Strikers vs Hurricanes BBL Eliminator tips & odds – 21/1/2022

The Hobart Hurricanes will be looking for a sharp reversal in form when they face the Adelaide Strikers at the MCG on Friday night in the opening game of the 2021/22 Big Bash League playoffs.

An undermanned ‘Canes outfit was demolished by the Melbourne Stars in the last game of the regular season, with Glenn Maxwell smashing a BBL-record 154 not out as the Stars – who will not feature in the finals – posted a whopping 2/273. Hobart were missing Tom Rogers and Riley Meredith for that clash, but both will be available for The Eliminator. Rogers has cost the Hurricanes 40 runs in only one match so far this season, while Meredith hasn’t gone beyond this mark so far in BBL11. The Hurricanes can also call on Ashes hero Scott Boland, who is renowned for his record at the MCG.

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The Adelaide Strikers finished one point ahead of Hobart after the home-and-away season was completed. Peter Siddle has been inspirational with his leadership, and in his last 10 matches he has failed to take a wicket in only one of these games. Rashid Khan’s absence hasn’t been felt too much, as Iain Cockbain and Fawad Ahmed have filled in the gap more than adequately. The Strikers will also get a boost from their returning Test stars, with Alex Carey and the in-form Travis Head set to inject some quality into the batting order.

Jonathan Wells has hit three scores above 50 with the bat this season, and his average of 40 is highly respectable in a format where many of his contemporaries struggle to go at better than half of that. Matt Renshaw has had a quieter season, but it looks like he is finding form at the right time. If one of them can get a good start and build their confidence, then they could very well decide the game.

Strikers vs Hurricanes BBL Eliminator predictions & best bets

Player of the Match: Travis Head

It’s important to remember that the international players are back and Travis Head will be lining up for the Adelaide Strikers. This is a big step down in class from the Ashes, where the South Australian hit two centuries en route to Player of the Series honours. A cricket ball is a cricket ball no matter what colour it is, and a batter of his talent should easily adjust to this format.

Top bowler for Adelaide Strikers: Fawad Ahmed

He might be nudging 40, but Fawad Ahmed’s leg-breaks are proving to be highly effective of late and he’s only had one bad game this season. On two occasions he has taken three wickets in this campaign, and the large outfield should suit his style given that he bowls with a lot of topspin and has a happy knack of making classy batters look foolish.

Match result: Adelaide Strikers

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is a venue for those that can do the basics well with both bowling and batting. The outfielders have a huge role to play because of the huge size of the ground, and the mishit is less often rewarded with a lucky boundary. Quality teams tend to win here, and for that reason we are going for the Adelaide Strikers by 30 runs or three wickets.