Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, Big Bash League 2020-21, Today Match Prediction 02 Jan 2021

hbh vs mls Match Prediction & Analysis

Hobart Hurricanes would look to gain consistency as they play the Melbourne Stars in the 22nd game of the BBL. The Hurricanes won the last game against Brisbane Heat but they have been slipping into losses after winning game and this is something that the side would hope to avoid here. The Melbourne Stars suffered a crushing loss in the last game against Sydney Thunder and they would be looking to recover from that and move up on the points table. 

Melbourne Stars have always enjoyed a better record against the Hobart Hurricanes and had won both the games between the two sides last season. They would be looking to use these wins as an inspiration here and get back to winning ways in the tournament. It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes are able to get over their poor record against the Stars in this game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Hobart Hurricanes Preview

It was a lucky escape for Peter Handscomb’s side in their last game against the Brisbane Heat which they ended up winning by 1 run. Their bowlers had nearly thrown away the game only to pull back in the final moments to win it. Handscomb would look for a better show from his players here as they are up against a side against which they haven’t enjoyed great record in the past. 

Ben McDermott and D'Arcy Short will need to provide a good start as they have failed as a pair so far in the season. In the middle order Dawid Malan, Handscomb and Colin Ingram have been in good form and the side would have high expectations from them in this game. Tim David, Keemo Paul and Nathan Ellis will have to make contributions down the order which hasn’t been the case in most of the games so far in the season. 

Riley Meredith and Scott Boland did well with the new ball in the last game and the side would have big expectations from them here. Wil Parker also played his part well in the last game and so did D'Arcy Short. However, it is the form of Keemo Paul and Nathan Ellis that would be worrying the side and they will need to come up with a better show here in this game. 

Hobart Hurricanes Predicted Playing XI:

Peter Handscomb (c), D'Arcy Short, Ben McDermott (wk), Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Tim David, Keemo Paul, Nathan Ellis, Scott Boland, Wil Parker, Riley Meredith

Hobart Hurricanes Actual Playing XI:

Riley Meredith, Colin Ingram, Sandeep Lamichhane, Scott Boland, Nathan Ellis, Tim David, D'Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb, Johan Botha, Dawid Malan, Ben McDermott

Melbourne Stars Preview

It was an absolutely poor show from Glenn Maxwell’s side with the ball against the Sydney Thunder in the last game. They conceded 219 with the ball to end up losing the game by 75 runs.  With back to back losses the side is under pressure at the moment and needs to fight its way out. They have a good record against the Hurricanes and Maxwell would want his players to take inspiration from that going into this contest.  

Marcus Stoinis and Andre Fletcher can’t waste their start anymore. They have failed to put up big scores and the side would expect better show from them in thus game. The middle order is power packed with Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran and Hilton Cartwright in the side. Ben Dunk, Adam Zampa and Nic Maddinson also have good hitting abilities and they would look to do well in this game. 

It was their bowling attack that failed in the side in the last game as all the bowlers had a bad day at the office. The side would be looking for early wickets from Maxwell and Billy Stanlake. Zampa needs to bowl well in the middle overs being the strike bowler for the side. Zahir Khan, Liam Hatcher and Maddinson will need to play the supporting act well in this game for them to win. 

Melbourne Stars Predicted Playing XI:

Glenn Maxwell (c), Ben Dunk, Andre Fletcher, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Nic Maddinson, Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Billy Stanlake, Zahir Khan

Melbourne Stars Actual Playing XI:

Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Zahir Khan, Nic Maddinson, Nicholas Pooran, Ben Dunk, Sam Rainbird, ADS Fletcher, Glenn Maxwell, Liam Hatcher, Billy Stanlake

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

There are predictions cloudy skies over Hobart on January 02 and the conditions would slightly favor the bowlers. Still batting would be easy on the surface as the ball comes on to the bat nicely and allows batsmen to play on the up here. The side batting first would need to eye a total in the range of 180 runs to feel safe here.

Venue Details

Bellerive Oval, Hobart has a small park and the short boundaries around the square offer batsmen plenty of opportunities to free their arms. Fast bowlers do get early movement off the surface at this venue but spinners have always had a tough time here as the dimensions of the ground make it quite a difficult venue for them.

Toss: To Bat

We have seen massive scores being put up at Hobart this season and teams have won by big margins. It is a very good surface to bat on and allows the batsmen to play their strokes easily. Thus we believe the side that wins the toss would like to take advantage from the surface by opting to bat first in the game.