Both the Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes will be coming off wins in their opening games of BBL09 and will be looking to make it two in a row when they square off at the Ted Summerton Reserve in Moe on Sunday afternoon.
As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for the game, which kicks off a Sunday double header at 2.45pm!
Hobart Hurricanes Squad (13): Ben McDermott (c), Qais Ahmad, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, David Miller, David Moody, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, D'Arcy Short, Mac Wright
Melbourne Stars Squad (13): Glenn Maxwell (c), Hilton Cartwright, Ben Dunk, Peter Handscomb, Clint Hinchcliffe, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Jonathan Merlo, Haris Rauf, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa
Stars vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
Melbourne Stars
The Stars were impressive in their opening match against the Heat on Friday. After losing the toss and being sent in, the Stars were in a little bit of trouble after opener Nic Maddinson was dismissed with the score on just 9. The Stars then fell to 3/56 and were in danger of letting the game slip away. However, skipper Glenn Maxwell played a fanastic innings of 83 off just 39 balls to give the Stars a very defendable total of 7/167 off their 20 overs.
The Stars then took a spin to win approach, with Adam Zampa, Sandeep Lamichhane, Clilnt Hitchliffe, Nic Maddinson and Glenn Maxwell bowling 12 overs between them as they restricted the Heat to just 8/145 and secured the win.
The fact that the Stars managed a victory and their damaging top order really failed to fire is an ominous sign. Maddinson, Stoinis, Cartwright and Handscomb scored just 62 runs between them in the opening game, you would have to think at least one of them will score a 50 down in Moe. We like the look of Stoinis in particular. The big-chested all-rounder loves to use his power to hit the ball down the ground and the Peter Summerton Reserve has straight boundaries at just over 60m long compared to the MCG where they are over 80m. Back Stoinis to have a solid day here.
Marcus Stoinis OVER 25.5 runs
$1.88
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hurricanes looked in danger in their opening match against the Sixers in Alice Springs on Friday when they managed just 129 off their 20 overs. However, their bowling unit stood up in tremendous fashion as they dismissed the Sixers for just 104 after 18.5 overs.
Afghani spinning sensation Qais Ahmad took 4/12 off his four overs for the Canes, spinning his side to victory while James Faulkner and Simon Milenko both added two wickets each.
D'Arcy Short looked in nice tough to open the BBL09 season, scoring 51 off just 40 balls as the lone hand in the Canes batting line-up. He'll be in despearte need of some help down in Moe, where par score should be around 170+ on the smaller ground.
Look for skipper Ben McDermott to be back in the runs this Sunday. Keeper/batsman Jake Doran has been added to the squad, so McDermott will have the extra pressure of wicket-keeping taken off his shoulders.
Ben McDermott OVER 22.5 runs
$1.88
Prediction
Really tough game to call here, especially on a pitch that should be pretty foreign to all players involved. The Hurricanes bowling unit looked unstoppable against hte Sixers but you can't expect that to happen every game and we think they rely on D'Acry Short too much at the top of the order.
Short has had some real problems against new-ball spinners in the past and there's no doubt that Sandeep Lamichhane will open the bowling in Moe. If they can restrict the hard hitting opener, or even snag his wicket in the power-play, the Stars will win this game.
Melbourne Stars to win
$1.65
