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The Adelaide Strikers will be out to build some consistency when they make the trip to the MCG for a match against the Melbourne Stars who are getting into their season nicely following a big win. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:40pm (AEDT).
The Strikers were almost sitting on the bottom of the table before they took on the Hobart Hurricanes at home a few days ago. A strong victory there elevated their record to two wins and three losses, moving them to within touching distance of the top four.
Unfortunately for Adelaide, though, it’s been a pretty tough campaign so far with runs hard to come by for a majority of their players and simple mistakes costing them dearly.
Losing three out of your first four is almost a sure-fire way to end one’s finals hopes, but the win against the Hurricanes did breathe a little bit of life into the struggling side.
The Strikers’ biggest issue this season has been their batting, with no one apart from Brad Hodge or the phenomenal opener Ben Dunk standing up and getting consistent scores – or any scores for that matter.
For that reason, they just haven’t had enough runs to defend in a majority of games even with Dunk and Hodge both in the top five for total tournament runs.
The Stars, on the other hand, have only played four games so far and have one of the most back-loaded schedules in the competition.
They haven’t gotten off to the most brilliant of starts either, struggling to play to their enormous potential. Nonetheless, a big win over cross-town rivals the Renegades on Sunday night moved them to an even two-and-two record.
The game against the Renegades seemed to announce their arrival into the season as they ran up a massive 200 after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Runs were scored all the way down the order with everyone playing their role, and arguably more importantly, Kevin Pietersen looking in some stunning form on his way to 73 from just 46 balls.
The green machine from Melbourne now sit right on the edge of the top four and with plenty of hitting power will be looking to run up another big score here.
The Strikers’ bowling attack has done quite a good job so far this season, but with plenty of inexperience in the ranks, the pressure will be on against Luke Wright, Pietersen and David Hussey to slow the run rate down and pick up some early wickets.
Prediction
The Stars are always going to be a tough side to beat and they seem to be discovering their mojo. The Strikers’ bowling could get found out a little bit here, and their batting has nowhere near the depth required to score the runs needed.
The Stars, and pretty comfortably.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Big Bash League match from 7:40pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to drop a comment in the section below.