The longest Big Bash League season to date comes to an end on Sunday when the Adelaide Strikers host the Hobart Hurricanes in the final of the competition. That means we are guaranteed a new winner of the title with neither of these franchises having won it before.
Adelaide Strikers will actually be competing in their first final and they get to host it at the Adelaide Oval. The Hurricanes have been to the final before and lost and they will not want a repeat of that in this match.
Adelaide Strikers
The Strikers have been one of the teams of the season and definitely deserve their spot in this final. They were in the top two in the table for much of the campaign but they had to work hard in the semi-final to make it here. In a match that always looked like whoever held their nerve would win it, the Strikers held theirs better than the Renegades to make it through.
Much of the success of the Adelaide side this season has been through their bowling attack and we saw shades of that in the semi-final when they performed so well with the ball in the closing overs. Their attack has been that good that we have forgotten about their top four at times. The concern is if they don’t fire.
Hobart Hurricanes
The surprise packages of the season have shown no fear at any stage and if anything the Hobart Hurricanes are getting better and better with every passing match. Their performance in the semi-final against the Perth Scorchers was emphatic and dominant with both the bat and the ball and if they maintain that standard they will be tough to beat.
The beauty of this Hurricanes side is that they have match winners right throughout their side and with the bat and the ball. They have the right mix of belligerent power and craft with the bat and then with the ball the variations they have in their attack means that George Bailey can always be a step ahead of the game.
Team News
We have finally had confirmation that Australia are releasing Travis Head and Alex Carey for this final but they have kept Billy Stanlake so he will be missing. Rashid Khan has left for international duty and he leaves a huge hole.
Hobart Hurricanes have been informed that they will have the services of D’Arcy Short for this final after he had to miss the semi-final. Tymal Mills has once again been left out of the squad while Cameron Boyce could come back into the team.
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Match Betting
I like the Hobart Hurricanes here. I don’t think this will be a blowout final by any stretch of the imagination but I love the power they have right the way through their batting order and then with the ball they have the x-factor in Jofra Archer and perfectly competent performers such as Dan Christian and Cameron Boyce.
Throughout the competition I have had reservations about the Adelaide batting once their top four make way and we saw shades of why when they almost threw a good position away in the semi-final. The big thing here is there is no Rashid Khan to fall back on and without Billy Stanlake too the Strikers attack doesn’t look as daunting. We saw Head resort to Khan when the Renegades were getting away from them in the semi-final but without him there might be nobody to change the game situation back in their favour. It is the Hurricanes for me.
Specials Betting
I’m expecting to see a few sixes in this final. We have two aggressive top orders and bowling attacks which can go on a ground which is set up for sixes. Although the stadium has only had two days to prepare for this final it is very rare to see a bad pitch at the Adelaide Oval so the tournament should get the showcase it deserves to conclude it in terms of big hits and things.
There were 14 sixes when these two met on this ground earlier in the season and I certainly expect to see at least 11 if not a few more on top. With that in mind it is over 10.5 sixes that takes my fancy here.
I’ll have a dabble on the man of the match market too where Ben McDermott looks overpriced at 12/1. We saw in the semi-final that he can go ballistic when he gets himself in. I would expect a batsman to nail this award given the short square boundaries which can exaggerate any score and strike rate. McDermott made 45 here when the sides last met and 67* in the semi-final so he’s in nick and has to be overpriced to be the man of the match.
Tips
Back Hobart Hurricanes to beat Adelaide Strikers for a 4/10 stake at 2.05 with William Hill
Back them here:
WON – Back Over 10.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with BetVictor
Back it here:
Back B.McDermott Man of the Match for a 1/10 stake at 13.00 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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