BBL 10 | Sixers vs Renegades: Match Preview, Predicted XI, Pitch and Weather Report

BBL 10 | Stoinis, Zampa help Melbourne Stars in overpowering Sydney Thunder

The Melbourne Stars have comprehensively defeated the Sydney Thunder in their second game and have started the 10th edition of the Big Bash League on a dominating note. The Thunder needed 26 runs off the last over which the Stars’ skipper trusted Adam Zampa to bowl on the basis of his form in the last three overs of the game leading up to the last over of the game, and the leg spinner made showed that it was too many to get for Thunder and for him to conceded against lower-order batsmen. Chasing a steep target of 170 runs on a Manuka Oval pitch that had something to offer for both the pacemen and spinners, the Thunder were caught napping with the bat as the Stars bowling line up kept choking the flow of their runs and thwarted any chance of them running away with the game. But, Thunders were off to a decent start till the third over as the opening pair of Alex Hales and Usman Khwaja were looking in great touch. Stars’ captain Maxwell introduced himself to start the proceedings for the team and the move backfired on him as Hales took the best advantage of the field restrictions and plummeted the off-spinner for 11 runs to set up the chase. But, a highly-rated overseas import of Stars from Pakistan- Dilbar Hussain broke through to send Khwaja back to the pavilion albeit the replays showed the left-hander had missed the ball. Thunder’s skipper Callum Ferguson was the next man in to join Hales in the pursuit of a run chase that was still not out of their grasp and he started with a thumping pull shot against Hussain’s delivery that set up for him to dispatch to the boundary. However, the duo got caught up with tight bowling for the Stars’ bowlers as they kept on faltering their attempts to clear boundaries. Alex Hales could get few going but even his attempts to go big for a sustained period of time was checked by bowlers. At the 10th over of the mark, the Thunder could reach only 68/1, which was significantly lower than the score of 92/1 put by the Stars batting first. Letting the required run rate jump over 10 runs per over from the starting requirement of 8.5 was a mistake the pair of Ferguson and Hales had committed and they tried to defy the Stars any benefit of it with Hales attempting and pulling off a desperate six over the long-off boundary on the very first ball of the 11th over and the Thunder could extract 12 runs off that over from Hilton Cartwright. Fergusson too was not far behind as Billy Stanlake was put to the sword in the next over and the skipper took 10 runs off him to ward off some of the pressure they had put on themselves. However, Hales’ period of joy was short and the left-arm wrist spinner Clint Hinchliffe got him short at the mid-wicket boundary when the Englishman tried to continue with the momentum of the last two overs. Hales’ wicket broke the back of Thunder’s innings as he was the set batsman among him and Ferguson and was also successful to get the big sixes up until that moment. It was all Ferguson’s responsibility to see the team through after Hales’ wicket and he looked set to do that by hitting a couple of fours and a six in no time and notched up his half-century. But as was the case with Hales, he too fell exactly after getting into a good rhythm of ball-striking. All the pressure on Ferguson and Hales were imposed due to the impressively economical spell of bowling from Stars’ wrist spinners, especially Adam Zampa who is showing signs of maturity with everything on the field. He was brought into the attack in the sixth over and by the completion of the 10th over, he had yielded only five runs from his first two overs. Maxwell, the captain, was proactive and called him for his second spell right after the fall of Ferguson and he made sure to squeeze out any chances of Thunder’s onslaught giving just two runs in the 16th over of the innings when the team required 54 of the last 30 balls. Right-arm pacer Liam Hatcher made sure to reap the rewards of some outstanding bowling from the other hand as he got Ferguson caught at the cover boundary and followed it up with twin strikes in his next over to serve massive dent to Thunder’s chasing effort. He took the key wicket of Ben Cutting in the 17th over who otherwise could have proved to be detrimental for the Stars with his power-hitting abilities. Thunder needed 36 from the last two overs and Hilton Cartwright and Adam Zampa made light of the Stars’ work taking two wickets each in their last over to set the game in Stars’ favour. Earlier, Melbourne Stars’ captain Glenn Maxwell won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was already used in one game and showed signs of slowing up in the second innings. Stars have stacked up all their power in batting at the top of the order and all their might was put on display at the start of the match when Marcus Stoinis and an overseas import Andre Fletcher started with a bang. Stoinis started in his usual 'stand and deliver' fashion and was not worried one bit about the failure he had in the last game against Brisbane Heat with that approach as he kept on getting outside the line of stumps and hit spinners over the top for fun. Ferguson had asked leg spinner, Jonathan Cook, to bowl the first over in hope of an early breakthrough, but Stoinis was in no mood to provide Thunder with any upper hand and he smashed Cook over his head for a big six to make his intentions clear. Daniel Sams, who is now richer in terms of experience after playing for Australia in the T20 series against Australia but he was guilty of bowling mixed lengths to Andre Fletcher who wasted no time in serving him a lesson and stamped his authority of being an international player as well. A fuller ball was driven to the extra cover boundary while a short ball outside off stump was slapped for a six over point region. Stoinis’ assault grew bigger in the next over as the off-spinner Chris Green who could not get a game in the IPL 202 was treated with disdain and was hit for a four and six over his head. Stoinis was in no mood to relent and let the off-spinner go and cut the last ball for four toward the point boundary to make the statement about the kind of cricket the Stars want to play by placing all their batting might at the top. Under pressure, Ferguson called on Australian U-19 leg spinner Tanvir Sangha and he showed his worth and gave much-needed relief to Ferguson with the wicket of Fletcher in his very first over of the Big Bash career. Stoinis was relentless though and as Maxwell joined him in the middle, fresh from swashbuckling innings form the last match, the duo started to pile on the misery for Thunder’s bowling attack. Jonathan Cook returned with his third over after the completion of the 10th over and took away Marcus Stoinis but not before the all-rounder had torn apart the bowling attack with a 37-ball-61 The next man in Hilton Cartwright took time to settle but both he and Maxwell were caught batting a bit slowly in the middle over as the Thunder’s bowlers started effectively using cutters and slower balls. When Maxwell departed in the 15th over, just the next over after Cartwright’s dismissal who got out looking for runs after calling on the power surge in the 13th over, Stars were reliant on Ben Dunk and Nick Larkin to power them to an above-par score but both failed to do so. The Stars are off to a rollicking start to the season with all eight points into their pockets while the Thunder will look back at the middle phase of their chase among the other issues to resolve as the tournament progresses.

Shambolic West Indies crumble against ruthless New Zealand

West Indies seemed to have an outside chance of making a comeback into the match at the start of day 2 in the second and final Test match between hosts New Zealand and the touring Caribbean side. However, the proved to be another one of those agonising experiences that West Indian fans have become used to in the last two decades. To begin with, Henry Nicholls continued his innings and made it past 150. When the eighth wicket fell, in the form of Tim Southee on the score of 359, Windies would have fancied their chances of restricting the Kiwis to less than 400. But a storm awaited them as Neil Wagner went berserk. A 95-run partnership between Nicholls and Wagner, at well over run-a-ball, completely demoralised the tourists. By the time Nicholls, got out, West Indies were deflated. But this was only the start of the ordeal. Eventually, New Zealand were all out for 460, with Wagner remaining unbeaten on 66 off just 42 balls. Nicholls finished up with a personal score of 174. Gabriel didn't add to his three wickets overnight while Alzarri Joseph ended with three as well. Chemar Holder and Roston Chase got two scalps each. Then came the turn of the West Indies batters to disappoint. Kraigg Brathwaite, supposedly in great form after getting his highest first-class score in a practice game, was out for a duck. Darren Bravo disappointed again as he was out caught and bowled by Tim Southee for just 7. Kyle Jamieson was introduced into the attack in the 15th over. And he immediately looked threatening. On the third ball of the over, he got John Campbell to edge the ball into the slip cordon where Latham took the catch. West Indies were 29/3. On the very next ball, Roston Chase, the new batsman, got a very full delivery that swung in viciously to go through the batsman's defences and hit the stumps. 29/4 and Windies were looking as hopeless as they did in the first game. Jermaine Blackwood, centurion from the first Test, played in his usual way. Going after any delivery that was pitched too full, he started playing his shots. As is the case with him, there were some wild swings of the bat, some streaky shots, but soon he settled down and with measured aggression, started to take his team's score forward. At the other end, Shamarh Brooks, the no. 4 batsman, took an altogether different approach. He went into his shell and hardly played an aggressive stroke. But with time, Blackwood became even more steady. Despite a sequence of four maidens, he didn't lose his head and continued to bat sensibly. He brought up his fifty with consecutive boundaries, the second one an upper cut over the slips. Even the short ball barrage of Wagner, into his ribs didn't trouble the diminutive right-hander much. Unfortunately, just when things seemed to have calmed down for the visiting team, Brooks decided to leave a delivery from Jamieson which was angled in sharply. It clipped the top of the stumps, ending the 68-run partnership. A little later, Southee bowled another outswinger that took the edge of Blackwood's bat and a good catch in the slip ended his innings of 69 off 92 balls. Windies were 111/6. Two more wickets went down as first, captain Holder went for a pull shot and was, apparently, done in by the extra bounce generated by Jamieson, lobbing an easy catch to mid-on. Then, the tall Kiwi seamer completed his five-for by getting a snick off Joseph's bat, to be taken by wicketkeeper BJ Watling. Using his height, good pace of over 140 kph, and ability to swing the ball, Jamieson has now racked up 18 wickets in his career, of which this is only the fourth match. With Southee, Boult, and Wagner already providing great firepower to this team, Jamieson's addition makes it even more deadly, at least at home. Windies ended the day on 124/8, all set for another disappointing innings defeat. The only thing they can draw solace from is Blackwood's good form and the willingness of Brooks to spend time at the wicket. It is more than can be said about the other batsmen of the team.

AUS vs IND: Will Pucovski ruled out of 1st Test, Marcus Harris earns call up

There is no end of crisis for Australia at the top of the order as Will Pucovski has joined David Warner in the list of players to miss out from the first Test scheduled to start on December 17 in Adelaide. Pucovski has been ruled out due to the concussion he suffered late on the day three of the first match against the touring India A. Australia have added Marcus Harris into the first squad for the first Test and the left-hander is almost certain to return at the top with Joe Burns who is short of both confidence and runs in the matches against the Indians and as well as in the Sheffield Shield round preceding the longest format games against India. He has only 61 runs against his name in the last eight innings he has batted in while on the other hand, Harris has been in good form, hitting 355 runs in three innings before he was picked for Australia A for the practice games and the injury to both Pucovski and Warner have opened the selection door for him. "It feels like I'm in the right place at the right time, but it feels like I've been playing really well as well. I knew coming here that if I went okay I'd put myself in a position to maybe play, the way that things have been going. But this season I've just been focused on what I need to be focused on. I obviously wasn't in the Test side last summer so I didn't have that distraction coming into this summer and I've just been focused on what I need to do, so that's been good. Now I've found myself where I am, and I feel pretty ready to go and I'm looking forward to it," Harris told Fox Sports on his preparedness to face the Indian bowlers at the Adelaide Oval. The hosts have been hurt by another issue due to the same concussion problem after the all-rounder Cameron Green was subbed out of the ground after taking a reflection from Jasprit Bumrah’s shot on the second day of the three-day game against Indians.

BBL 10 | Strikers vs Hurricanes: Match Preview, Predicted XI, Pitch and Weather Report

After starting their season with a win, Hobart Hurricanes next face Adelaide Strikers in the ongoing 10th season of the Big Bash League. Strikers don't have a star-studded line up and some of their key players, like Travis Head and Alex Carey, are away playing for Australia A. So, Hobart are the clear favourites at the moment. But with the vagaries of T20 cricket always ready to spring a surprise, one cannot be too sure about the result of the upcoming match. For Hobart, their overseas player Colin Ingram got a half-century in the match against Sydney Sixers. This is a good omen. BBL doesn't have too many high-profile players from other countries due to the ongoing bilateral series across the globe. Therefore, a foreign player coming good is a big boost. But there is one trump card for the Adelaide side - Rashid Khan. Unlike some other players in the team, the Afghan leggie would be available in the early part of the tournament but would miss the later stages. His superstar status in T20 cricket is based on great performances in leagues such as these, especially BBL. He could be the man who literally turns the game around for his team. Keys for Strikers Adelaide Strikers would be missing two key batsmen from their first-choice line-up. Captain Head and wicketkeeper-batsman Carey are away with the Australian Test and A side respectively. So, a lot of responsibility will lie on the shoulders of Jonathan Wells. He had a great season last year and, with experience on his side, would be expected to lead the batting line-up. There is also Matt Renshaw, a former Test opener looking to get back into the mix of the national team, but also among the more prominent players in the side. Other key batsmen could be Jack Weatherald and Matthew Short. The former has some credit in the back while the latter still needs to establish himself as a reliable player. They may get some help from Englishman Phil Salt. The Sussex player is an explosive batsman who can put the opposition on the defensive. He is likely to be the man to grab the advantage for his side, if they do well. While the batting line-up isn't the most impressive, the bowling attack would revolve around the wristy magician Rashid Khan. Enough has been said about his prowess. His experience of BBL is also more than sufficient. The experience of Peter Siddle could come in handy if he plays. Then there are some youngsters. Wes Agar, younger brother of Ashton is in the mix. So is Daniel Worrall. But it is the spin department that is stacked up, not entirely surprising for a team whose home is Adelaide. Apart from Rashid, there is Liam Briggs, another Englishman who bowls left-arm spin. Liam O'Connor is the back up leg-spinner, unlikely to play. Hurricanes Looking Good For the Hobart team, it will be a case of continuing the good work from the last match. Faulkner got good assistance from Riley Meredith. Both bowlers managed to stick to good lines and lengths in the final overs. Johan Botha didn't do much after his surprising comeback. Perhaps he needs some miles in his legs. Nathan Ellis, the star from last season, also had a weak showing. More would be expected of him. In the batting department, apart from Ingram, Tim David shone with a fifty. Handscomb got a good start, and though he couldn't continue, he remains a key batsman in the middle-order. One area which certainly needs to improve is the opening department. Both Will Jacks and D'Arcy Short were out for ducks. Short remains a danger though, a wicket which the oppositon would target. Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes: Match Details Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart Date and Time: December 13, 8:40 AM, 2:10 PM Local, 3:10 AM GMT Broadcasters: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report The first match of the BBL was played at this ground and produced a modestly-high scoring game. Usually, the pitch at the Bellerive Oval can be helpful to seamers but that is not expected in a T20 match of a high-profile league. Spinners too, won't have much help but Rashid's brilliance isn't always reliant on the pitch. Weather and Toss A very warm day awaits the players during the match-up on Sunday. There may be a smattering of clouds but they would be innocuous. In such a situation, the ball isn't expected to swing. A high-scoring match is likely and the team winning the toss could decide either way, whether to chase or defend. Probable XI Adelaide Strikers: Jake Weatherald, Phil Salt, Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Matthew Short, Harry Nielsen (Wk), Danny Briggs, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle (C), Wes Agar, Danial Worrall Hobart Hurricanes: Will Jacks, D'Arcy Short, Colin Ingram, Peter Handscomb (C, Wk), Tim David, Macalister Wright, James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis, Johan Botha, Soctt Boland