Having finally broken their BBL06 drought, the Adelaide Strikers will be looking to notch up a second consecutive win as they travel south to lock horns with the Hobart Hurricanes at the Bellerive Oval. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7.10pm (AEDT).
Thanks to a brilliant team bowling display, the Strikers were able to defend a below-par total with the bat in their New Year’s Eve clash against the Sydney Sixers, preventing them from slumping to the 0-3 start that may have ended their finals hopes before they began.
With figures of 2/10 off his 4 overs, the recalled Ben Laughlin was the pick of the Strikers pacemen, but it was gangly quick Billy Stanlake who turned the match the Strikers way, bowling with sizzling pace and bounce which made him a nightmare to face for the Sixers batsmen.
After a dominant BBL05 campaign that launched him into Australia’s ODI and T20I teams, Travis Head has endured a frustrating start to BBL06, and with the Strikers batting an area of concern, he will hope the new year ushers in a change in his lacklustre form.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile have slumped to successive losses since kicking off their 2015-16 campaign in style against the Sixers, and as a result only net run rate separates them from the Strikers on the ladder.
Their defeat to the Brisbane Heat earlier this week became a horror show, with Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum belting a bewildered Hurricanes attack all about the Gabba, including (in the case of one Lynn monster) onto the roof.
The Hurricanes’ batting has looked solid all tournament, with Tim Paine excelling up the order and most of his teammates chipping in, but the bowling looks one-paced and vulnerable – only spinners Cameron Boyce and Clive Rose managing economy rates below 9.5 runs per over.
Prediction
The Strikers look to have finally found their mojo against the Sixers, and their extra bowling class and dangerous top order should see them notch up their second successive victory.
With the Hurricanes strength being their dynamic batting unit that has managed to rack up competitive totals in all their matches so far this season, and the Strikers a bowling attack that ran through the Sixers like a knife through butter, the ‘canes innings could well be where this match is decided.
Can Brad Hodge inspire his charges for the second game running as they roar back into contention for the BBL finals? Or will the Hurricanes bounce back from their successive defeats to taste victory in front of their home crowd?
Join The Roar from 7.10pm AEDT to find out the answer to these questions and much, much more, and why not chip in with your thoughts by commenting in the section below?
Tim Miller
Editor
Christian did bowl well tonight, but he was aided by some poor Strikers batting. Would have been interesting to see him up against Lynn and McCullum last week though. I think with Tait and Kingston out he was called upon as the fourth seamer. They'll probably stick with this line-up for a while now, meaning Tait might not return immediately, too. So Christian will probably bowl regularly from now on.
Tim Miller
Editor
Dan Christian is awarded the Man of the Match award for his 5/14 that really strangled the life out of the Strikers' batting line-up. The Hurricanes have dominated this match. Ben Dunk gave the Strikers a fast start, but once Milenko got through him with a swinging yorker, only Brad Hodge offered any real resistance with a fighting 50. Christian and Stuart Broad were both miserly with the ball, exposing the Strikers' out-of-form middle order and ensuring they could only manage 143, which on this ground was never going to be enough. Tim Paine and George Bailey both played sensible innings at the end to see the Hurricanes home, while D'Arcy Short provided the spectacular fireworks and Kumar Sangakkara tried desperately to play himself back into some form. In the end, he finished with an unbeaten 25 from 20 balls, but struggled for fluency throughout. Billy Stanlake bowled his heart out with 1/17 from his 4 overs, while Travis Head bowled a surprisingly tidy spell, finishing with 1/22 from his 4, but the Hurricanes never looked remotely troubled as they cruised to victory. Well, that's it from me tonight. Thanks for sticking around. Ciao.
Mark
Guest
Apparently that's the first time Christian has bowled this tournament? What's Paine been thinking? Having said that, his batting has been good and I'd much prefer him in the 2020 side over Wade.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Well, that was a pretty crushing win. Will be interesting to see how the sides turn it around in a couple of days. Cheers for the call Tim.
Tim Miller
Editor
The Hurricanes win by 8 wickets with 14 balls to spare in a run-chase that was as by-the-numbers as run chases come. D'Arcy Short let fly with some colossal sixes, but once he was out, Bailey and Sangakkara played relatively calmly to see the chase home. The Strikers tried hard in the field, but ultimately they were defending too few.
Tim Miller
Editor
17.4, Neser to Sangakkara, FOUR RUNS, and that'll do for the Hurricanes. Looks to tuck this to the on side but gets a thickish inside edge that races down to the fine boundary. A dive from Stanlake can't stop it. (HURRICANES 2/147)
Tim Miller
Editor
17.3, Neser to Sangakkara, FOUR RUNS, that's better from Sangakkara, back of a length and pulled powerfully to the gap at deep mid-wicket for four. Just the one run needed now. (HURRICANES 2/143)
Tim Miller
Editor
17.2, Neser to Sangakkara, 2 runs, Sangakkara looking to end this quickly, skips down the track but can't collect cleanly, skies it down the ground but it lands safely, they run two. (HURRICANES 2/139)
Tim Miller
Editor
Just 7 off 18 balls needed now. Neser returns to the attack. Has had a pretty ordinary night, can he at least improve his figures? With 1/21 off 1 over thus far, it's not going to be exactly difficult.
Tim Miller
Editor
16.6, Head to Sangakkara, one run, clipped to wide mid-on and they scurry through. (HURRICANES 2/137)
Tim Miller
Editor
16.5, Head to Bailey, one run, Bailey was gone if that hit. Gives himself room outside leg and hammers it straight to mid-off. Throw misses, Bailey collides with Head, and they all have a good laugh. (HURRICANES 2/136)
AREH
Roar Guru
Yep I agree it's going to be tough and unlikely for them even if they do win that match. I think their batting should be so much more dangerous than it has been, but as you rightly point out a couple of key guys out of form is hurting. Pollard has looked way out of sorts, Head can't pass 20, Dunk and Weatherald started superbly but have been hot and cold since, so with that means an over-reliance on Hodge. Lehmann is another talented young batsman who also appears to be badly out of form. Rashid as you say, was a huge loss and added to that is Holland's injury. A lot will have to go right for them to sneak into that four.
Tim Miller
Editor
16.3, Head to Bailey, 2 runs, Bailey skips down and sends this down to long on on the bounce, sloppy misfield from Neser allows them to come back for two. (HURRICANES 2/135)
Tim Miller
Editor
16.2, Head to Sangakkara, one run, pushed down to long off for one. (HURRICANES 2/133)
Tim Miller
Editor
16.1, Head to Sangakkara, 2 runs, half-tracker that Sangakkara pulls into the deep, Pollard prevents the boundary, they run two. (HURRICANES 2/132) Req: 12 off 23
Tim Miller
Editor
15.6, Jordan to Sangakkara, one run, on the pads and flicked to fine leg for a single. (HURRICANES 2/130) Req: 14 off 24
Tim Miller
Editor
15.5, Jordan to Sangakkara, SIX RUNS, can that get the great man going? Length ball and width outside off, Sangakkara smacks this out over the cover boundary. Not a huge six, but a maximum nevertheless. (HURRICANES 2/129)
Tim Miller
Editor
15.3, Jordan to Bailey, one run, driven out to deep cover for one. (HURRICANES 2/123)
Tim Miller
Editor
15.2, Jordan to Bailey, 4 byes, late swing! Jordan cuts Bailey in half with this one, comes viciously back in late and Dunk can't do anything about that. In fairness to him, that was impossible to stop. (HURRICANES 2/122)
Tim Miller
Editor
15.1, Jordan to Sangakkara, one run, top-edged but falls just in front of a diving Dunk! Back of a length from Jordan, Sanga goes to pull but only half-heartedly, top edge flies down fine but Dunk, sprinting after it, can't quite get there. (HURRICANES 2/118)