The Melbourne Stars suffered a heartbreaking last-ball defeat in their BBL12 season opener, but now they get a chance to redeem themselves in a clash with the Hobart Hurricanes.
Hobart enter this campaign as one of the most hyped teams, so it will be interesting to see how they fare at the MCG on Friday night.
Josh Nevett provides his full match preview and BBL Betting Tips below.
Also, be sure to check out our BBL Data Tools where you will find all the stats you could possible need to help form your own analysis!
BBL12 Stars vs Hurricanes Preview & Betting Tips
MCG, Friday 16th December, 5:05pm (AEDT)
Melbourne Stars
Predicted XI: Joe Clarke, Tom Rogers, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Clint Hinchliffe, Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa
I didn’t hold much hope for the Melbourne Stars for their season opener against the Thunder, but in the end, they did well to take the game to the final ball.
You never expect to win a game setting a total of 122 in the first innings, so Boult and co did a great job of keeping things competitive.
Game 1 exposed the Stars’ biggest weakness – batting. Nick Larkin top scored with 25 and he received little support. If Marcus Stoinis – who produced a golden duck – and Joe Clarke can’t get going quickly in this tournament, then the green side of Melbourne will definitely struggle.
The Stars were far better with ball in hand. Boult took two wickets up front and he was backed up by the consistent Adam Zampa (2-27) and all-rounders Nathan Coulter-Nile (3-19) and Beau Webster (2-19).
I expect changes to the line-up for this clash against Hobart, after Joe Burns suffered a hamstring injury against the Thunder. The Stars could add an extra bowler in Brody Couch, but that seems unnecessary, so batting reinforcements seem more likely.
Whatever the makeup of the starting 11, the Stars will need to produce an improved performance to challenge the Hurricanes.
Hobart Hurricanes
Predicted XI: Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short, Caleb Jewell, James Neesham, Tim David, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Nathan Ellis, Joel Paris, Riley Meredith
I have a confession to make. I seriously underrated the Hurricanes in my pre-season predictions.
While I suggested that Hobart will be among the challengers in BBL12, with extra thought I have now decided that they are my tournament favourites.
Looking at the expected Round 1 line-up, there are weapons everywhere.
Ben McDermott was the top runscorer of BBL11 and Matthew Wade has been a regular in the international setup for a while now. At three, D’Arcy Short has a fantastic record in this competition and he is followed by T20 stars Neesham, David and Khan.
Khan demonstrated his skills in the recent World Cup for Pakistan, while Nathan Ellis has risen from club cricket to be a regular in Australia’s T20 squad.
With that in mind, the Hurricanes are well-poised to benefit from Perth’s woes and fight for the title against the likes of the Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers.
Match Prediction
Melbourne’s batting depth was already in question, and now with Burns out it’s looking paper thin.
In contrast, the Hurricanes bat right down to eight, with quality and power across the board.
While the Stars will be looking forward to playing on their home turf, Hobart has enough tweakers to take advantage of the spin-to-win style that often works on the large expanses of the MCG.
In summary, I simply can’t see an avenue for the Stars to get on top here. Hobart to win.
Hobart Hurricanes
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Same Game Multi
In case I didn’t make it clear throughout this preview, Hobart have a far superior batting line-up to the Stars. Even if the Stars are able to compete in this match, the likes of McDermott, Wade, Neesham, David, Short and Khan are all boundary hitters who should pepper the rope more often than their counterparts in green.
Ellis has been a revelation in recent years, clocking up 41 wickets in 36 matches. He took 11 wickets in eight BBL games last season and has been so impressive with his variations and control that he is now part of the Australian T20 squad.
Shadab Khan is one of the best T20 bowlers in world. His accurate style of spin bowling both takes wickets and restricts scoring, and he should thrive on the MCG. I expect Hobart to take plenty of wickets on Friday, so Khan should be able to open his BBL account.
Most Fours – Hobart Hurricanes
Nathan Ellis – To Take a Wicket
Shadab Khan – To Take a Wicket
