There is one Big Bash League match on Thursday and it comes from Launceston as the leaders Hobart Hurricanes take one of their home matches away from the Blundstone Arena to face the champions Adelaide Strikers.
Hobart know that if they win this match they will not only make it into the semi-finals but they will be at home in that contest. Adelaide Strikers must win their last three matches and hope it is enough to get to the latter dance.
Hobart Hurricanes
You have to give full credit to the Hobart Hurricanes so far this season. It is not easy staying out in front throughout a tournament of this length but they have shown no sign of weakening, and if anything they are getting stronger when it counts the most. They have been fantastic with the bat all season and if that doesn’t change they look the title winners all ends up.
In the main their bowling has been perfectly acceptable all season too so they really are a good unit. We’ve seen sides dominate when they pressure has been off before and then struggle when the knockout matches begin, and there is still a chance that might happen here, but you sense that the disappointment of losing in the final last year is spurring them on to go all the way this time around.
Adelaide Strikers
It was the Adelaide Strikers who beat the Hobart Hurricanes in that final last year and they have to do it again if they are to have any chance of keeping their title defence alive. The Strikers have lost their last four matches so if they are going to stay competitive they have to end that run against the form team of the competition, which you would have to suggest will take some doing.
Quite simply they have not batted well enough in recent times. They often have one individual go well with the bat but there has been no consistency as a unit and that has cost them dearly. The problem they now have is that the pressure of having to defend nothing has started to affect their bowling attack and that is no longer functioning how we would expect it to.
Team News
The Hurricanes have made one change to their squad for this match with Tom Rogers coming in for Riley Meredith who has been ill recently and hasn’t sufficiently recovered enough to make it for this one.
There have been two changes to the Adelaide Strikers squad with Peter Siddle now on international duty and Matt Short dropped. Harry Nielsen and Wes Agar come in for them while Travis Head remains away as well.
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Betting
I think we’ll see some runs in this match. Hobart have lost one of their control bowlers in Johan Botha so Adelaide will have the chance to accumulate runs as the innings goes on while this Hobart batting line up looks in supreme form whether it is at the top of the order or if they need someone deeper down the batting line up to deliver the goods.
This is only the second match to be held at Launceston but the wicket here wasn’t bad last year and there were a lot of boundaries in the first innings before Hobart didn’t bat very well in the run chase. The runs line here is only 302.5 so if the team batting first gets a decent score then this will be covered. We only need the chasing side to chase 152 to bring this in which feels likely to me.
Tips
WON – Back Over 302.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Betway
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