The Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes will kick off their back-to-back BBL13 encounters with a must-win clash at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night.
Both teams are on the fringes of the finals positions, so it’s all to play for when these batting powerhouses go head-to-head.
Josh Nevett provides his full match preview and betting tips below.
BBL13 Strikers vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Tuesday 9th December, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers reignited their BBL13 campaign with a dominant win over the high flying Perth Scorchers, coming out on top by nine wickets at Adelaide Oval.
Bowling first, the men in blue overcame their previous bowling shortcomings to restrict the star-studded Scorchers to just 153 off their 20 overs.
David Payne (2/22) and Matt Short (1/11) were the standouts with ball in hand, supported strongly by Lloyd Pope (2/36) in his first appearance as a Striker.
A tricky chase against A-grade opposition was made easy by the Adelaide batters, as Short (76*), Lynn (50*) and D’Arcy Short (24) took a little over 16 overs to reel in the runs.
It was a comprehensive performance from the men in blue, demonstrating what they are capable of when things go their way in the field. The Strikers will have to replicate that form for the rest of the season if they are to qualify for the finals.
While there are no bowling reinforcements on the way, gun wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey will return to the XI for the game against Hobart, back after representing Australia in the test series against Pakistan.
Carey has a fantastic record in the BBL, so he will improve an already stacked top order, likely at the expense of fellow gloveman Harry Nielsen.
Predicted XI: Matt Short, D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Alex Carey, Adam Hose, Thomas Kelly, Jamie Overton, Henry Thornton, David Payne, Cameron Boyce, Wes Agar
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hurricanes will be bitterly disappointed after missing a golden opportunity to record an away win against the Brisbane Heat on Sunday night.
Set just 133 for victory, Hobart fell into a deep hole early in the chase and eventually fell one run short despite a fightback from Nikhil Chaudhary and Tim David.
The game was symbolic of Hobart’s season – the Hurricanes played themselves into winning positions before ultimately squandering them.
Top returns from Chaudhary (55 off 38) and Chris Jordan (3/19) were positive, but Tasmania’s team needs far more from experienced campaigner Ben McDermott and import Corey Anderson.
Electric opener Matthew Wade should return from a back injury on Tuesday to balance the top order, so expect a better batting performance on friendlier surface in Adelaide.
Predicted XI: Matthew Wade, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Mac Wright, Corey Anderson, Tim David, Nikhil Chaudhary, Chris Jordan, Patrick Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith
Match Prediction
Both these teams sit in precarious positions at this point of the campaign, needing wins to keep hopes of a finals berth alive.
Adelaide’s failings have primarily been on the bowling front, while the Hurricanes have failed to show composure in important moments across their matches.
All in all, the sides match up quite closely, making the result a tough one to predict. However, the Strikers will be bolstered by the return of Alex Carey, further strengthening their elite core of batting talent. Furthermore, Adelaide won the home fixture against Hobart last season.
As such, I’m picking the hosts.
Adelaide Strikers to Win
$1.80 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Short tops the run scorers for BBL13 with 351, 84 more than second placed teammate Chris Lynn. The Strikers skipper has scored 76, 56 and 82 in his last three matches at Adelaide Oval, so 20 should be a walk in the park for him on Tuesday.
Lynn has struck 13 maximums in BBL13, at an average of over two per game. Adelaide Oval usually provides perfect conditions for the batters, so I expect Lynn to add to his tally against the Hurricanes.
Match Betting – Adelaide Strikers
Player to Score 20+ Runs – Matt Short
Player to Hit 1+ Sixes – Chris Lynn
