GameDay Squad AUS Cricket Round 29 Preview: The Hobart Hurricanes take on the Adelaide Strikers in the 33rd match of BBL13 in Bellerive at Blundstone Arena on Thursday the 11th of January.
Here's everything you need to know ....
Predicted Teams
Hobart Hurricanes: 1. Matthew Wade, 2. Caleb Jewell, 3. Ben McDermott, 4. Macalister Wright, 5. Corey Anderson, 6. Tim David, 7. Nikhil Chaudhary, 8. Chris Jordan, 9. Patrick Dooley, 10. Nathan Ellis, 11. Billy Stanlake
Adelaide Strikers: 1. Matt Short, 2. D'Arcy Short, 3. Chris Lynn, 4. Adam Hose, 5. Thomas Kelly, 6. Jamie Overton, 7. Harry Nielsen, 8. Wes Agar, 9. Henry Thornton, 10. David Payne, 11. Cameron Boyce
Start Vs Sit
Batters - Macalister Wright vs Caleb Jewell
Both of these batsmen have been out of form in their last three matches, Wright has averaged 16 points and Jewell 9 points across these matches. The Hurricanes last three matches have been away from home. In Hobart this season both players have performed a lot better, Wright averages 66 points and Jewell 31 points in these matches. Jewell can go big in any match but I'll be leaning towards starting Wright and this is because of his great form at home.
Start: Macalister Wright
All-Rounder - D'Arcy Short vs Tim David
Even though Short's form in BBL13 has been up and down, I'm still likely going to start him over David in this match. Short has finished as one of the top four all-rounders in a match on four occasions. David has surprisingly finished as one of the top four all-rounders in five of his eight matches. Even though both players have had numerous top four all-rounder finishes, there is quite a difference between their averages. Short averages 39 points and David averages 21. As Short opens the batting, I believe he has a higher ceiling than David. I think that David just bats too low down in the Hurricanes batting lineup to produce a big score.
Start: D'Arcy Short
Bowler - Chris Jordan vs Cameron Boyce
The Hurricanes and Strikers only played each other a couple of days ago in Adelaide and both Jordan and Boyce were in the top three bowlers. I think it's unlikely that they both finish as one of the top three bowlers in this match. I prefer Jordan in this match but he is a risky option. In his eight matches he has finished as the top scoring bowler on four occasions. In the other four matches he ranked as the 6th, 8th, 6th and 8th best bowler. He is one of those players that offers a very high ceiling but a very low floor. Spinners have managed to score well at Blundstone Arena when they bowl in the first innings. However, this season against the Hurricanes in Hobart, leg spin bowlers have only taken two wickets in twelve overs and average 21 points.
Start: Chris Jordan
Matchup Matrix
Key Takeaways:
Pace bowlers have scored well against the Hurricanes
Middle order batsmen have generally performed well against both teams
Both pace and spin bowlers haven't scored well against the Strikers
Ground Matrix
Key Takeaways:
Batsmen have generally scored better in the second innings
Opening batsmen in the first innings have struggled to score here
Spin bowlers have had more success when they bowl in the first innings
Hot Take
Macalister Wright will put his poor form behind him and bounce back to score a fifty.
Who to play in your GDS starting XI
BAT - Ben McDermott
BAT - Chris Lynn
BAT - Macalister Wright
ALL - Matt Short
ALL - Jamie Overton
ALL - Nikhil Chaudhary
ALL - D'Arcy Short
WK - Matthew Wade
BWL - David Payne
BWL - Nathan Ellis
BWL - Chris Jordan