Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Big Bash League 2020-21, Today Match Prediction 13 Dec 2020

ads vs hbh Match Prediction & Analysis

The 5th match of the 2020/21 season of the Big Bash League will be played between the Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have already opened their account in the new season by winning the first match and getting off to a great start. However, the Strikers are a good side and would be raring to go after failing to make it to the finals last year. It will be interesting to see how both the teams fare with the unavailability of many players and the rustiness that is likely to be there in the players. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Adelaide Strikers Preview

Adelaide Strikers threw away a chance to make it to the last three last season when they had a really good team. They would like to make amends this season but will be missing the services of their captain Travis Head for the major part of the tournament. Michael Neser may also be unavailable because of Test duties. Alex Carey, too, is all set to miss the first couple of games and all these omissions create a gaping hole in the side. 

However, the Strikers still have some great talent to look forward to. In Jonathan Wells that have a solid middle-order batsman to watch out for who could well be the star of this season. Matt Renshaw is another batsman who could make an impact at the top. On the bowling front, the experience of Peter Siddle will be absolutely crucial for the Strikers and the good thing is that he will be available throughout the season. However, the biggest impact player for the team will be leg-spinner, Rashid Khan. The star spinner has taken 56 wickets at an average of 17.66 in the last three seasons and could be the game-changer for the Strikers in this game too.
 

Adelaide Strikers Predicted Playing XI:

Harry Nielsen, Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Cameron Valente, Danny Briggs, Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald, Jonathan Wells, Daniel Worrall, Rashid Khan

Adelaide Strikers Actual Playing XI:

Philip Salt, Matt Renshaw, Wes Agar, Harry Nielsen, Jake Weatherald, Danny Briggs, Peter Siddle, Rashid Khan, Ryan Gibson, Daniel Worrall, JW Wells

Hobart Hurricanes Preview

Hobart Hurricanes made it into the finals last year courtesy of a magnificent unbeaten century from Matthew Wade. They would like to do one better this time and have started off with a solid 16-run win against the Sydney Sixers. However, Wade will be unavailable for the team for a significant duration of the tournament and that is likely to make things difficult for the Hurricanes. A lot will depend on the performances of D Arcy Short, Colin Ingram, and Peter Handscomb. Ingram struck a fluent 55 in the last match and was ably supported by Tim David whose 58 off 33 balls down the order really lifted the team.

On the bowling front, the Hurricanes have a lot of good options. James Faulkner is in good form and picked up 2 wickets in the last game. Riley Meredith too was good while the experienced Johan Botha hit good lengths. However, Scott Boland and Nathan Ellis were pretty expensive and the two might prove to the weak links for the Hurricanes as we go deeper into the season.
 

Hobart Hurricanes Predicted Playing XI:

D Arcy Short, Will Jacks, Colin Ingram, Peter Handscomb (c & wk), Macalister Wright, Tim David, James Faulkner, Johan Botha, Nathan Ellis, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith

Hobart Hurricanes Actual Playing XI:

Riley Meredith, Colin Ingram, Scott Boland, Nathan Ellis, Tim David, Will Jacks, Mac Wright, D'Arcy Short, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Johan Botha

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Bellerive Oval in Hobart should be good for batting as we saw in the first game here. This is the early stage of the tournament and the wicket is likely to be hard and bouncy. While the seamers will get assistance initially, batting should be easier as the game goes on. 

The weather forecast for Hobart for the day of the match is warm and cloudy. The overhead clouds could make things better for the seam bowlers.
 

Venue Details

The first match of the season at the Bellerive Oval this season was played between the Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers. It was a high scoring game where the Hurricanes posted 178-8 after batting first while the Sixers managed 162 in response. We can expect another high-scoring encounter for this match and the team batting first should target a total of 180-odd.

Toss: To Bat

The team winning the toss should look to bat first. It is early in the season right now and setting a target would be the ideal way to go.