We have our first double header of the Big Bash League on Friday and the action begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the Melbourne Stars play their first home game of the season when they entertain the Hobart Hurricanes.
The Stars started their campaign with a defeat to the Thunder on Tuesday and will be looking to win this match to avoid going 0-2 for the year. This will be the bow into the competition of the Hurricanes and they’ll be looking for a winning start.
Melbourne Stars
You would have to say that opening game was pretty tame from the Melbourne Stars. They weren’t helped by Joe Burns and Marcus Stoinis having Covid and looking pretty rough on the boundary edge. The injury to the former didn’t do them much good either but their performance lacked a spark. To their credit they kept fighting and almost pulled a game out of the fire but in the end went down on the final ball.
It has to be said that Melbourne looked a good batter or two light going into that opening match and now that Joe Burns has been ruled out of this one and you would have to imagine Stoinis is still suffering just three days later, it is hard to be too optimistic about the Stars’ chances. The other thing to consider is whether they bowled well to stay in the game against the Thunder or Sydney took a few liberties with them. We might find out here.
Hobart Hurricanes
We haven’t seen the Hobart Hurricanes in the tournament yet but we do know that they look extremely strong on paper. They now have to prove that where it matters but they have the right mix of everything you need. You have to have power at the top of the order in this game and they have that. You also need someone in the middle to take advantage of the power surge and they have that as well so you can see teams getting blown away by the Hurricanes with the bat.
The thing I really like about this Hobart squad is just because they have invested in some top class talent with the bat doesn’t mean that they have ignored their bowling. They have for me the best death bowler in the competition, an overseas spinner who should keep things tight and a couple of pace bowlers who will bring the heat. It is a very similar combination to the one which England used to win the T20 World Cup.
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Key Players
Nathan Coulter-Nile shone with bat and ball in the opening game for the Melbourne Stars and you would imagine they will need all of his bowling up front to contain this Hobart Hurricanes side. A few lusty blows down the order wouldn’t go astray either.
Ben McDermott was in brilliant form for Hobart Hurricanes last season. He was the leading run scorer in the tournament and then went and had a major impact on Hampshire winning the T20 Blast. If he gets going even the MCG isn’t big enough to contain him.
Betting
I was with the Hobart Hurricanes outright before a ball was bowled in this tournament and while it might be seen as a competitive advantage for the Melbourne Stars to have played a match and got some competitive juices flowing, there really wasn’t much in their loss to the Sydney Thunder that you could take out of and gain confidence and inspiration in this one. They do have home advantage but I just don’t think they have the batting quality.
To be fair to the Stars, they have a good bowling attack but that is going to have to be at its best to contain a Hobart batting unit which legitimately could have internationals from one to seven. They also have a few internationals with the ball so there looks to be a real gulf in class between these two sides. Hobart are a little short to back as a single but you would have to think if they win the match there is a good chance they’ll win it well against this Stars side so I’ll take them to cover the handicap.
Tips
Back Hobart Hurricanes (-4.5 wickets/10.5 runs) to beat Melbourne Stars for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
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