Richard Mann provides his preview of Monday's Big Bash final between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder.
Cricket betting preview: Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Thunder
Hobart Hurricanes bid to cap a near-faultless campaign when hosting Sydney Sixers in the final of the Big Bash on Monday, 8:15am, UK time.
It’s hard to argue the Hurricanes haven’t been the best side in the competition this year, topping the league table in the regular season and then beating Sydney Sixers at home in the Qualifier.
The Thunder have had things much tougher. A number of injuries to key players appeared to have halted their charge, but captain David Warner has used resources wonderfully well, and victories over Melbourne Stars and the Sixers put them in the final.
On both occasions, their wily and well-balanced bowling attack did the bulk of the heavy lifting – bowling out the Stars for only 114 and then restricting the Sixers to 151-7 on Friday.
On the face of it, this does shape up like a battle between Thunder’s bowling, headed by Nathan McAndrew and classy spinners Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green, and the Hurricanes batting.
The Hurricanes have an abundance of power in that batting line-up. It starts at the top of the order with Mitchell Owen, whose 344 runs this season have come at a whoping strike-rate of 191.11. With Matthew Wade, Tim David and Nikhil Chaudhary also in that top six, there is lots to like.
Don't discount Chaudhary in the top Hurricanes batsman market. He has been a model of consistency this term, though I was surprised to see him inched down the order for the win over the Sixers.
The Thunder’s batting is much more reliant on a few big-name internationals, and Sam Billings stood up with a clutch 42 not out (29 balls) to resist a typically stubborn fightback from the Sixers on Friday.
At the top of the order, that man Warner has led the way with 357 runs at an average of 44.62, making him the leading runscorer in the competition despite a couple of low scores in the last two matches.
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Expect the Hurricanes to go hard at Warner early with pace, particularly Riley Meredith, but Warner has generally paced his innings well, often taking his time and laying a platform for the Power Surge and latter overs.
And if Warner and Billings can drag the Thunder to somewhere in the region of 160 or 170, that might well be enough on this ground.
We’ve had six games played in Hobart so far this season, with four first-innings scores between 150 and 170, one of 186-5, and then 173-7 which proved to be a winning total for the Hurricanes against the Sixers.
The Thunder, who have now won their last three completed matches, are a team on a roll at present and have more than a puncher’s chance here. 13/10 will certainly appeal to some.
No recommended bets
Posted at 1550 GMT on 24/01/25
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