The Sixers and the ‘Canes both provided sporadic scores during their double game week (DGW) with popular picks in Ben McDermott (135) and Tim David (127) proving their worth, while Super PODs like Caleb Jewell (152) and Zak Crawley (102) certainly rewarded owners who took the leap!

However, Matty Wade (29) did not make his large percentage of owners very happy over the weekend; nor did the bowling trio of Riley Meredith (28), Nathan Ellis (51) and Paddy Dooley (56).

After a couple weeks of losing touching distance with the top of the pack, I’m finally on an upwards trend thanks to 1028 points which moved me up to 388^th.

But now, the show has really started with not one, not two, but THREE teams on the double this week!

Luckily for us, they’re also pretty relevant teams (except the Stars). The Scorchers currently rank as the highest scoring SuperCoach team this season, while the Strikers rank third.

It’s an exciting time of year for SuperCoaches, and this DGW presents a great opportunity to climb the ranks and move past the pack!

Round 3 DGW

Melbourne Stars v Hobart Hurricanes & Adelaide Strikers (Blundstone Arena & MCG)

Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Renegades & Melbourne Stars (Adelaide Oval & MCG)

Perth Scorchers v Brisbane Heat & Sydney Thunder (The Gabba & Sydney Showgrounds)

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Stars

At face value – especially with Stoin under an injury cloud – I think it’s feasible to fade the Stars boys for their double.

I’ll keep this short, sharp, and shiny because I would only properly consider three players for my side: Joe Clarke, Luke Wood, and Beau Webster.

If you’re feeling risky, there’s a couple others you could go.

Best Bat: Joe Clarke, Luke Wood, Beau Webster

Best Bowl: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa

Top Pick: Beau Webster

POD: Nathan Coulter-Nile

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Beau Webster

Let’s not beat around the bush with our boy Beau. Alliteration aside, with Stoin out of the team, Webster might just be my #1 trade-in option this week.

The last time Stoin didn’t play was in Round 4 and Beau scored 139 SuperCoach points against the Sixers thanks to 78 runs and a wicket…

Lock him in.

Joe Clarke

Maybe we’re clutching at straws with Joe Clarke after his Round 1 heroics, because has he really done anything since then to justify a trade-in over the Strikers and Scorchers boys?

He’s averaging just 36 points from his last six games (which definitely isn’t terrible!), but I think there are much better options out there with way more upside.

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Luke Wood/Nathan Couter-Nile

If my gut feeling regarding the top order of the Stars’ batting line-up is right (that they suck), these two should be able to get a decent bat. Add bowling four overs to that – and more notably the fact that Wood now bowls death – and all of a sudden, I genuinely don’t mind these guys as options.

Adam Zampa

Zamps has been underwhelming yet again with three scores below 10 already this season. It’s hard for me to recommend him given his inconsistency BUT… Actually no, never mind. Just don’t bring Adam Zampa into your sides; it’s simple.

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Strikers

Fresh off their incredible run chase against the ‘Canes, the Strikers will be up and about! Not only because they’re playing in a DGW, but because they will be getting back some absolute superstars in Travis Head and Alex Carey.

While it hasn’t been fully confirmed if they will play the first game of the double, they should both be at the very top of your targets.

In general, the Strikers top order are at the peak of their powers, with Matt Short (178) coming off the back of a stellar game-winning 100* and Chris Lynn with 87 and 64 runs respectively in his last two games.

The bowling (in particular Harry Conway) has dropped off slightly, but I still think they are great options against the two Melbourne teams this week.

Best Bat: Matt Short, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Chris Lynn, Adam Hose

Best Bowl: Henry Thornton, Wes Agar, Colin de Grandhomme

Top Picks: Matt Short, Travis Head, Henry Thornton

POD: Adam Hose

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Matt Short/Travis Head

Let’s start with the obvious one. First of all, if you don’t own Matt Short, my heart goes out to you. Secondly, if you don’t want to bring him in because of his high price, just bring him in anyway. Thirdly, the only reason I won’t pick Head is if he isn’t named for the first game; that’s the only reason. Capiche? Capiche.

Alex Carey

There’s a lot of uncertainty surround whether a). Carey will play the first game, and b). where exactly he will bat. Some people are saying he’ll open, others are saying he’ll bat at four; this time last year when both he and Head returned, Carey opened and Head came in at four… Will it be the same? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.

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Chris Lynn

Given Lynn’s form at the moment, I can’t see him batting in any position other than three. I am wary of his impact now though, because I think a large reason as to why he has scored so well this season is because of Weatherald’s/Hunt’s/Gibson’s inability to build an innings. With Carey/Head opening alongside Short, Lynn will likely see far less overs. However, that’s not to say that when he does inevitably walk out to the crease he won’t go ballistic. With these two games being his last for the season before he departs, I think it’s very likely he adopts a permanent hit out or get out mentality.

Adam Hose

Looking for consistency? Looking for a POD? Lock in Adam Hose. He will move down the order a tad, but he’s shown that regardless of how many overs he bats for, he can still impact the game. He has scored under 28 SuperCoach points just once, while also putting up scores of 79, 86, and 73. His upside is great, and I think there’s very minimal downside.

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Henry Thornton/Wes Agar

This one is a bit of a coin flip. At the moment, I’m leaning towards Thornton just because Wes’ downside is too hard to turn a blind eye to (scores of 25, 19, and 11 so far this season). Both are in some pretty shocking form though, but that matchup with the Stars in the second game of the double is looking goooood.

Colin de Grandhomme

You wanna talk about consistency? Let’s talk about CDG! From seven games this season, he has five scores above 46 and just ONE score below 39 largely thanks to the fact that he bowls four and bats five. With Head and Carey coming in he’ll likely move down to six, but being the only medium pacer in the side, he should still bowl his full ailment! He’s also definitely a season keeper after the double given his consistency plus the fact that Lynn leaves.

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Scorchers

Despite the loss of Jhye Richardson, the Scorchers till have an absolutely start studded line-up, particularly in the bowling department.

They are the highest scoring SuperCoach team this season, and while that was largely thanks to Richo; Andrew Tye, Josh Inglis, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, and the recent emergence of Cam Bancroft have all largely contributed.

The young gun, Cooper Connolly, debuted last week but may have to make way for the return of Ashton Agar which is unfortunate for owners who are depending on him for a full side this week.

The Wild Thing, Lance Morris, provides some immense value at just $69,200, but can we trust the Scorchers’ bowling rotation??

Best Bat: Aaron Hardie, Cam Bancroft, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis

Best Bowl: Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris, Matthew Kelly

Top Picks: Andrew Tye, Aaron Hardie, Ashton Agar

POD: Matthew Kelly

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Aaron Hardie/Ashton Agar

Aaron Hardie (102) currently has HUGE upside! He showed his dominance batting at three against the Heat, and the only reason he didn’t bowl was because of his very slight injury concern from the week prior. With a game under his belt, he should be fitter, and I’m expecting him to bowl at least a couple overs.

After barely playing in the Sydney Test, Agar should play both games of the double and if he does, he’s a great option to bring in! He has a low score of just 37 this season and is locked in to bowl four and bat seven.

Josh Inglis/Cam Bancroft

Up until two weeks ago, Inglis had a low score of just 39 but now seems to have hit a slight slump. My only concern is that his two lowest scores this season (26 and 26) came against the Thunder and the Heat… The two teams who he plays in the double.

If you’re tossing up between Inglis and Bancroft and need something to sway you one way or another, Bancroft is $49.9k cheaper and is only averaging three less points. He has only played three games this season but already has scores of 61 and 116. The 116 came against the Heat last week who – you guessed it – he plays in the double.

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Andrew Tye/Jason Behrendorff/Lance Morris/Matthew Kelly

There are some very tough decisions to come. With Hardie knocking down the door for a bowl, I imagine these four will be on a rest rotation for the double (and the rest of the season). Both Tye and Dorf haven’t had a rest yet this season so I’d say that if rests do occur, they’d be at the top of the list.

Still, Tye and Dorf in particular have immense upside so I’m willing to take a punt regardless of whether they get rested or not.

For his price, Lance Morris is insane value but at this stage of the season, I’m not really looking at value as an overarching factor when picking up players.

I will, however, take into account over-priced players such as Matthew Kelly. But, if you’re willing to pay up and looking for a POD, he’s probably your guy. I just think risk far outweighs reward with him.

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Final Word

There are options galore this week!! But I might be in a bit of trouble. With Wade and Stoin out, I’m relying heavily on one of Joel Davies/Connolly playing, with the latter seeming much less likely. I haven’t even mentioned Dooley yet!! Let’s just hope he’s fit to play.

I’ll be holding all my ‘Canes players in preparation for their upcoming double in the last game of the season.

OUT: Kerr, Philippe, Lyth, J. Richardson

IN: Head (if named for first game), Webster, Hardie, Thornton

Good luck this week!

Seeing Double: Three bites of the cherry, Stars, Strikers, Scorchers

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