5th-placed Melbourne Stars takes on second-placed Hobart Hurricanes for the second time in the Big Bash League.
Hobart had won by 21 runs in their first clash against Melbourne.
Put in to bat first, Hobart put up 164 onboard riding on Dawid Malan's knock of 75. Scott Boland came to the party taking 3 wickets for 22 runs, newcomer, Sandeep Lamichhane and Nathan Ellis took two wickets each. Glenn Maxwell was impressive as he scored 70. The other batsmen failed to convert their starts into big scores.
Head to Head
Matches Played- 13, Stars- 9, Hurricanes- 4
Team News
D Arcy Short has not been in great nick for Hobart so far. Skipper, Peter Handscomb also needs to score runs to bolster his confidence. With Johan Botha back, the bowling attack looks more balanced.'
Melbourne is relying heavily on Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran to score the bulk of the runs. Andre Fletcher is woefully out of form. Adam Zampa may be back after missing the last game due to a suspension.
Pitch and Conditions
Brisbane has hosted four matches in the BBL this season and the victories have been equally split between the side batting first and the chasing team as two each. Even totals of 150 can be defended on this pitch if the bowlers make the breakthroughs at the start of the innings. Scattered showers and windy conditions are predicted for the match.
Probable Playing XI
Hobart Hurricanes (HBH): Ben McDermott (wk), D Arcy Short, Dawid Malan, Nathan Ellis, Colin Ingram, Tim David, Peter Handscomb (c), Johan Botha, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith, Sandeep Lamichhane
Melbourne Stars (MLS): Andre Fletcher, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ben Dunk, Sam Rainbird/ Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Lance Morris, Billy Stanlake, Zahir Khan
Key Battles
Hilton Cartwright (STA) vs Nathan Ellis (HBH)
Cartwright scored only 8 runs in the previous match. Playing at the crucial number 3 spot for Melbourne, he has not been in great form this season. The batting all-rounder is a hard-hitter who loves taking the attack to the bowlers.
Ellis conceded only 11 runs in his four-over quota and also scalped two wickets. The right-arm pacer hardly gave away any runs at the death with his toe-crushing yorkers and slower balls.
Liam Hatcher (STA) vs Dawid Malan (HBH)
Malan scored a brilliant 75 in the last game. Making his debut in the BBL, the southpaw has been very consistent so far. It is quite hard to dismiss him when he gets going as he can play shots all around the park.
Hatcher went wicketless giving away 27 runs in the previous match. He initially played for Sydney Thunder in the BBL before making the switch to Melbourne. He can trouble batsmen with his raw pace. He can take wickets regularly but could be a bit expensive some times.
Prediction
A win for Melbourne can take them to the fourth spot in the points table. Hobart can top the table with a victory. Melbourne have a set of power-hitters stacked up while Hobart has a great team of bowlers who can win them a match single-handedly.
Cricwizz predicts Melbourne Stars to win the match
