Strikers vs. Hurricanes Big Bash odds, news & top scorer tips

Only a few days ago they blasted Adelaide Strikers off the park, with allrounder Dan Christian snaring 5/14 in an eight-wicket victory.

The Tasmanians would be especially pleased with the form of their top order.

Tim Paine is playing as well as he ever has, while D’Arcy Short has shown exactly why coach Damien Wright was so thrilled to sign him up.

Then there is the class of Kumar Sangakkara at first drop and the experienced head of George Bailey at number four.

Gun recruit Stuart Broad has brought some real quality with the ball, while the spin duo of Cameron Boyce and Clive Rose is perhaps the most reliable in the competition.

When you put all the pieces together and look at how they’ve performed thus far, it makes you wonder why Hobart were the hot tip for the BBL06 wooden spoon.

There wasn’t much love for Adelaide in the early Big Bash outright betting either, although that lack of faith appears justified.

The mauling at Bellerive has left the Strikers with one win from four games and in real danger of finishing at the foot of the table they topped in BBL05.

They have a talented batting order, but where is the consistency?

Young opener Jake Weatherald hasn’t reached 20 since his half-century in Adelaide’s opener, while Travis Head has looked well short of his explosive best.

If it weren’t for Ben Dunk and the evergreen Brad Hodge, things might be even worse.

The likes of Chris Jordan and Michael Neser have shipped too many runs with the ball, but nobody could fault the efforts of Billy Stanlake.

Having starred with three wickets in the win over Sydney Sixers, the 22-year-old quick returned 1/17 from his four overs at Hobart in a prime example of how to go about defending a small total.

Also impressive in those two games was Head, whose off-spin stylings have that canny knack of delivering key wickets at great economy.

With star spinner Adil Rashid away on international duty, both he and rookie tweaker Liam O’Connor will have big roles to play in Adelaide’s push for a finals berth.

Tim Paine top batsman odds

The Hobart skipper needed a big start to the season after some setbacks at state level, and that’s exactly what he has delivered.

Paine is second only to Chris Lynn in the Big Bash League 2016-17 runscoring charts, with 204 runs at an average of 51 on the dot.

All but one of his four innings thus far have produced 40 runs or more – excellent form for punters looking at the top batsman markets.

Man of the match – $8 at Sportsbet

Top match batsman – $5.50 at Sportsbet

Top Hurricanes batsman – $3.75 at Bet365

Travis Head betting specials

After an impressive ODI series against New Zealand, Head’s lack of form with the bat in BBL06 is somewhat puzzling.

But the young South Australian is one of those players who finds a way to get involved in a game no matter what.

He has done a great job with the ball in recent outings, and we all know what he is capable of with the bat, so give him a look in all the major player props.

Most Strikers runs/wickets double – $34 at William Hill

Top Strikers bowler – $12 at CrownBet

Top Strikers batsman – $4.50 at Sportsbet

Strikers vs. Hurricanes match tips

As the tight match odds suggest, this is not an easy one for punters to pick.

The Hurricanes did it easy in the end down in Tassie, due in no small part to an out-of-the-box individual display from Christian.

Can they maintain that momentum?

Adelaide have yet to hit their peak, which is what makes them so dangerous.

Imagine if Dunk, Head, Hodge, et al all fire at once.

There are a few Strikers stars who are overdue for big performances, so that’s the way we are leaning.

Match result – Adelaide Strikers ($1.91 at William Hill)

Highest opening partnership – Adelaide Strikers ($2.08 at Sportsbet)