Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers will be meeting for the 40th match of the ongoing Big bash League. The match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 15. In their last outing, the Strikers picked up an easy win over Melbourne Stars. No wonder they would aim for another one while the Stars need to gear up. Considering the overall performances of both teams, Adelaide Strikers look stronger. The Strikers have won five games so far out of 10 whereas the Stars have won three out of their nine fixtures so far. However, Melbourne Stars boast of a solid batting line up that needs to click. For the Strikers, the bowling unit has performed really well so far.
Team News
Melbourne Stars have names like Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in their line-up. The duo has had a decent run so far but the inconsistency of other batsmen is making the scenario tougher for the Stars. Nic Maddinson played a useful knock last time out against the same opposition and would be expected to deliver more. The bowling also has been average but Stoinis is fit to bowl again.
Daniel Worrall, Wes Agar, Danny Briggs, and Harry Conway form a strong bowling attack for Adelaide Strikers. Rashid Khan will be missed for the remaining part of the league which is a big blow. But the current bowling attack of the Stars is good enough against the out of form Stars batsmen. Their batting looks slightly shaky though and apart from Alex Carey, not many have lived up to the expectations.
Key players
Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars)- Adam Zampa has bowled well for the Stars and has been their best bowler. Zampa has scalped 12 wickets so far in the league at an average of 15.41. Even in the previous match also he picked up a couple of wickets.
Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers)- Alex Carey has been the best batsman of the side. If the Strikers want to score a decent total, Carey has to play a key role. With 279 runs in 8 innings, Carey is the best bet from the batting department for Adelaide Strikers.
Predicted XIs
Melbourne Stars- Andre Fletcher, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Sam Rainbird, Liam Hatcher, Haris Rauf
Adelaide Strikers- Matt Renshaw, Philip Salt, Alex Carey (c & wk), Jonathan Wells, Jake Weatherald, Ryan Gibson, Peter Siddle, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Harry Conway