BBL07 Round 5
BlueBet previews the BBL07 Round 5 action below. Read on for our best betting tips per game and an overview of the feature games this round.
Hobart Hurricanes v Adelaide Strikers
When: 4th Jan 2018, 7:10pm (AEDT)
Where: Hobart
Odds: Strikers $1.65, Hurricanes $2.25
Form Guide
The Hurricanes are on the board after an upset in Sydney against the Thunder. D'Arcy Short was the key as he top scored with 97 and the Hurricanes bowlers just held on in the end.
Adelaide are back from the bye and will be looking to kick off 2018 with a win. They comfortably defeated the Heat on New Years Eve and they’re one of the best sides in the Big Bash. Alex Carey is in great form with the bat and the bowling lineup is on fire.
Head to Head
The Strikers are 3-1 against the Hurricanes since 2014 and beat them by 5 wickets in the last meeting.
Top Runscorer: Hurricanes
D’Arcy Short is the form batsman for the Hurricanes and he did top score against the Strikers in the last Hobart meeting. Matthew Wade was elevated to number 3, but didn’t impress early in his innings. Ben McDermott and George Bailey have had a quiet series so far. Form counts in the Big Bash, so Short is the best bet for the Canes.
Best Bet: D’Arcy Short ($3.60)
Top Runscorer: Strikers
Neser top scored for the Strikers in their last match but the top order should enjoy a better outing in this one. Alex Carey copped a good ball last game for 2 runs. But he’s still the top runscorer for the Strikers with 129 in 3 matches. Travis Head hasn’t looked at his attacking best in this series so we’ll be steering clear. The other option is Wells if the Strikers suffer early wickets. But we think Carey will enjoy facing Rose and the Hurricane quicks early on.
Best Bet: Alex Carey ($4)
Prediction
Strikers WIN ($1.62)
The Hurricanes will be confident after beating the Thunder on the road. However, the Strikers have a much better bowling unit and that will be the main difference. Hobart is also 1-4 at home and the Strikers are 7-3 on the road. Back the Strikers.
Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers
When: 5th Jan 2018, 7:10pm (AEDT)
Where: Gabba, Brisbane
Odds: Heat $1.73, Scorchers $2.12
Form Guide
Brisbane thrashed the Stars on Tuesday and will be back at home against the undefeated Scorchers on Friday night. They have a great batting lineup now that Lynn and McCullum are back in form. The Heat fielding is questionable though and they’ll need to be at their very best against Perth.
The Scorchers head to the Gabba with a 4-0 record and have continued their Big Bash dominance this season. At home against the Sixers, they chased down a large target and will be confident of an away win against the Heat.
Head to Head
Since 2010, the head to head is tied 4-4. The Scorchers won the last match at the Gabba against them by 27 runs.
Top Runscorer: Heat
McCullum returned to form at the MCG against the Stars and Chris Lynn top scored on the final ball. Although, they could struggle against the Scorchers strong opening bowling lineup of Johnson/Richardson. The middle order options of Joe Burns and Alex Ross do offer value. Burns bats higher and has scored 95 runs in two matches at the Gabba so far.
Best Bet: Joe Burns
Top Runscorer: Scorchers
Klinger has saluted as the top runscorer for the Scorchers in their last 2 matches and we can’t see him failing here. He’s also top scored against the Heat in 2 of the last 3 clashes. Hilton Cartwright and Adam Voges are the other two options if Klinger fails. But in the end, Klinger is in great form and we’ll back him again.
Best Bet: Michael Klinger
Prediction
Scorchers WIN ($2.12)
The Scorchers are once again the underdog and we like backing them when that happens. They can chase down any total and their bowling unit is very strong. That should be the difference against the Heat’s batting lineup. The likes of Johnson, Richardson and Tye can pickup early wickets and put the Heat under pressure. So we’ll take the Scorchers over $2.
Other Round 5 Big Bash Tips:
Stars vs Renegades - Renegades WIN (TBA)
Thunder vs Strikers - Strikers WIN (TBA)
