Molineux to miss again as stage set for crunch MCG derby

Sophie Molineux will miss Friday’s Melbourne derby at the MCG, with the Renegades captain continuing to manage a knee injury.

Molineux has missed the club’s past three matches after experiencing soreness following one of the best weekends of her WBBL career, which saw her bag 4-17 then hit 64 in back-to-back games.

The Renegades remain hopeful their skipper will return this season, and Molineux has continued to travel with the team and has undergone regular fitness tests.

But with a potential return to finals looming – not to mention a packed summer of Australia that includes two ODI series in December before the multi-format Ashes in January – a cautious approach is being taken with the spin-bowling allrounder.

"I know Soph will be frustrated," Renegades leg-spinner Georgia Wareham said at the MCG on Thursday.

"She's got a lot of support behind her and she's doing all the work to get back – probably taking a cautious approach, she's approaching it day-by-day at the moment.

"She's still a massive part of the group, she’s meeting with the coaches probably every day, she’s travelling with us and she still does a lot of work behind the scenes with our group.

"That’s been really good, although she'd be pretty frustrated not being out there."

In good news for the Renegades, opening batter Courtney Webb has been included in the squad after she was forced to retire hurt in Tuesday's win over Adelaide. 

The second Melbourne derby of the season looms as a crucial game for both teams, given the tight battle for top-four spots in the milestone 10th WBBL season.

The Renegades have won four of seven games to date and are among five teams currently sitting on eight points, but will have just two games remaining following the derby.

They will head in full of confidence after pulling off the biggest run chase in WBBL history earlier this week, reeling in a target of 186 to defeat reigning champions Adelaide Strikers.

In comparison the Stars are in seventh spot, with two wins from five matches and still half of their regular season left to play.

They have had a six-day break since losing to the Renegades in the first derby last weekend, and Sutherland said it was time for the Stars to recapture momentum heading into a period that will see them play their final five games in the space of nine days.

"We didn't quite get the results we wanted with two losses on the weekend, but the thing about the schedule is it rolls on pretty quickly, and I think that gives us a chance to create some momentum hopefully starting tomorrow," Sutherland said.

"We reviewed the last two games well and had some constructive conversations about the way we played and the things we're doing well – we are doing a lot well, particularly with the ball, I think girls are being exceptional.

"And then tweaking a couple of things with the bat, committing to the style of play we want … we want to entertain and be nice and aggressive, especially up top, given the depth in our order.

"Going into the season, it felt like it was always going to be a tight one in terms of the ladder.

"Two games ago we were second, and now we're seventh, so it changes pretty quickly and that's a positive for us, because we think we're doing a lot right and it can turn pretty quickly with a couple of wins."

For both teams, the game is a rare chance to play at the MCG, with Friday’s double-header the second set of matches at the iconic venue since the WBBL moved to a standalone window.

For Sutherland and Wareham, it is a taste of what is to come later this summer, when Australia host England in a day-night MCG Ashes Test.

"It's pretty special, just given the history of this ground," Sutherland said.

"That's been the message to the playing group, to try and soak it up.

"It's pretty cool to get the chance to play out here at any stage in your career and I know the girls are very excited to get out here tomorrow night."

Melbourne Stars squad: Annabel Sutherland (c), Yastika Bhatia, Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Maisy Gibson, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Ines McKeon, Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid, Deepti Sharma

 

Melbourne Renegades squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Charis Bekker, Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	7	4	3	0	0	0.572	0	8
2 Sydney Thunder Women THU	6	4	2	0	0	0.248	0	8
3 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	6	4	2	0	0	0.205	0	8
4 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	7	4	3	0	0	0.171	0	8
5 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	7	4	3	0	0	0.084	0	8
6 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	7	3	4	0	0	-0.425	0	6
7 Melbourne Stars Women STA	5	2	3	0	0	0.191	0	4
8 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	7	1	6	0	0	-0.968	0	2

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points