Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars Preview + Dream11
A Monday to look forward to in Hobart.
Christmas Eve is upon us, and with that comes an afternoon of cricket at Blundstone Arena. Both sides began their respective campaigns with rain affected matches, and will be looking to build momentum as BBL08 will soon take shape.
Hobart Hurricanes, despite some nervy moments, got the job done on the Gold Coast against Brisbane Heat. D’Arcy Short, while not at his absolute best, was in the runs, which was then backed up by a bowling display that broke the back of the Heat’s batting effort. Can the Hurricanees make it two straight wins?
While the Hurricanes look to make two straight wins, Melbourne Stars will be looking to avoid two straight defeats. The Stars, coming off a last placed finish in BBL07, need to get in the winners’ circle sooner rather than later to help boost confidence. Rain significantly hampered their chances against Sydney Thunder, leaving them with 90 to chase off eight overs. However, their inconsistent bowling display is room for improvement. Can they get on the board in BBL08?
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Key to a Hobart Hurricanes win
Can the Hurricanes showcase some of the good skills they showed against Brisbane Heat, less than 48 hours later?
D’Arcy Short will be key at the top again. In BBL07, Short was in magnificent touch, hammering the ball to all parts of the ground at will. However, his form since then has been up and down, and given he wasn’t at his best against the Heat, his 67 would have been very encouraging from a Hurricanes perspective. Can he get stuck in again, this time with greater support from the likes of Matthew Wade and Alex Doolan? Can Ben McDermott and George Bailey also carry on their promising showings against the Heat to propel the Hurricanes to a strong total?
No doubt, runs on the board on a small Blundestone Arena outfield will be key, but the bowlers will also be required to deliver the goods. James Faulkner was excellent on his Hurricanes debut, backed up impressively by Jofra Archer and fellow debutant Johan Botha. The Stars will be relying significantly on their big three allrounders for runs, so the key lies in getting the chance to bowl to them as soon as possible, giving the Hurricanes the best chance of nullifying their threat.
Key to a Melbourne Stars win
It is easy to say that D’Arcy Short’s wicket is crucial. However, the Stars were in the wickets against the Thunder, restricting them to 59/3 and 99/4, only to fall away in the death overs. Youngster Sandeep Lamichhane started superbly, and will be key in Hobart, along with Adam Zampa and Dwayne Bravo. However, who else will stand up? Michael Beer and Jackson Coleman were under par, and given Marcus Stoinis is carrying a bit of an ankle injury, each bowler called upon needs to do a job.
Also, with beautiful weather expected in Hobart, the Stars batsmen will be in for a full innings. Ben Dunk, who was disappointing last season, has started off with a low score, and will be key to helping the Stars get off to a good start. A good start from Dunk paves the way for the likes of Maxwell, Bravo and Stoinis to play with greater freedom, which is critical to the Stars’ chances of a first win. Will it be their day?
Predicted Playing XIs
Hobart Hurricanes have named an unchanged squad for this game. It is likely they will name an unchanged XI, too. Unfortunately, Clive Rose will probably have the same hairdo.
Hobart Hurricanes: 1. Matthew Wade (c & wk), 2. D’Arcy Short, 3. Alex Doolan, 4. Ben McDermott, 5. George Bailey, 6. Simon Milenko, 7. James Faulkner, 8. Johan Botha, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Clive Rose, 11. Riley Meredith.
Jackson Bird comes into the Melbourne Stars squad, replacing Lance Morris. Michael Beer was ineffective against the Thunder, so the Stars could look to go in with one of Bird or Scott Boland.
Melbourne Stars: 1. Nick Larkin, 2. Ben Dunk (wk), 3. Glenn Maxwell (c), 4. Marcus Stoinis, 5. Dwayne Bravo, 6. Travis Dean, 7. Evin Gulbis, 8. Adam Zampa, 9. Sandeep Lamichhane, 10. Jackson Coleman, 11. Jackson Bird/Scott Boland/Michael Beer
Dream11
Two Dream11 alternatives for this match. Below are the players I feel will perform in this game.
Team 1:
Team 2 (preferred):
- Team 1 has a pace bowling focus, given the small ground at Blundstone Arena. However, the spinners on show are good enough in restricting the scoring.
- Jofra Archer, James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo represent three solid seam bowling options.
- D’Arcy Short loves Hobart. He is my skipper.
- Ben Dunk also loves Hobart. He played a number of fine innings for Hobart Hurricanes on this ground. The time for him to step up is now in familiar surroundings.
- Nick Larkin looked in fine touch vs Sydney Thunder.
Stats and Facts
- Melbourne Stars have won just four of their past 15 BBL matches, but have won their last three against Hobart Hurricanes.
- James Faulkner will come up against his old team.
- Six of the last eight BBL matches at Blundstone Arena have been won by the team batting second.
Prediction
Most signs point towards a Hobart Hurricanes win, but I don’t think it will be straightforward for them.
Melbourne Stars have match winners throughout their side. However, they might need to rely on individual moments of magic rather than anything substantial right now.
Despite my bold prediction that Stars will be much improved this season, the Hurricanes at home might get them in a close one.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. I recently partnered with the awesome team at OnlineCricStore.com.
Hope you enjoy my cricket tips on the OnlineCricStore Blog!
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars Preview + Dream11
