Without a win from six starts this summer in the BBL, could things get much worse for Sydney Thunder?
Monday morning’s announcement that paceman James Pattinson and in-form opener Aaron Finch have been released from Australia’s one-day international squad to play for the Melbourne Renegades against the Thunder on Tuesday night can hardly have helped morale.
The Thunder are sweating on the fitness of Sri Lanka import Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has a back injury.
Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis is keen to test himself against Finch at Etihad Stadium where the straight boundaries are long enough to offer a bit more protection than his home ground at ANZ Stadium.
But the Renegades have a Sri Lanka spin wizard of their own in Muttiah Muralitharan who will play a key role in deciding if the Renegades can keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The sixth-placed Renegades have a 2-3 record and are shooting for at least two wins from their last three games to squeeze into the top four.
Finch is not only the BBL’s leading scorer with 262 runs at an average of 65.50, he’s fresh from Sunday night’s 121 in Australia’s ODI win over England at the MCG.
“You always have to have your captain back,” Muralitharan said.
“He’s our best player. He’s one of the best (limited overs) batsmen in the world.
“So it’s good for us to get into a winning mode because we had a bad loss against the Stars last match.
“If we start winning then we can go further in the tournament.
“We have a chance so it’s up to us to grab it.”
The Thunder have lost 19 matches in a row, despite 38-year-old skipper Mike Hussey’s 228 runs at an average of 38 this season.
Test cricket’s record wicket taker Muralitharan says complacency won’t be an issue.
“We’re going to play our best cricket on the day because we need the win badly, unlike them, because we can qualify,” said Muralitharan, 41.
“It’s hard for them. It’s a disappointment for them not winning a game for 19 games.”
Muralitharan has taken five wickets at an average of 22 in five games, while Mendis has claimed 1-60 in two matches.
Mendis, who has twice claimed six wickets in a T20 international, says he won’t be trying to prove anything to his idol.
“I can’t compare with Murali because he’s the world No.1 bowler. He’s a great spinner,” Mendis said.
