BBL6 Game 20 Preview - Hurricanes v Thunder @ Blundstone Arena
Hobart Hurricanes (2-3) V Sydney Thunder (1-4) @ Blundstone Arena
Preview - It's a must win clash for both the Hurricanes and Thunder as they collide at Blundstone Arena on Sunday night. The Hurricanes will be stinging after a terrible performance in Adelaide, where they went down by five wickets, consigning them to a precarious 2-3 record. The Hurricanes made a shocking start to the game being 5/30 before recovering to make a competitive 7/161. A loss to the Thunder would surely see the Hurricanes fall to a fourth straight season outside the playoffs, so the pressure is well and truly on tonight. The Thunder finally managed to get their first win of the season, at the fifth time of asking, with a thrilling final ball victory over the Stars at Spotless Stadium. Eoin Morgan was the hero in his final game for the Thunder, smashing a final ball 6 to give the beleaguered franchise a much needed boost. Sitting at 1-4, the Thunder need to win all of their remaining three games to have a chance of sneaking into the finals. With less than 700 tickets remaining, the clash is expected to sell out in what has become another blockbuster season of BBL crowds.
Squad Changes - Explosive fast bowler Shaun Tait is back in the Hurricanes 13-man Squad at the expense of all rounder Simon Milenko. Tait has missed the past two games with injury and it will be interesting to see whether the Hurricanes throw him back into the fold after his disappointing start to the campaign. Meanwhile there are big changes for the Thunder who have included two new overseas players in James Vince and Carlos Brathwaite. With Eoin Morgan on English duty with the ODI team in India, and Andre Russell ruled out for the rest of BBL6, the Thunder will need an immediate impact from both Vince and Brathwaite. James Vince has really emerged in the past couple of seasons, playing in all three formats for England at various times. Vince has an excellent T20 record, averaging 29 from 119 games with a good strike rate of 127. Brathwaite was the hero of the West Indian side World T20 triumph, crashing three straight sixes in the final over off Ben Stokes to put his name up in lights. Brathwaite only averages 14 with the bat, however that is understandable coming in from around Number 7 or Number 8. What is more impressive is his strike rate of 153 from 60 games played. Brathwaite is also a more than handy seamer with 48 wickets from 60 games at an impressive economy rate of 7.5.
Hobart Hurricanes Scouting Report - The Hurricanes are mulling a change at Number 3, with veteran overseas player Kumar Sangakkara. Sangakkara has really struggled in BBL6 coming from Number 3, scoring just 68 runs at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 121. After just 105 runs at 13.2 last summer, the veteran Sri Lankan is on shaky ground with Head Coach Damien Wright refusing to confirm whether Sangakkara would play and hinting at a possible move down the order. Whatever the case may be, the Hurricanes can ill afford another terrible start in a must-win game. The good news for Hobart is they have an in-form lower middle order with Jonathan Wells and Beau Webster striking outstanding half centuries in Adelaide. The Hurricanes looked like they might not reach 120, however Wells and Webster played beautifully, coming in at Number 6 and 7.
The Hurricanes welcome back Shaun Tait from injury, however he has been inconsistent in BBL6. Tait really needs to be at close to 150km to not go around the park, and I think the Hurricanes will use him sparingly in the bowling Power Play. Dan Christian has clearly been their best bowler in the past two games, picking up 7 wickets and going at less than 6 runs per over.
Sydney Thunder Scouting Report - Kurtis Patterson showed glimpses of what he can do in the last match, scoring 28 from 18 balls against the Melbourne Stars. It's been a lean BBL campaign for Patterson, however he has looked in decent touch and a half century might not be far away. Shane Watson has made a disastrous return to the side with just six runs from three games, coming in at Number 3. Watson should open the batting and open the shoulders in order to try and break his lean patch. He is their best batsman, and I really don't understand him coming in at first drop given he has scored T20 hundreds for Australia and in the IPL opening the batting. Both Ben Rohrer and Pat Cummins chipped in with runs for the Thunder against the Stars, and that's the sort of even contributions the Thunder need if they are going to revive their season.
The Thunder have done a decent job as a bowling unit so far in BBL6. Their spinners in Chris Green and Fawad Ahmed have done an outstanding job for the side throughout the tournament. Green has 6 wickets from 5 games with an economy rate under 7 and is proving a banker for the Thunder, bowling around the wicket in those middle overs. Ahmed has 5 wickets from 5 games at an economy rate of 7.2 and has bowled beautifully at times, deceiving the batsmen with some of his variations. Shane Watson has been by far the best seam bowler for the Thunder being instrumental in their win over the Stars. Watson was outstanding at the death, taking 3/23 from his 4 overs, using all his experience and variations.
Verdict - I like Hobart to bounce back in this game. I like backing sides coming off poor outings, and Hobart could hardly have started any worse in Adelaide. While the Thunder remain a mathematical chance to make the finals, it's a big ask for two new imports to come in at this stage and fire straight away. Hobart have played pretty well in their two home games this season, especially with the bat, and I think they can rack up 180+ here should they bat first. George Bailey will be stinging from missing out on the Australian ODI side, and I think he might be the man to make a real impact on this game.
The Lurker "The Lurker is getting around the Hurricanes tonight. I have said they stink throughout the BBL, however they don't hum as much as the Thunder. Get on the Hurricanes to hit the most horns and have a nibble at the high bat double of George Bailey into Shane Watson. Watto is due as am I for another 3-game winning streak. I'll be 15-5 after this game and that 75% win ratio last time I checked. Guess I won't be hearing from the haters for a while."