The Melbourne Stars will kick off their BBL|02 campaign against cross-town rivals the Renegades in a match that’s ideal for a tournament opener, according to David Hussey.
“Cricket Australia has got the fixture right, because the first game should be the best game - which is the Melbourne derby,” Hussey said at a media conference alongside captain Shane Warne, Aaron Finch and Muttiah Muralitharan on the eve of the big clash.
“Hopefully everyone turns out for the derby tomorrow night.”
One of the best T20 cricketers in the world, Hussey amassed 243 runs at an average of 40.5 in BBL|01 and was rewarded with the Player of the Series award. He is looking forward to continuing his good form, but is putting the team’s performance ahead of his own glory.
“Last year was pretty successful personally, but we were really disappointed that we didn’t go further into the tournament,” he said.
“I thought we had the squad to go on and win the whole thing. This year, the squad is probably just as good.”
The entire Stars squad will be doing everything they can to win the season opener at Etihad Stadium while building momentum for the season ahead.
“Both teams want to win and are desperate to win. And hopefully we perform a little bit better than the Renegades tomorrow night.”
“It is just a matter of adapting to each occasion, and playing to our roles and our strengths and winning as many games as possible.”
Despite all the attention being on the Stars, Aaron Finch, the Renegades captain said he was confident his team could beat the Stars.
“I think our team together is very good and very capable of going very deep into the tournament,” Finch said.
“Whether you fly under the radar with the players you have in your side through the media, I don’t think that matters. You still have to play the game of cricket at the end of the day.”
Finch cheekily referenced the Stars as the world XI
In an added bonus for the Stars, captain Shane Warne welcomed the services of Matthew Wade back for the clash.
“Wadey will play tomorrow night. Which is great. We are looking forward to having him back. He is such a quality player. So we are enjoying having him back,” he said.
Warne said he was looking forward to starting the season off with a win.
“Melbourne is the sporting capital of the world in my opinion and the Melbourne rivalry between the Renegades and the Stars has built up from last year. So we are looking forward to this year.”
“It is up to us to set the tone as to how the Big Bash is going to be played. [The Renegades] have a very good side and so do we. So it is going to be good entertainment and good cricket.”