After ten rounds and two semi-finals, the 2017-18 Big Bash League season will reach an exciting conclusion this Sunday, with the 43rd and final match of the season. The Adelaide Strikers will take on the Hobart Hurricanes for the BBL07 crown at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 4:30pm AEDT.
Well done if you picked these two teams to be in the BBL07 Final! I don’t think many experts saw this result coming, but there’s no doubt that the Hurricanes and Strikers, at their best, have brought out some of the most impressive performances of the season.
The Strikers were comfortably in the top four for most of the season, finishing in second place on the table. Their only blemishes were against the top-of-the-table Scorchers, and an upset to the very team they will meet in the final – the Hurricanes.
Cricket Australia, in their infinite wisdom, have thankfully released Travis Head, Alex Carey and D’Arcy Short from Australian T20 duties for this final. All have been crucial to the success of their franchises, and fans want to see the best players play in the climax to the season. The only exception is Strikers big man Billy Stanlake. Jet-setting around the country to play back-to-back games is understandably a bit much for a two-metre tall fast bowler.
With those inclusions, the Strikers certainly look more formidable on paper. They were fortunate that Travis Head was released for the semi-final, as he was certainly the difference in their fortunate one-run victory over the Renegades. Head scored a confident 85* off 57 balls, bowled a full four overs and got the crucial wicket of a threatening Marcus Harris. His leadership was also exceptional with some great bowling changes. His inclusion is invaluable to the Strikers' chances here.
Head, along with Carey, really does solidify their batting. Weatherald has been good and Ingram is capable of anything, so it’s a strong top four. Jono Wells hasn’t done a lot at number five, and perhaps the dynamic batting (and catching) of Jono Dean might give him the nod over Jake Lehmann at number six.
The strength of the Strikers all season has been with the ball, but with import Rashid Khan missing the final due to national duties, and Billy Stanlake sticking with the Australian side, it does leave a couple of sizable holes. Ben Laughlin, Michael Neser and Peter Siddle will carry the bulk of the responsibility but they have another eight overs they’ll have to fill. One (or maybe even two) of Nick Winter, Wes Agar or Liam O’Connor will have to come into the XI. You’d think that Agar would get the nod which would leave Head and Ingram to fill the remaining overs as the only spin options in the side. With spin being such an important cog in many BBL teams this season, that could be a vulnerability that the Hurricanes can exploit.
The Hurricanes would probably be pinching themselves as they find themselves in the BBL07 Final. Winning five on the trot during the regular season, their best was very good, but they bookended that with some poor losses to finish in fourth position. They headed to Perth to take on the powerhouse Scorchers and absolutely demolished them in the semi-final. A massive score of 210 was followed up with a solid bowling effort in a comprehensive performance.
With their confidence sky-high and BBL07 leading run-scorer D’Arcy Short joining the squad, the Hurricanes will fancy their chances of a victory that looked unlikely at the start of the season.
They will have to find a new batting order with Nathan Reardon likely to be the player to make way. Short will open, but will his partner be Tim Paine or Matthew Wade? It was a man-of-the-match innings by Wade in the semi-final, but he seems more adaptable to bat in the middle order as he did earlier in the season, while Paine’s best spot is clearly as opener. It would also help with the left-right combination throughout the order. Ben McDermott and Dan Christian have been in great form as well, with skipper George Bailey the only Hurricane who has struggled this year. Batting him at six and giving him a licence to swing hard might not be a bad thing.
The Hurricanes bowling attack has been their weakness all season and they addressed that in the semi-final with some aggressive changes. They finally lost patience with import Tymal Mills who was dropped, and he’s failed to regain his spot in the squad for the final with youngster Riley Meredith again named. It will be a decision between Meredith and leg spinner Cameron Boyce for the final bowling spot depending upon conditions in Adelaide. With Adelaide having no front line spinner, a faster pitch may be in order which will count against Boyce, as will the inclusion of D’Arcy Short who can contribute some valuable spin overs alongside Clive Rose. Tom Rogers has come back well from a mid-season hiccup, while Jofra Archer continues to lead the attack well. There was a concern over a side strain with Archer but he got through his overs and should be fine for the final.
Prediction
Not the two teams we thought we’d see, but it should still be a brilliant final. The fact that the two teams feature two of the league’s leading run scorers, and a number of the leading wicket takers, just shows how important individual brilliance is in the T20 format.
Before CA named both Head and Carey, I would’ve comfortably tipped the Hurricanes to win, however those inclusions certainly favour the Strikers to make the contest a lot closer on paper.
Both teams are strong with the bat. The top four of the Strikers have the advantage, but the Hurricanes are stronger through the depth of batting in the middle order. The Hurricanes will want a couple of early wickets to expose the middle order, whereas the Hurricanes know they can still keep going hard with their batting depth.
The Strikers have been a better bowling unit throughout the season but have two huge outs that will be hard to replace. Are their fourth and fifth bowlers going to be able to handle a Hurricane onslaught? In contrast, the Hurricanes seem to be figuring out their best bowling combination at the right time of the season. They only have one strike weapon, but they seem to have more options with the ball and have an advantage in the spin department.
Betting Tip
Going to stick with the Hurricanes to continue their momentum from their big win in Perth. The Strikers were a little lucky to get over the Renegades, and they will need to improve on that if the Hurricanes bring in their best. Expecting lots of runs to be scored, so the Ladbrokes promotion looks the way to go!
TIP: Hobart Hurricanes to win - $2.00 at Ladbrokes (paid as a winner if they score 170 runs)
