The first Big Bash League double header of the campaign is upon us and it begins in Alice Springs early on Friday when the Hobart Hurricanes open up their season as they take on the Sydney Sixers for two valuable points.
The Hurricanes topped the regular season table last term and will be out to prove that they can do likewise this time around, even though they are without a couple of their gun players from that time. The Sixers have already cruised to one victory this season and will be eyeing up another here.
Hobart Hurricanes
It was a great campaign for the Hobart Hurricanes last term until it got to the semi-final then it went a bit sour. Plenty went right for them in the regular season but they took advantage of that and topped the table accordingly, but still couldn’t use home advantage to their favour to make it into the final. They will be looking for a repeat of the early stage of the season but with a little more poise when it really counts.
That could be easier said than done because they don’t look as strong this season as they did for the last one with Jofra Archer not around and Matthew Wade on international duty. Even without Wade though, the Hurricanes look strong with the bat, but there appears a weaker element to their bowling so that is the discipline they might need to overperform in order to make this the sort of campaign they are looking for.
Sydney Sixers
Given who they were playing in it, the Sydney Sixers will be delighted with their display in their opening match. They were in control from the beginning to the end and looked good in doing so, thoroughly deserving their win and it could even have been by an even bigger margin had it not been for a bit of slogging against them at the end of their bowling innings. A repeat of that effort would have them very tough to beat.
There are a couple of question marks over them from that first game. What will happen if their top order were to fail and how will they cope on pitches that don’t suit their bowlers and we’ll get the answer to those over time, but the players they need to be in form were in that opening game, and if you consider teams are often better for the run out, there certainly can’t be a lack of confidence heading into this one for the Sixers.
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Team News
Hobart Hurricanes will be without Matthew Wade who is away with the Test side. Ben McDermott will skipper the side in his absence and one of Caleb Jewell or Mac Wright will open the batting alongside D’Arcy Short in his absence.
Sydney Sixers have chosen to make one change from their win over the Perth Scorchers last time out with Lloyd Pope coming into the squad at the expense of Jack Edwards. It might be that the Sixers are unchanged however.
Betting
I like the Sydney Sixers here I have to admit. I picked them to finish higher than the Hobart Hurricanes heading into the season and I was really impressed with what I saw in that opening match from them. If there is more to come, and there very well could be, then they are going to be a tough nut to crack here I have to say.
I think it is the bowling attacks that can be the difference here. Sydney Sixers just have a lot more depth to theirs. There is no denying they could do with a fifth bowler so Pope being in the squad helps but there are a couple of bowlers in this Hobart side that you would think the likes of Josh Philippe and James Vince can take down and that could be significant. The odds have this being close, and it might turn out to be that, but I like the Sixers here.
Tips
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