The Semi Finals of the 2016-17 Big Bash League season are upon us and after some last-minute reshuffling of the ladder, we have our top four teams raring to go ahead of Tuesday night’s opening game. The Scorchers will host a semi-final four the fourth time in their history as the Stars travel to Perth to begin proceeding on Tuesday night in the 2nd vs 3rd matchup. The Heat then host the Sixers in the 1st vs 4th clash on Wednesday. We’ve got you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the 2016-17 Big Bash League Semi-Finals below.
BBL06 Semi Finals Betting Tips
Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars (Tuesday 24th, 7.40pm AEDT)
The Stars will once again be without star middle order duo Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner for their semi-final clash against the Scorchers in Perth. The pair are still on international duty, with the final ODI against Pakistan to be played on Thursday. The Scorchers will also be missing arguably their best player in Mitch Marsh, who was injured in the recent ODI series and remains sidelined. His replacement in the ODI squad, Stars all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been cleared to play Melbourne by Cricket Australia and will bolster the Stars middle order.
Even without Marsh, the Scorchers still boast a formidable batting lineup, with brother Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger at the top of the order, accompanied by Sam Whitemand and Ian Bell. They have been a little out of sync so far this tournament, but March found some form in their last match after moving down to 3 and notching up a half century. If 2 or 3 of their top order can fire they will be tough to beat.
Along with Faulkner and Maxwell, the Stars will miss Peter Handscomb, who was a recent call up to the ODI squad as well as spinner Adam Zampa. It’s safe to say their lineup has been decimated by international duty, but at their best, they are still capable of beating anyone. Without Handscomb in the lineup, keeping duty fell to Sam Harper for a short period of time, before the Stars decided they needed to bolster their batting lineup and handed part time keeper Seb Gotch the gloves in their last match.
Both teams have outstanding batting lineups and very consistent bowling attacks, so it’s extremely hard to try to pick a winner here. The Stars rely heavily on their top 3 to score runs, but it only takes one good performance to put your team in a winning position, and I think in Wright, Quiney and Pietersen they have three real match winners. The addition of Stoinis is also massive for the Stars. On the other hand, the Scorchers probably have the more appealing list from top to bottom, they bat down to Mitchell Johnson at 10 and are hard to keep under 170-180 on any given night. I have been behind the Stars since the start of this tournament but the undermanned lineup worries me as well as the home field advantage for the Scorchers. I’m going against my gut and going with Perth to win this one.
TIP: Perth Scorchers to Win - $1.72 at Bet365
Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers (Wednesday 25th, 7.40pm AEDT)
Two teams who I picked to finish outside the top 4 this season make up the 2nd vs 3rd clash in the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers. After finishing bottom of last season’s table, the Sixers have been the surprise packet of the year, led by a strong bowling attack and a few handy batsmen at the top of the order. Captain Moises Henriques and Daniel Hughes have been the standouts with the bat, but it’s the Sixers bowling attack that has predominantly been the deciding factor in most of their wins this season. Quick Sean Abbot leads the BBL06 in wickets, with 16 on the season so far while young speedster Ben Dwarshuis has chipped in with a handy 12. Spinner Steven O’Keefe also leads the league in bowling economy rate, going for a tidy 5.83 per over, but will be unavailable for the match.
Brisbane will once again be without their star batsmen Chris Lynn due to a combination of international duty and a shoulder injury. Their batting lineup depends heavily on Brendon McCullum and Alex Ross at the top of the order, but they have shown they can still score big totals when they get contributions from the likes of Joe Burns and Ben Cutting in the middle-lower order.
The Sixers bowling attack will once again be a deciding factor in the match, if they can claim the early wicket of Brendon McCullum then I think they could be tough to beat. The addition of Samuel Badree, one of the best spinners in the tournament is massive for the Heat. However, they have looked vulnerable without the firepower of Lynn in the batting order, averaging only 155 runs per game with him out. I think the Sixers keep them to a reasonable score and get the win to move on and face the Stars in the final.
TIP: Sydney Sixers to Win - $2 at CrownBet
