English
Having started off well, winning two of their first three games, their form has tapered off and they have managed to win only one of their next five games. Heading into this encounter, they were handed a five-wicket defeat by the Melbourne Renegades. Batting first, the Melbourne Stars only managed to get to a modest total of 126 runs.
Travis Dean (26-ball 32) and Hilton Cartwright (29-ball 41) were the stars with the bat in hand. Defending a below-par total, the Stars bowlers gave it their best but were unable to pull back the Renegades. Haris Rauf, Qais Ahmed and Ahmed Daniyal each claimed a wicket. Tom O’Connell was the star with the ball in hand, claiming figures of 2/11.The Adelaide Strikers, much like their counterparts, have failed to do anything substantial to gather momentum in the tournament. Missing key players owing to national duty and COVID scare, the Strikers have seemed toothless on countless occasions in the tournament.
The Strikers have picked up Bash Boost points regularly but have failed to get past the finish line. Their first victory came against the Melbourne Renegades, as they beat them by 49 runs. They claimed their second victory, beating the Hobart Hurricanes by seven wickets. Bowling first, the Strikers reduced the Hurricanes’ batting line-up to a 126-run total. Peter Siddle was the star with ball in hand, claiming figures of 5/23, providing crucial and timely breakthroughs as he ensured that the Hurricanes innings never gathered momentum.
Rashid Khan (2/26), Matthew Short (1/25) and Harry Conway (1/24) played supporting roles with ball in hand. Chasing a modest total, the Strikers batters did not falter as they chased down the target with nearly five overs to spare. Matthew Short was the star with the bat in hand and scored the bulk of the team’s runs, scoring an unbeaten 44-ball 72. Jonathan Wells, Matt Renshaw and Henry Hunt chipped in with crucial runs.
The Melbourne Stars are going to be playing their first match since almost 12 of their squad was affected by COVID. That has meant a pretty different squad being announced for this match against the Adelaide Strikers. It could mean an opportunity for the Strikers to move up against the table as they are playing a Stars side that is without some of its best players. As things stand, both teams take up the bottom two places of the BBL 2021-22 League table right now. The cricket betting sites clearly like what they see in the just-announced Melbourne Stars squad since they are being rated as the favorites.
Match prediction and cricket betting tips for Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers BBL 2021-22. The match is going to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne on the 10th of January 2021-22.
MELBOURNE STARS VS ADELAIDE STRIKERS TEAM PREVIEWS
MELBOURNE STARS
Melbourne Stars are going to be led by Adam Zampa in this match. They have announced 17 players for this match and while we can see some very talented cricketers, there are many new names in there as well. The bowling attack looks quite well-stocked for the most part. Adam Zampa will lead the bowling attack alongside Haris Rauf. In a lot of ways, Haris Rauf owes his international success to being given an early opportunity by the Melbourne Stars and he has since grown into one of the fastest bowlers in the world. Brody Couch, Marcus Stoinis, and Qaid Ahmad are also in the squad but fitting them all in the starting eleven is going to be difficult.
The Stars will just hope for a good performance from one of its new bowlers to keep things in check.
The problems increase when you talk about the batting, though. Joe Clarke will open the batting with possibly Joe Burns stepping in as the other opener. Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, and Beau Webster are likely to comprise the middle-order. This is a good batting order but definitely not the strongest one going around.
ADELAIDE STRIKERS
The Adelaide Strikers pulled off a pretty big upset when they defeated the Hobart Hurricanes in their previous match. It was a match that was dominated by Peter Siddle in the bowling department ( 5 wickets) and Matt Short in the batting (72 not out). That was just the second win for the Adelaide Strikers who have been quite off the ball this season of the BBL.
However, the market could be undervaluing them a bit in this contest. It is not going to be easy for new players to face up to the likes of Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, or Wes Agar. The Adelaide Strikers bowling attack is quite good. The big threat is going to be Rashid Khan and you can consider a punt on him to the Top Bowler Adelaide Strikers in this match.
The Strikers also have a pretty weak batting lineup. Matthew Short played an exceptional inning in the previous match but that was his first real score of substance. Jake Weatherald has had a poor season and Jonathan Wells is also not able to find any sort of form. Matt Renshaw is the one batsman that has looked good every time he has come out to bat.
This weak batting lineup is probably the reason why the Adelaide Stars are being rated as the underdogs in this match.
MELBOURNE STARS VS ADELAIDE STRIKERS PITCH REPORT
The surface at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a good cricketing surface. The track is expected to assist the batters, who can play their shots post a careful initial passage of play.
The pacers need to provide their team with timely breakthroughs and could very well dictate terms on this surface. Teams will look to win the toss and chase on this surface.
MELBOURNE STARS VS ADELAIDE STRIKERS WEATHER REPORT
Partly cloudy skies are expected to be a feature of match day. Temperatures are expected to range between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius. Intermittent spells of rain and thunderstorms could be expected.
MELBOURNE STARS VS ADELAIDE STRIKERS PROBABLE XI
MELBOURNE STARS:
- Travis Dean
- Joe Burns
- Joe Clarke (wk)
- Marcus Stoinis
- Hilton Cartwright
- Adam Zampa (c)
- Qais Ahmed
- Haris Rauf
- Patrick Rowe
- Tom O’Connell
- Nick Larkin
- Matthew Short
- Henry Hunt
- Matt Renshaw
- Jonathan Wells
- Jake Weatherald
- Tom Kelly
- Harry Nielsen (wk)
- Rashid Khan
- Harry Conway
- Wes Agar
- Peter Siddle
