BBL|14 preview: Aggressive Renegades seek to entertain

Melbourne Renegades are riding high after securing their maiden women's Big Bash title already this summer and will be hoping that momentum carries through to the men's competition as they look to climb back into the top four.

Savvy recruiting has the club's list in a strong position even after the retirements of legends Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh following their disappointing seventh-place finish last season.

First-time head coach Cameron White has replaced David Saker and new full-time captain Will Sutherland takes the reigns of team with an exciting blend of youth and experience.

Likely top three Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Brown and New Zealand import Tim Seifert offer plenty of power up front, while experienced internationals Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson will lead the bowling attack.

Rising England star Jacob Bethell has made his international debut in all three formats since being drafted in September and the Renegades pulled off a huge coup by prising Laurie Evans away from Perth Scorchers to strengthen their middle-order.

And with Aussie Under-19 World Cup winner Harry Dixon banging on the door for an opportunity having hit 58 off 23 balls for St Kilda in Premier Cricket last weekend, including 34 runs off the one over, competition will be hot for spots this season.

"It really feels like there's a lot of energy around the place and the office upstairs is full of confidence," White told cricket.com.au.

"Starting the season fast is an important part of a Big Bash season of 10 games and you try not to be playing catch up too much."

Last season: Seventh (2 wins, 6 losses, 2 no result)

 

BBL|14 squad: Jacob Bethell (England), Josh Brown, Xavier Crone, Harry Dixon, Laurie Evans (England), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert (New Zealand), Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Adam Zampa. Signed replacement player: Hassan Khan (USA/Pakistan), Callum Stow

 

Ins: Josh Brown (Heat), Gurinder Sandhu (Thunder), Tim Seifert (New Zealand), Laurie Evans (Scorchers), Jacob Bethell (England), Marcus Harris, Xavier Crone, Callum Stow

 

Outs: Aaron Finch (retired), Shaun Marsh (retired), Nic Maddinson (Thunder), Akeal Hosein (Sixers), Peter Siddle (Stars), Ruwantha Kellapotha

 

BBL|14 Draft picks: Laurie Evans (pick 3 – Platinum), Jacob Bethell (pick 10 – Gold), Tim Seifert (pre-signed, allocated pick 23 – Gold)

Season fixture

Player availability

Depending on his workloads across the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Nathan Lyon could be available for the Renegades' final three games of the regular season against Melbourne Stars (January 12), Hobart Hurricanes (January 14) and Brisbane Heat (January 18).

New 'Bazball' sensation Jacob Bethell will miss at least the Renegades' season opener against the Sixers due to the third Test between New Zealand and England which is scheduled to finish on December 18. England also have a five-match T20 series against India starting on January 23, meaning he 21-year-old won't be around for finals should the Renegades qualify.

Kiwi recruit Tim Seifert has signed a two-year deal to be available for the entire season, while top draft pick Laurie Evans is available for most of the home-and-away season before jetting off to the UAE's ILT20 competition.

Squad reinforcements

The Renegades have signed Victorians Marcus Harris and Xavier Crone on one-year deals on the eve of the BBL|14 season. Harris has played just three T20 matches in the past four years and previously played for the Renegades from BBL|06 to |12. He returns to the club after impressing in a middle-order role during a pre-season tournament in Darwin.

Crone meanwhile has recently broken into the Vics' Sheffield Shield team with strong performances against Western Australia and Queensland. He played two games for the Stars in BBL|11.

Possible best XIs

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Brown, Tim Seifert (wk), Jacob Bethell, Laurie Evans, Jon Wells, Will Sutherland (c), Tom Rogers, Nathan Lyon, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa

 

For the first game: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Brown, Tim Seifert (wk), Mackenzie Harvey, Laurie Evans, Jon Wells, Will Sutherland (c), Tom Rogers, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa

Inside word with new Renegades coach Cameron White

Coaching mantra

"This is my first head coaching job so (there's) no particular style or anything, but I'm just interested in encouraging the players to play with freedom. If you think about some of the players in our team, there's some pretty aggressive players – Josh Brown, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Laurie Evans and Jacob Bethell – so we'll hopefully play a pretty entertaining brand of cricket that people, and especially the Renegades fans, want to come and watch."

New captain Will Sutherland

"I really enjoy working with Will, his passion and want to win for the club is unquestionable. He's very open to learning and using senior players to help him negotiate his way through his first full season as skipper. He obviously did a little bit of it last year and a fair bit for Victoria, so looking forward to working with him throughout the tournament and years to come.

"He's tracking well (in his recovery from a side strain). He has bowled a fair bit in the last week and is due to bowl again (on Tuesday) and then we've got a practice game against the Stars on Thursday. If he gets through that, he should be on track to bowl in the first game up in Sydney (on December 16)."

The bating unit

"If I watch other T20 sides around the world … and even the Australian set-up, everyone seems to be going pretty hard these days; I think the team and players that we've got fit that game style and will be pretty entertaining to watch.

"One of the things you want to do is make sure that roles are pretty clear throughout your team. We've got a fair bit of experience through the middle-order as well – Laurie Evans, Jon Wells, Marcus Harris and Mackenzie Harvey has played a fair bit for the Renegades."

Overseas recruits

Tim Seifert (New Zealand): "We needed a wicketkeeper that could bat in the top six. One of the things I've enjoyed while watching Tim from afar is he's playing around the world as a freelance T20 player and a lot of the teams he has played in have won trophies."

Laurie Evans (England): "I think everyone in the changeroom has been on the receiving end of a couple of good innings from Laurie so I'm glad we're on the same team. His statistics at number five are world class and we know that he's done it not only at probably the hardest ground at Optus Stadium (for the Scorchers) but he also played a fantastic innings at Marvel Stadium in a final against the Sixers. He fitted exactly what we needed, and we were lucky to get him in the draft."

Jacob Bethell (England): "When we picked him, he was still playing for Warwickshire, and we might have just got word he was in the T20 squad for England. Since then, he's gone T20Is, one-dayers and now into Test matches (against New Zealand) – even if you weren't watching, if that's the level the England camp think he's at, he must be a pretty exciting all-round talent with bat, ball and he's one of the best fielders in the world.

"When I picked him (in September) I was probably thinking he's be a five or six … but now he's batting three in Test matches, and he's quickly moved to number four in ODI cricket, so I think he'll probably be at number four for us."

Players to watch

"Fergus O'Neill has had a fantastic domestic season with Victoria so far. He played a couple of games for the Renegades last season so with more opportunity it could be interesting to see what he can do with his skill set in T20; I think he's got a skill set which he'll be able to adapt to all conditions and all grounds.

"And Jake Fraser-McGurk – everyone knows the talent so keen to see that on display as well."

Teams to beat

"It's the usual three for me – Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes. Hobart, they've always had a very strong list over the last couple of years. We happen to play those three teams in our first three games, which I think is a good thing."

Season previews: Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Renegades | Stars | Scorchers | Sixers | Thunder

BKT Big Bash Tipping is back! Simply select who you think will win each match and you’ll be in with the chance to win $1k every week, plus KFC vouchers and signed merch. Join now