Game five of BBL10 is upon us as the Adelaide Strikers take on the Hobart Hurricanes at Blundstone Arena . The men in purple will be up and about for this one after a great win in the season opener against defending champions, the Sydney Sixers.
The Strikers play their first game of the tournament here and will be looking to start their BBL10 campaign on the right note. BBL09 was a frustrating one for the Strikers and their fans with some great performances mixed in with some poor showings. The key to their season will be performing on a consistent basis as they look to improve on 7th place finish from BBL09.
Look out for the Strikers strong bowling line-up to play a big part in this match with T20 superstar Rashid Khan at the forefront of the attack. Khan is coming off yet another stellar BBL tournament and is arguably the best short format bowler in the game at the moment. He’s a key piece in the Strikers setup and will need to fire on all cylinders if they are to win more than they lose this year.
All signs point to a tight finish in this one. Can Hobart continue on their winning ways or will the Strikers be too strong in their season opener?
BBL10 Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes Betting Tips
Blundstone Arena, Sunday 13th December, 2.10pm (AEDT)
Strikers Squad: Travis Head (c), Michael Neser, Harry Nielsen, Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald , Jonathan Wells, Daniel Worrall, Rashid Khan, Alex Carey
Hurricanes Squad: Matthew Wade (c), Scott Boland, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, David Moody, D Arcy Short, Macalister Wright, Wil Parker, Dawid Malan
Match Prediction
Hobart looked strong in their first game the other night and it was positive signs to see the middle order really fight back after their key man D’arcy Short was dismissed for a golden duck. This combined with some top shelf bowling from the likes of Riley Meredith (2-29) and James Faulkner (2-22) made for a complete performance and a perfect way to kick their season off.
With that being said, I really like Hobart to come out on top here. The way they fought back from almost an impossible position the other night will hold them in great stead moving forward. The pace bowling attack was far too good for a strong Sixers team and I think the same case could be made against the Strikers.
Adelaide will need their key men to step up and perform if they are any chance of knocking off the Hurricanes. The likes of Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald and Rashid Khan will all have to play a major role in the match.
I was super impressed with the Hurricanes middle order on Thursday Night and proved that the Hurricanes can win without Short performing at the top of the order. The bowling attack was on song and I like the chances of the ‘canes continuing on with another win here.
Adelaide Strikers Prop Bet
As mentioned before, the Strikers will need Rashid Khan to put in a big performance if they are to get the win here today. He’s one of the best T20 bowlers in the world and for that reason alone I think he’s a great play in this match.
The Hurricanes struggled against the spinners on Thursday Night and the variations and skills which Khan possesses makes him extremely dangerous in this format. The Strikers bowling line-up doesn’t have too many big name players in it so we can confidently say Khan is the strike bowler here.
Khan Top ADL Wicket Taker
$3.10
Hobart Hurricanes Prop Bet
He let us down on opening night, but we are going to give D’arcy another chance here. I just can’t get away from him being the centrepiece to this team. He will obviously be keen to bounce back from his failure on Thursday Night and you can guarantee he’s been working hard in the nets since then.
It can be argued that Short is out of form at the moment and I can’t disagree with that but we all know the X Factor he has and once he gets a few out of the middle it could just flick the switch for him. The Hurricanes will need a big performance from their main man and I am confident he can deliver for us today.
Short Top HOB Runscorer
$3.00
