Two sides who currently occupy spots outside the playoff places in the Big Bash League meet for our Christmas Eve offering in the competition when the Hobart Hurricanes take on the Melbourne Stars at the Blundstone Arena.
Hobart go into this match second from bottom in the table while the Stars sit just one place above them but whoever wins this contest will eat their Christmas dinner inside the playoff spots in the standings so that is a huge incentive for both.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes have a win and three defeats from their four matches this season. The fact their win was over the defending champions Sydney Sixers shows that they are underperforming, but on the flip side of that, their four matches thus far have been against the Sixers and the Perth Scorchers, who look the two standout teams in the competition thus far. They should probably have competed better than they have done, but it would be no surprise to see the ‘Canes go on a run now the fixtures soften up a little.
I think in the main Hobart have given as good as they can with the ball. They are slightly stretched because of injuries and international call ups and things and that isn’t idea. Where they have let themselves down though is in the batting department. Way too much emphasis is on their opening pair and with D’Arcy Short struggling to get the team off to flyers they are leaving their middle order with too much to do. Their strategy regarding the Power Surge leaves a little to be desired as well.
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars have a level ledger at a couple of wins and a couple of losses. Both their losses have come against the Sydney Sixers but to their credit they have taken advantage of the seemingly softer fixtures against the Sydney Thunder. They will now be tested against a side who are well balanced and who can get the Stars under pressure, although at the same time the Stars will know if their key players perform then they can certainly win this match.
The Stars have gone round the park in those two matches against the Sixers but they have tended to bowl well in the other two matches. Their powerful batting unit has come to the party in those outings and you suspect when that batting order fires there aren’t going to be too many sides who can get after them. It could be that they go up against one here but time will tell on that regard. There is no reason why the Stars can’t kick on and go on a deep run of form now.
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Team News
The Hobart Hurricanes are still without Scott Boland, who is with the Test squad, and Joel Paris who is out injured. Riley Meredith was X-Factored out after one over in the last game but it was confirmed on interview that he will play a full part here. Jordan Thompson replaced him in that match and could force his way in here.
The Melbourne Stars have Joe Burns in their squad for the first time this season although where he will fit into this strong batting unit remains to be seen. Andre Russell remains in the squad and will be hoping to catch fire here.
Betting
I like sixes in this match but I’ve been done up by the Hobart Hurricanes’ batting in their last two matches and while I should probably trust them against weaker opposition here I’ve lost a bit of faith in them. Instead I’ll still side with the sixes but I’ll go with Melbourne Stars to hit more than 5.5 of them. There aren’t going to be many times this season that a team with the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Joe Clarke, Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright and Andre Russell don’t clear the ropes half a dozen times and I don’t see that being the case here.
The positives for this bet aside from the immense power that the Stars have with the bat is that their run rate stinks the tournament out after that huge opening loss so if they are chasing a small total they’ll go hammer and tongs to look to significantly improve that. The other factor is this Hobart attack is nothing special. Even their kingpin, Sandeep Lamichhane, doesn’t have an advantage here as he played for the Stars for a couple of seasons. This is a day game and with the Test match here fast approaching I’m guessing the sides of the square will be used for the next couple of weeks. I expect Melbourne to belt this attack for at least half a dozen sixes.
Tips
Back Melbourne Stars – Over 5.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with Betfair
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