We have reached the final week of the regular stage of the Big Bash League season and it begins in Hobart on Thursday as the Hobart Hurricanes take on the Adelaide Strikers in a match where the winner will end the day in fourth spot.
Hobart have to win this match else they will be eliminated from the competition. Adelaide won’t be out with a defeat but things will be out of their own hands, which is not what they would want this late in the season, so there is lots at stake here.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes have had two chances to move into the top four but they have spurned them both and now they are in must-win territory. Their next defeat in this competition will be their last one and while that should focus their minds and ensure they play knockout cricket, it piles the pressure on them at the same time. They haven’t really performed in the last two matches either so they need a serious improvement to come out on top here.
The problem for the Hurricanes in the last two games is their batting just hasn’t come to the party at all. They so nearly got away with it in the second one, which was the reverse meeting between these two sides, when Ben McDermott went mental in the second part of the innings but their total never looked enough. It is hard to really judge their bowling but I think it has gone well enough but they have been a batter light all season and it has shown recently.
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers took a while to get up to speed this season but an emphatic win over the Perth Scorchers seemed to turn their campaign around and then the win over the Hobart Hurricanes probably has them favourites to finish fourth from here on in. A win here would move them into that position and were they to beat the Sydney Thunder in their last game then you would think they will have stolen a top four finish.
Adelaide have been batting well all season but they have come to the fore with the ball. Lloyd Pope has been a good signing for them and now Adelaide are able to bowl between 8-10 overs of spin and in this competition that is useful because obviously the powerplay ends after four overs rather than the usual six. That has helped the seamers because the opposition have had to take risks against them. The Strikers suddenly look a top four side out of nowhere.
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Key Players
Ben McDermott showed all of his class in the reverse meeting between these two and if he can get some support from one or two more teammates then he could lead the Hurricanes to the sort of score they will need to be competitive.
Matt Short opens the batting and the bowling for the Adelaide Strikers. You would imagine he’ll do his job with the bat in hand but if he can get rid of Ben McDermott in particular with the new ball he might set Adelaide on their way.
Betting
The Hobart Hurricanes have still only beaten the Melbourne Renegades and the Sydney Thunder this season and in truth they haven’t looked like beating anyone else. Their five matches against the other teams they have lost by six wickets, nine wickets, seven wickets, a run and five wickets so they have been comfortably beaten in the main. Adelaide Strikers look to be finding a groove and come into this one in positive mood and I think they’ll win this match.
The Strikers have batted well all season. Their scores have been 205/4, 154/6, 177/6, 205/4, 169, 154/1 and 168/5. With the exception of the 154/6, they should all be winning totals in this tournament but their bowling just couldn’t get going in the first half of the campaign. In their last two matches though they have restricted the Perth Scorchers to 153/7 and Hobart to 165/7. They are definitely going in the right direction and I’m surprised they are not shorter than the price they are. I’ll go with the Strikers in this one.
Tips
Back Adelaide Strikers to beat Hobart Hurricanes for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Spreadex
