Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars Preview & Prediction | BBL|14 | League Stage
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After throwing away victory against Sydney Thunder last time out, the pressure is on Adelaide Strikers to respond well at home as winless Melbourne Stars visit the Adelaide Oval.
Date & time: Friday December 20th 2024: USA PT – 12:15am / USA ET – 3:15am / UK – 8:15am
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia
Weather: Sunshine to start play, descending into clear skies as temperatures drop quickly from 28c to 21c.
How to watch: USA – Willow TV / UK – Sky Sports & Sky Go / Australia – Seven Network, Foxtel & Kayo Sports
How to get tickets for WBBL|10: Click here for the latest ticket information for Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars
Adelaide Strikers Preview: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
Adelaide Strikers needed to defend 33 runs from the final 12 balls of their game against Sydney Thunder to win. However, Matt Short made a huge mistake in turning to leg-spinner Lloyd Pope to bowl the 19th over despite him having already bowled three overs for one wicket and the loss of just seven runs.
Pope was taken down in brutal fashion by the Thunder’s Daniel Sams, who blasted three 4s and three 6s off the over, which went for 31 in total, effectively icing the chase. Sams finished the job in the following over, condemning Adelaide to a brutal loss. A massive opportunity missed from their perspective.
Melbourne Stars Preview: No points on the board after two
Although many expected Melbourne Stars to struggle this season, especially at the start of the tournament with key players missing, that doesn’t make it any less worrying from their point of view after they went down by eight wickets to Brisbane Heat, who made light work of a 163-run chase at the MCG.
No Stars player managed to go on and rack up a big score after gaining a start, whilst the bowling lacked potency as Brisbane cruised towards their victory target. However, things are set to improve imminently with both Glenn Maxwell and Ben Duckett both locked in to make their first appearances of the campaign and just in time for the men in green.
Adelaide Strikers Betting Analysis
One player who contributed heavily for Adelaide Strikers with both bat and ball on Tuesday was all-rounder Jamie Overton, the Surrey star smashing an unbeaten 45 before taking two wickets in the second innings. Overton’s ability to hit maximums is well-known in England and four 6s in Canberra was testament to that. Backing him to clear the ropes more times than any other Adelaide player for the second game running may be worth a small stake.
Melbourne Stars Betting Analysis
Whilst the pressure on Glenn Maxwell will be significant, the Australian international is the sort of player who should relish it. A proven BBL performer for many years, Maxwell is one of those capable of really striking fear into opposition batters with his notorious power and ability to construct a big innings at breakneck pace. Should he line-up for Melbourne Stars as anticipated, back Maxwell to score 30+ runs across the Stars’ innings.
Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars Expert Prediction
Although Adelaide Strikers are heavily tipped to get the better of Melbourne Stars on home soil, it would be a grave error to underestimate the Stars despite their poor start. The addition of both Maxwell and Duckett is a gamechanger from the visitors’ point of view and should help them accumulate more runs whether they are setting or chasing a target.
But Adelaide Strikers remain a very good team, especially at home and one terrible over in their last game doesn’t change that. They know the importance of taking care of business in front of their fans and a couple of early wickets, or quick runs in the powerplay could trigger that familiar sense of doom among the Stars, so consider backing a home victory.
Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars Top Tip: Adelaide Strikers to win
