The Big Bash League heads to Melbourne for the first time this season on Friday when the Melbourne Stars finally get to play a home match as they host the Adelaide Strikers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
These two met earlier in the week in Adelaide where the Strikers edged home with some lusty late blows so the Stars will be out for revenge in a match which is significantly more important for them than it is their visitors.
Melbourne Stars
After winning just one of their last seven matches the Melbourne Stars have gone from the early pacesetters in the competition to second from bottom and even a win with the Bash Boost point doesn’t get them back into the top five so with just five matches of the regular season remaining they are in great danger of missing out on the finals altogether. You get the impression they’ve been waiting to get back to Melbourne but there is pressure on them to deliver here.
The big concern for me with the Stars is their batting. They haven’t really fired as a unit all season and you get the impression that they are teetering on the edge of panicking and it could all go wrong then. To their credit they have resisted doing that so far but it would help massively if the likes of Andre Fletcher or Hilton Cartwright could find their form. In the main the Stars have gone well with the ball but they might be carrying a bowler or two to be fair.
Adelaide Strikers
This has been an up and down campaign for the Adelaide Strikers but their win over the Stars earlier in the week has kept them above the line in terms of qualifying for the finals for now. A win here would significantly enhance their chances whereas a defeat would have then really needing to be careful over the last few matches of the season as they would be in danger of missing out altogether, which would be a real disappointment for them.
The positive for the Strikers is that they know reinforcements will be arriving from the Australia squad soon. That can give them a lift so if they can win this match things will be looking rosy in their camp. Winning here will not be as comfortable as it was on Monday as they have lost their star man with the ball. That means they could really need their batting unit to stand up and account for that loss. It will be interesting to see how they go here.
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Team News
The Melbourne Stars remain without Nathan Coulter-Nile for this match as his injury still hasn’t recovered despite Marcus Stoinis suggesting otherwise on commentary the other night. Billy Stanlake could come in against his former team.
Rashid Khan has now left for international duty so it could be significant that Peter Siddle comes back into the squad. It hasn’t yet been confirmed whether he is fit to play though or whether this is merely a bluff. Travis Head and Michael Neser remain with Australia.
Betting
I’ve a feeling the runs line might be a bit on the high side here at 306.5. I say that because in only five of the last 17 matches on this ground has this total been covered and two of those were against a traditionally high scoring Hobart Hurricanes side and one of the others was when Marcus Stoinis had a night out against the Sydney Sixers when he broke the record for the highest score in the tournament. Those runs still happened but those innings are once in a lifetime sort of knocks rather than any sort of norm.
This is a huge ground so boundaries do not come freely here and when you think that this line wasn’t covered on a cracking wicket at the Adelaide Oval earlier in the week I’m surprised the odds suggest it is going to be cleared comfortably here. There is a lot of running involved in playing on this ground and right now you would suggest both attacks are better than the batting. Clearly if Stoinis or Maxwell get going this line could be pushed but I’m going to back the bowlers and take the under here.
Tips
WON – Back Under 306.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Bet365
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