The BBL13 finals series heads to Perth on Saturday night for The Knockout, with the Scorchers hosting the Adelaide Strikers in a do-or-die blockbuster.
Perth are notoriously difficult to beat at Optus Stadium, but the men in blue have league MVP Matt Short on their side!
Draftstars have put up a huge $15,000 contest for this clash, as well as a Big Bash Star Qualifier!
BIG BASH LEAGUE (BBL13) FINALS FANTASY TIPS: SCORCHERS VS STRIKERS
Scorchers Squad: Aaron Hardie, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Stephen Eskinazi, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Hamish McKenzie, Lance Morris, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, Liam Haskett, Marcus Harris, Cameron Gannon, Sam Fanning, Matthew Kelly
Strikers Squad: Matthew Short, Wes Agar, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Brendan Doggett, Henry Hunt, Josh Kann, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen, David Payne, Lloyd Pope, D’Arcy Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald
The Scorchers have not been as dominant as past seasons in BBL13, but they still find themselves hosting a final after a 6-3 home-and-away campaign.
As usual, Aaron Hardie (328 runs) and Jason Behrendorff (15 wickets) have led the way, supported strongly by Lance Morris (13 wickets), Andrew Tye (11 wickets) and Laurie Evans (292 runs).
Unfortunately for Perth, Evans will not be available for Saturday’s final due to other franchise commitments, so the Scorchers have drafted in local replacement player Marcus Harris to fill the void.
In another selection dilemma, Stephen Eskinazi is racing to prove his fitness after suffering a hand injury in the loss to the Sixers. It will be interesting to see how the Scorchers line-up if he is ruled out.
Adelaide will also be shuffling their decks in the lead up to The Knockout, with several stars missing.
Chris Lynn (304 runs) and Jamie Overton (16 wickets) have both departed alongside Adam Hose, leaving several vacant slots in the top six. Henry Hunt should come in for his first game of the season, while James Bazley could be recalled.
Whichever way the Strikers go, a huge weight will fall on Matt Short’s shoulders. The Adelaide opener has amassed 504 runs in BBL13, and plenty more will be needed if the Strikers are to win here.
Fantasy Plays
Love It – Aaron Hardie ($18,800)
Hardie has been fantastic again this campaign, averaging 70 DFS points. The Scorchers star has done his best work at home – each of his four top scores have come at Optus Stadium (158, 97, 88 and 75) – so the venue for Saturday’s fixture is a massive bonus. To top it off, Hardie has taken on greater responsibility with the ball recently, bowling his full allotment of overs against the Heat and Sixers.
Love It – Andrew Tye ($16,900)
Like Hardie, Tye has been a Perth specialist, producing his best performances on home turf. The experienced quick scored 151 DFS points against the Heat just one week ago, and I fancy him to be among the wickets against an undermanned Strikers side.
Don’t Love It – Henry Thornton ($14,300)
Henry Thornton has been all or nothing this season, scoring 0 twice to go with 51, 49 and 38. The top end of his scoring is solid enough, but you’d want to see a higher ceiling at this price point, and I don’t expect that kind of performance to come against the batting might of the Scorchers.
Don’t Love It – Harry Nielsen ($9,500)
Nielsen has barely had a look in throughout BBL13, having spent just 10 balls at the crease with bat in hand. While Nielsen’s glovework is more than serviceable, he really needs to make runs to be a viable fantasy option, and the Strikers just don’t seem to trust him in that facet of the game.
Who Knows – Jake Weatherald ($16,300)
Jake Weatherald was not in Adelaide’s best XI just a couple of weeks ago, but now he is arguably their most important batsman. The powerful left-hander has put up DFS scores of 140 and 67 in his last two appearances, and has supported skipper Matt Short superbly. However, can Weatherald do it against Perth’s quality bowling attack?
Suggested Draftstars Line-up
