Adelaide Strikers will open their BBL 2020-21 campaign against Hobart Hurricanes in the fifth match of the tournament on Sunday. They finished third in the competition last season and would like to go all the way this time. The Hurricanes began their campaign on Thursday against Sydney Sixers. They played very well as they were excellent in both batting and bowling departments. With the Strikers missing some key players in this match, it won’t be easy for them to compete against a well-balanced Hurricanes.
Team News and Player Availability
The likes of Matthew Wade, Tim Paine, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, and Dawid Malan will continue to be unavailable for the Hurricanes in this fixture. Otherwise, they have a fully fit squad at their disposal.
The Strikers will be missing the likes of Alex Carey, Travis Head, and Michael Nesser for this match. That will leave their middle and Lower-order too weak.
Probable Playing XIs
Adelaide Strikers
Jake Weatherald, Phil Salt, Matt Short, Matt Renshaw, Jon Wells, Harry Nielsen (wk), Rashid Khan (c), Peter Siddle, Wes Agar, Danny Briggs, Daniel Worrall
Hobart Hurricanes
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
Key Players
Adelaide Strikers
Jono Wells: He was the highest run-getter for the Strikers last season with 478 runs to his name at an average of 68.28. That includes four scores of fifty or more as well.
Rashid Khan: The Afghan spinner has been the leader of the Strikers’ bowling attack for the past couple of years now. He picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches last season, at an average of 20.84.
Hobart Hurricanes
Colin Ingram: He is leading the Hurricanes in absence of Matthew Wade and scored a fighting fifty in the last match to dig them out of trouble. His contribution will be crucial in this match again.
D’Arcy Short: He got dismissed for a duck in the last match but Short has been the Hurricanes’ most prolific scorer since 2016. He would be eager to score big in this match.