BBL12 Scorchers vs Hurricanes Preview & Betting Tips
Optus Stadium, Wednesday 18th January, 7:40pm (AEDT)
Perth Scorchers
Predicted XI: Cameron Bancroft, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Ashton Turner, Nick Hobson, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, David Payne, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Hatzoglou
The Scorchers suffered just their third loss of the season against the Sydney Sixers on Sunday night, falling six runs short in pursuit of 152. The Scorchers will likely take an unchanged side, which has performed extremely well for them since the injury of Jhye Richardson and the departures of Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth.
Stephen Eskinazi’s 66* off 54 wasn’t enough to get the Scorchers over the line on Sunday night, but the Scorchers will have plenty of positives to take out of the loss. The Scorchers fell to 3/35 in the seventh over, losing their three most in-form players in Cameron Bancroft (1) Aaron Hardie (1) and Josh Inglis (11). Eskinazi and Nick Hobson (27 off 18) kept the Scorchers in the game and gave them a chance late to steal it. The performance highlighted the depth in the Scorchers batting unit, which will be crucial in their push for back to back titles.
The Scorchers will enjoy returning to the fast pitch at Optus Stadium, after their strengths were curtailed by a dry, slow SCG pitch. The Scorchers bowling attack which has been so devastating this season, only managed to take three wickets. Tye, Behrendorff, Payne, Agar and Hatzoglou will be desperate to bounce back on Wednesday night.
Hobart Hurricanes
Predicted XI: Ben McDermott, Caleb Jewell, Matthew Wade, Zak Crawley, Tim David, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Joel Paris, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith
A trip to Optus Stadium may cause the Hurricanes to change their side, with Tom Andrews a chance to come out of the side for either Joel Paris or Mitch Owen to give the Canes some more balance in pace friendly conditions. The Hurricanes picked up back to back wins for the first time this season, after beating the Thunder in a comprehensive performance in Hobart.
Tim David’s 76* from 41 deliveries guided the Hurricanes to an easy win that crucially boosted their net run rate. The Canes won with 23 deliveries remaining, and leapfrogged the Thunder to secure fifth spot on the BBL ladder, despite having a game in hand on Thunder. David has scored at least 25 runs in four of his last six games, and is hitting form at the right time of the season.
The Hurricanes batting is starting to find form after a slow start to the season, and with the talent they possess, it isn’t hard to see that they’re one of the most dangerous teams in the league. With Jewell, McDermmott, Wade, Crawley, David and Ali, they’re a unit capable of putting up some huge scores.
Match Prediction
The Scorchers have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, and will be looking to bounce back after a frustrating loss in Sydney. The Scorchers crumbled late in the piece when they faced the Hurricanes earlier in the season, and will be eager to make amends. The Scorchers haven’t lost consecutive games since January 2021, and it’s difficult to see that happening on Wednesday night.
This fixture sees two of the most talented teams in the BBL face off, with two batting lineups full of match winners. The Scorchers have a slight edge in the bowling stocks, and that will prove the difference in this clash. This will be a cracking contest at a ground perfectly suited for entertaining T20 cricket.
Perth Scorchers
$1.67 (1.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
To kick off the Same Game Multi, we’re taking Steven Eskinazi to score 15+ runs. Eskinazi has made an immediate impact at the top of the order, with knocks of 40 and 65* in his last two innings.
Zak Crawley has brought his aggressive style down under, which has yielded some quick fire innings that have been very entertaining. Crawley has scored 109 runs in four innings at an average of 36, with our BBL Data Tools showing that Crawley has hit the 10 run mark in each of his four games for the Canes
To round out the multi, we’ve got Andrew Tye to take 2+ wickets. Tye is the leading wicket taker in BBL12 with 20 wickets , and has taken at least two wickets in seven of his eleven games this season.
Steven Eskinazi 15+ Runs
Zak Crawley 10+ Runs
Andrew Tye 2+ Wickets
