"In good T20 sides, you need batting down to number eight," Moores said. "The number eight might not always get in that much, but it gives security to everybody else to really stay aggressive.

"If we're going well, there's times to release Stoinis, 'Maxi' and Hilton. In a good team, there's a bit of flexibility within that order to be able to release the right player at the right time and I think this team is now mature enough to be able to handle that.

"Maxwell, he can win a game from anywhere. The key for us is making sure there's enough support around that so we're not relying on one player. At times it has felt that (we) rely too much on a Marcus Stoinis or a Maxwell – they're great people to have in your team, but we're going to win it as a team and that's what we started to see last season. We want Tom Rogers, Kellaway, Sam Harper and other guys … stepping up."

Player to watch

"Campbell Kellaway excites me. I can't guarantee he's in the team, but Campbell is that bloke that if he gets on the park, it's going to be really interesting how he goes because he hasn't really had that much (T20) opportunity yet and you've got to earn your opportunity.

"He's handled it pretty well so far around the red-ball stuff – he's a strong and powerful lad and it feels like he's starting to understand himself. He's always had a good bat swing; he's always had talent, but it feels to me like he's just getting to that age now where he's starting to work it out and has that belief in his own ability."

"From our senior arm, Tom Curran had a quiet season because of injury, and I think he's going to really want to try and connect to some of the form he showed for the Sixers and if he does, he'll be a real key for us in that crucial middle order role."

Who will the Stars play in the Final?

"Hobart were so dominant last season. I think the Scorchers might start to come with a bit of a charge again after having a bit of a slower season last summer, but I think Hobart will get to the final again, but struggle at the 'G when we beat them (on Thursday)."