It’s the traditional New Year's Eve blockbuster at the Adelaide Oval as the Strikers host the Thunder. The Strikers will be out to end a four game losing streak, while the Thunder will be looking to jump into the top three. As always, we’ve got you covered with our tips!
BBL11 Strikers vs Thunder Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Friday December 31th, 7.15pm (AEDT)
Adelaide Strikers
Likely XI: Jake Weatherald, Matt Short, Matthew Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, George Garton, Rashid Khan, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle, Daniel Worrall
Fawad Ahmed struggled in the Strikers last outing, which could make way for the experienced Daniel Worrall to come back into the side. Given the Strikers form, it’s hard to see them continuing with the bowling attack they’ve had over the last few games.
The Strikers were on the end of a Ben McDermott masterclass in a seven wicket loss to the Hurricanes in their last outing, however there were some positive signs, with the Strikers registering their biggest score of the season. Matthew Renshaw (63) and Jake Weatherald (51) gave the Strikers some top order runs they’ve been lacking this season.
The Strikers have struggled to put together 40 overs of good cricket together this season. They’ve had some good days with the ball, but haven’t got much support from their batting unit. If their batsmen can give their bowlers something to bowl at, they’ll be in the game.
Sydney Thunder
Likely XI: Matthew Gilkes, Alex Hales, Jason Sangha, Sam Billings, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Saqib Mahmood, Tanveer Sangha
The Thunder will likely keep an unchanged lineup, from their win over the Scorchers on Tuesday. The Thunder ended the Scorchers undefeated season with an outstanding performance in Canberra.
Sam Billings’ 67 and Jason Sangha’s 56* powered the Thunder to 7/200, with the Thunder being the first team to score 200 against the Scorchers, since the Hurricanes in the BBL07 Semi-Final. Sangha’s inclusion into has been an inspired one, with the young star scoring 39, 47 and 56* in his three games so far this season. Despite only playing three games, Sangha ranks 21st in the BBL for runs this season, boasting a healthy average of 71.
Although the middle order has been a big positive for the Thunder this season, they’ll be hoping Alex Hales can return to form quickly, to give themselves a chance at being a genuine contender this season. Last season’s leading run scorer has scored just 100 runs at an average of 16 this campaign.
Note: As late as Friday night, the BBL confirmed that FOUR players had tested positive for the Sydney Thunder. The names have not yet been released, so keep in mind that the team listed above could look very different on game night.
Match Predicition
This matchup pits two sides in contrasting form. The Strikers have lost four in a row, with their only win coming against the last placed Renegades, while the Thunder have just knocked off the unbeaten Scorchers, and will move into third place if they claim all four points on offer on Friday night.
The Thunder have won four of their last five matches against the Strikers, with three of those wins coming at the Adelaide Oval. It’s hard to see the Strikers matching it with the Thunder in the batting department, The Thunder have registered scores of 7/200 and 6/197 in their last two completed innings. The Strikers haven’t scored above 176 this season, and have only averaged 156 runs per innings this season. That’s not going to cut it against a Thunder side that has four of the top 25 run scorers in BBL11. The Thunder will work their way into third place and continue their good form at the Adelaide Oval.
Update Friday 31st December 3.30pm
The betting markets for this game were taken down shortly after the news broke of the Sydney Thunder markets. Adelaide had plunged into favouritism before they were taken down, so that could suggest that it is some big names for Sydney who are out. At this stage, we don't feel confident betting either way on this game, so it's going to be a NO BET from us.
Same Game Multi
To kick off our same game multi, we’ve got Matt Renshaw to score 10+ runs. The former Test opener has had a good start to his BBL11 campaign, Renshaw has scored 109 runs at an average of 36, with scores of 22, 24 and 63. For our second leg we’re going continue riding the hot hand of Jason Sangha, who has had an outstanding start since being recalled to the Thunder side.
Sangha has scored 142 runs at an average of 71, with a strike rate of 136 in his three games so far this season. With two of those games against the top two sides in the Sixers and Scorchers, Sangha has proven he’s got the capabilities to have a breakout tournament.
To round out the multi, we’ve got the first dismissal to be caught, which has saluted on 21 of the 26 games this season, after occurring in both games on Wednesday night.
Matt Renshaw 10+ Runs
Jason Sangha 20+ Runs
1st Wicket - Caught
STR vs THU Same Game Multi
$3.75
