The second game of the BBL15 Boxing Day double header sees the Hobart Hurricanes head out west to take on the Perth Scorchers. There’s plenty of firepower in both of these batting units, so we should be in for a cracking contest! We bring you our preview, best bet, and prop bet below.
Big Bash League (BBL15) Scorchers vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
Optus Stadium, Friday 26th December, 9:15pm AEDT
Perth Scorchers
The Scorchers were on the wrong side of arguably the greatest BBL game in the history of the competition, in their eight wicket defeat to the Heat in their last game. The Scorchers piled on 6/257 led by Finn Allen (79 off 38 deliveries) and Cooper Connolly (77 off 37). It was the Scorchers highest ever total, and the second highest total in the history of the competition, until a couple of hours later when the Heat chased the target of 258 with one ball to spare.
The Scorchers bowling attack copped some serious tap with Bordy Crouch (0/59), Ashton Agar (0/48), Jhye Richardson (1/49) and Aaron Hardie (0/46) all going at over 12 an over. The task will be even tougher for the Scorchers on Friday, as they’ll be without Jhye Richardson, who has been called into the Australian squad for the Boxing Day Test.
The Scorchers batting has been outstanding in their two games this season, scoring 5/117 off just 10 overs in their first game. If their bowling attack can come to the foray then the Scorchers will have a great chance to compete for the title. However if their bowling unit doesn’t lift, they are going to be in some serious strife.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Canes proved their loss to the Stars was an outlier, as they dominated the Renegades on Sunday to win by seven wickets. The defending champions restricted the Renegades to 9/145 on a good batting deck in Geelong, then chased down the target inside 14 overs. Nikhil Chaudhary (79 off 38) and Ben McDermott (49* off 23) made light work in the chase, to move the Hurricanes to the top of the table.
The Canes bowling attack bounced back in a big way with the ball, led by Chris Jordan who bounced back from a poor game against the Stars, taking 4/19. Spinners Rishad Hossain and Rehan Ahmed were also brilliant, taking 1/21 and 1/25 respectively. Their ability to limit scoring through the middle overs meant the Renegades were never going to get to a big total.
The defending champions have three of the top three run scorers this season with Ben McDermott (3rd, 156 runs) and Nikhil Chaudhary (6th, 127 runs). It’s been a positive sign for the Hurricanes that they are getting contributions from other players, given Mitch Owen’s quiet start to the season. The Hurricanes are going to be a scary side when he gets going.
Match Prediction
This is set to be a cracking matchup between two of the best batting sides in the competition, on a great pitch for white ball batting. The first game at Optus Stadium this season saw both the Scorchers and Sixers score at more than ten an over, so there should be plenty of runs on the board in this clash. That means this game will likely come down to which bowling attack can hold up the best across the 20 overs.
It’s clear the departures of Jason Behrendorff and AJ Tye have hurt the Scorchers, who look less potent with the ball than they have in previous seasons. The Hurricanes consistency with bat and ball across their three games this season makes them a lot easier to trust than the Scorchers, who have certainly had issues with the ball. The Hurricanes won the last matchup between these two sides, and a similar result beckons on Boxing Day.
Hobart Hurricanes to Win
$1.96 (1 Unit)
BBL Scorchers vs Hurricanes Prop Bet
After a breakout campaign in BBL14 where he won player of the tournament and player of the Final en route to Australian selection, Mitch Owen has struggled to start BBL15. Scores of 32, 8 and 0 have been an underwhelming start, but it’s clear Owen is one of the best players in the competition, and he’s due to bounce back soon. The last time Owen played against the Scorchers, he smashed 101* off 64 deliveries, and he’ll be desperate to make a big contribution.
Mitch Owen: Hurricanes Top Run Scorer
$4.10
