The second part of the Big Bash League double header on Boxing Day sees the defending champions Perth Scorchers back in action when they take on one of the better sides in the competition this term in the Adelaide Strikers.
Both these teams have laid down their market that anything less than a run to the title will not be good enough this season and now we might get the first opportunity to see who could be favoured to win the crown here.
Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers have opened up their title defence with a couple of wins and a defeat in their first three matches. They won their only home match so far which might be significant before they were beaten heavily by the Hobart Hurricanes. They then did a bit of a job on the Melbourne Stars last time out so overall they will be happy with their campaign so far and will be feeling very good about things as they return home for the second time.
The Scorchers batting really came to the party last time out and if they bat like that again here then they are going to take a lot of beating. They were brutal with the bat and what I really liked about that effort was that they never stuttered or stopped at any point. They always had enough when it came to defending it with the ball but the bowling attack does look in good order so once again the Scorchers are looking good already.
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers saw their three-match unbeaten start to the season ended last time out and they will be looking to rebound with a win otherwise they might be in danger of undoing a lot of their good start. They were brilliant in those opening three matches. They were excellent with the bat and especially the ball in those first three outings and if they can get back to that form here then they are entitled to lay a challenge down to the Scorchers.
This Adelaide bowling attack looks legit to me and although Sam Billings got after it in the previous match, there was a lot of edges off his bat which flew to the boundary. If Adelaide could be disappointed anywhere then it might be with the run chase as they lost early wickets and never really gave themselves a chance to chase down what was only a par or moderate score. They need to manage their innings better here.
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Key Players
Faf du Plessis got the Scorchers off to a brutal start against the Melbourne Stars and if he can repeat that in this match then it might send a few doubts running through the ranks of the Adelaide Strikers bowling.
If there is a weakness to this Perth Scorchers team it is their inabability to play spin particularly well and it will be interesting to see if Rashid Khan can feast on that albeit in conditions which might not perfectly suit the Afghan legend.
Betting
The run line for this match is up at 320.5 but that feels a little on the high side to me. I say that because these two bowling units are arguably the best in the competition. If they are not the best they are very close to it and scoring 160 against either attack is not going to be the easiest thing in the world. Then when you add in the humungous square boundaries at this stadium the scoring could naturally be a little lower.
The first match here saw Perth score 155/9 and cover it quite comfortably which kind of highlights what I was saying. Adelaide have played four matches and have only conceded 160 once and that was via a lot of edges from Sam Billings. Despite their good start, Adelaide have only covered 160 once with the bat so this run line looks a little high particularly with the Perth pitches having a bit in it for two top notch seam attacks.
Tips
Back Under 320.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Betway
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