Last night’s match is a reasonable contender for the worst performance in Melbourne Stars history. Facing the Sydney Sixers, who were the league’s worst team, the Stars fell for 3-31 thanks to some great bowling from Nathan Lyon. Outside of Glenn Maxwell (28 off 16), the Stars had no performers and spluttered to 7-128, which the Sixers reached with five overs to spare.
The result has a whole load of bad implications for the Stars. They’re back at a rating of 1465, their lowest in history, but the difference is that this time, it’s the worst in the competition. This is the first time that the Stars have had this ‘achievement’ hanging over their heads in BBL history, and they’ll want to shrug this off ASAP.1
In addition, after their loss, they’re only tipped to get 2.43 wins for the year, putting them last on the table. Having swapped with the Sixers, this now means (for the first time all year) the Elo rankings and projected win rankings are identical.
Tonight’s game looks to be close, between the Strikers and the Hurricanes. Hobart’s going for a sixth consecutive victory, and the Strikers are going for top spot on the table. Elo’s going for the Strikers.
1If they knew this existed, and if they cared.
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