Ford Ranger Cup - Tasmania vs New South Wales Preview

This Sunday the New South Wales Blues make the trip south to picturesque Bellerive Oval to take on the Tasmanian Tigers in Game 8 of the Ford Ranger Cup season.

The Blues will be desperate to come away with a victory after sharing the points with Queensland in their recent rain-interrupted contest at the SCG. With the announcement of the Australian Test team to play in Brisbane this week, the Blues will be without their key run scorer in Phil Jaques, who will be replaced by all-rounder Grant Lambert. Lambert, who broke club records for the most runs in a season last year, will partner Ed Cowan at the top of the order and will be looking to get NSW off to a flying start.

The Blues will once again rely heavily on run machine Simon Katich. Following a stunning triple-hundred in the recent Pura Cup match against a strong Queensland attack, Katich will be full of confidence and hungry for more runs. The middle order will welcome back wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who also scored a hundred in the Pura Cup match. Haddin's powerful hitting could be vital during the new batting Power Plays on the small Bellerive Oval.

New South Wales will once again field a strong bowling lineup, highlighting the exceptional depth of their bowling. Even with three bowlers in the Australian Test match squad, the Blues will look for early breakthroughs through the experience of Nathan Bracken, who will be well supported by Doug Bollinger, Matthew Nicholson and Mark Cameron. Expect Nathan Hauritz to also play a crucial containing role with his off spin.

Unlike NSW, Tasmania's previous Ford Ranger Cup matches have been full of points with bonus points being awarded in each of their three contests this year. They come off two impressive run chases this week against South Australia - chasing 216 off 34 overs in the one day format and 349 off 70 overs on a 4th day wicket in the Pura Cup. Their batsmen are brimming with confidence and will be the key to their success. At the top of the order Dighton, Birt and Di Venuto are in career best form, while the middle order of Marsh and Bailey also have plenty of runs under their belts this season. Wicketkeeping protégé, Tim Paine will bat at number six, and with a Ford Ranger Cup man-of-the-match award already this season, he'll be looking for another big performance.

While Tasmania's strength lies in their batting, their attack is not one to take lightly. Ben Hilfenhaus is back after touring India with the Australian team, and now with some overs under his belt, he is ready to fire. His regular new ball partner, Adam Griffith, is being rested from this game for ongoing management of a previous ankle condition. He is likely to be replaced by Brett Geeves who is coming off a career best 7 wickets in the Pura Cup match. They will be supported by Luke Butterworth and Xavier Doherty who will provide an economical spin option for the Tigers.

It's hard to go past the Tigers in this match as they look to consolidate their position in the top two on the Ford Ranger Cup ladder. While Bookmakers find it hard to split the two sides, I think Tasmania are value this Sunday at around $1.70 at SportsBet Australia.

• 
• 
• Email to a friend
• Print