It was one of those awkward television moments.
Fox pundit Adam Gilchrist had just finished picking apart the Melbourne Stars BBL12 season when the show's anchor, Kath Loughnan, crossed to Aaron Finch for comment.
Finch, captain of the Melbourne Renegades, whose team had advanced to the finals the night before, made the wise decision to let it through to the keeper, invoking his right to "Plead the Fifth" and avoiding unwarranted self-incrimination. Gilchrist's criticism appeared to be both unscripted and spontaneous, catching his colleagues off guard.
Before we get to Gilchrist’s narrative, I believe it’s worth noting the conflicts of interest that are ever-present in Fox Cricket’s coverage. Ex-players profligate the commentary box, which is all well and good— a story for another day—current players commentating, though, are continually placed in compromised situations, as was the case with Aaron Finch in this instance.
Gilchrist's comments shouldn't be surprising, considering the Melbourne Stars' performances throughout BB12. Stars supporters could argue the rhetoric was long overdue.
Gilchrist described their season as "extremely disappointing," adding, "People may say they’ve had six or seven last-over finishes and didn’t get the rub of the green." "I don’t buy that; they’ve had a lot of internal issues." He pointed at "cultural issues" that he is aware of and stated, "There are always 50/50 moments in games, and if your culture is right and everyone is in sync, often you find a way to win those moments." Finishing, "There will be a lot of questions asked." "A good, honest review is needed, and they need to work out who’s on board and who isn’t." Gilchrist’s answer to his own question was damning: "I don’t believe so." Insinuating that some players are not on board. Strong words.
The Stars completed a 3-11 season, leaving them four points adrift at the foot of the ladder and a whopping 16 points behind the ladder leaders, the Perth Scorchers. The gap between the two organisations is night and day.
This headline tells the abject story, found front and centre on the Melbourne Stars website.
"Season ends with another tense finish." And, then, "In another close finish, the Melbourne Stars came desperately close to winning their final game of BBL12 against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG."
And then there was Twitter, granted it can be the Wikipedia of authentic comment, however, the overwhelming apathy from the Stars faithful was hard to ignore. I’m sure the Stars media department are across this. They should be, and they might also pay more attention to the authenticity of their headlines.
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The model for both Cricket Victoria (CV) and Cricket New South Wales (CNSW) is challenging. The Stars and Renegades are centrally managed by Cricket Victoria, with The Sixers and Thunder managed by Cricket New South Wales.
At face value, one is succeeding and the other is failing.
Cricket Victoria abolished independent boards for both teams four or five years ago, leaving current CEO Nick Cummins to oversee both clubs. Control, cost savings, and COVID all contributed to the decision.
I see no reason why both Melbourne teams cannot thrive independently of each other, as they do in Sydney—it seems the relationship between the CNSW teams is very different from the relationship between the CV teams. They appear to be more autonomous of one another.
So, The Renegades will fly the CV flag in the finals series. With the exception of the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers, The Renegades could be a good each-way bet. Aaron Finch might be keeping his words to himself!
A quote from The Renegades coach, David Saker, "Hopefully we can keep riding this beautiful journey." He was equally poetic with ball in hand!
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I’m pretty sure we nailed the last predictions, and I owe you an explanation of the Finals series?
Here we are:
Tonight - The Eliminator (4th vs 5th) - Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat at Sydney Showgrounds Stadium.
The Qualifier (28th January) - Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers at Perth Stadium.
The Knockout (29th January) - Melbourne Renegades vs winner of the Eliminator.
The Challenger (2nd February) - loser of the Qualifier vs winner of the Knockout
The Final (4th February) - Qualifier winner vs Challenger winner
The Sydney Thunder will need to overcome the karma of being dismissed for 15 at this venue. If they can, I expect them to account for The Heat, who are coming off some extended travel and a stumbling performance last time out. The Thunder to proceed—surely Mr. Warner will catch fire.
It’s hard to pick against the Perth Scorchers at home. So I won’t! A total of 185,431 fans have watched The Scorchers at home this season. Home support should be a significant contributor in this eagerly awaited match-up. I wonder if Emperor Mark McGowan will be watching on! How good it would be if Steve Smith could drop one on him.
If my first pick eventuates it will be The Renegades and The Thunder—Sunday night in Melbourne. We’re on The Renegades—look for Will Sutherland to have his hands in the game; he’s a star on the rise. Kane Richardson—Mr. Dependable—will be right there also.
That’s as far as we should go for now. If The Scorchers do win Saturday night, then the final will be back in the West on February 4. There will be no stopping M. McGowan.
As always, I appreciate you being here!