Sports - Cricket
Expert Cricket Tips - BBL
Our cricket expert John M provides his full in-depth preview, analysis and expert Big Bash tips across each and every match of the 2024/25 BBL 14 T20 Cricket series, right here on the Betfair Hub!
SYDNEY SIXERS V SYDNEY THUNDER
A home final could be on the line in what shapes as a crucial Sydney Smash with the Sixers hosting the Thunder at the SCG on Friday night. The Sixers maintained their place in the top-two with an exciting three-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday night, chasing down the Strikers' considerable 5/182 in the final over after another early blitz from test star Steve Smith (52 off 31 balls) was complemented by the finishing skills of Lachlan Shaw (32 off 21 balls) and Ben Dwarshuis (32 off 23 balls). It makes for a mouth-watering contest after the Thunder annihilated the Perth Scorchers by 61 runs at ENGIE Stadium on Monday as starlet Sam Konstas held the innings together, stroking 53 off 42 balls to guide the Thunder to 7/158 before they routed Perth for just 97 with canny spinner Chris Green claiming 3/13 off four overs.
Betting Strategy
Back: Sydney Thunder at $2.10+ for 1 unit
Having won the last six matches between the two, the Sixers are expected to make it seven, installed as slim favourites for the Smash. Notably there is plenty of rain forecast in Sydney on Friday which means if we are able to get a game in then it is likely to be reduced a reduced-overs affair which I think favours the Thunder so we'll be backing them to break the streak against their fierce rivals.
MELBOURNE RENEGADES V BRISBANE HEAT
The BBL14 campaign of the Melbourne Renegades is all but done, however a win for their opponents the Brisbane Heat could secure a top-four place as the two teams battle it out at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. The Gades' faint hopes of a semi-final appearance were almost certainly extinguished by the Hobart Hurricanes who defeated them by four wickets at Ninja Stadium despite a superb all-round performance by English prodigy Jacob Bethall who creamed 87 off 50 balls with the bat, before capturing 2/29 off three overs with the ball, however it was not enough for Melbourne who slipped to their sixth defeat. Meanwhile the Heat's chances of defending their crown will come down to how they perform in this match as well as Thursday night's fixture against the Hurricanes, but if they do progress they'll have middle-order master-blaster Max Bryant to thank who over the course of Brisbane's first seven matches is averaging 48.60 at a phenomenal strike-rate of 168.75.
Betting Strategy
BACK: Total Sixes 14 and Over at $2.00+ for 1 unit
How the prices line up for this one will be heavily influenced by the result of the Heat v Hurricanes game on Thursday night which impacts both sides' finals hopes so we'll be looking outside of the match odds for now. Whilst both sides have been inconsistent one area that neither has struggled in is clearing the fence with plenty of maximums being struck and with three of four games at Marvel this season seeing 14 or more sixes, I fancy we might see another six-fest.
PERTH SCORCHERS V ADELAIDE STRIKERS
Two teams who have seen their seasons fade badly get one last chance to finish on a high and potentially sneak an unlikely finals spot as the Perth Scorchers welcome the Adelaide Strikers to Optus Stadium on Saturday night. After coming into the tournament as favourites the Scorchers' hopes of a sixth title are in tatters after a fourth-straight defeat, most recently thumped by the Sydney Thunder as the efforts of spinners Ashton Agar, Cooper Connolly and Matthew Spoors (combined figures of 3/38 off ten overs) were in vain with their batsmen capitulating to be all out for just 97. The Strikers find themselves in a similar predicament, however it was their bowlers who let them down, failing to defend an ample 5/182 set up by import Ollie Pope's 57 off 39 balls as the Sydney Sixers ran down the target in the final over despite the best efforts of leggie Lloyd Pope (2/33 off four overs).
Betting Strategy
BACK: Perth Scorchers at $1.85+ for 1 unit
There's not a great deal in it but punters are leaning towards the home side finishing on a high against the equally disappointing Strikers. Whether either team can make the playoffs will depend on the Brisbane Heat losing both of their final games but both teams are in an identical situation and having not lost three consecutive games at Perth Stadium since 2019 we have to take the Scorchers in this one.
MELBOURNE STARS V HOBART HURRICANES
The final game of the regular season pits the reinvigorated Melbourne Stars against the potentially table-topping Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG on Sunday night. After losing their first five games, the Stars have bounced back in remarkable fashion to win their past four including an ultimately comfortable 42-run victory against the Renegades in the derby a week prior when the enigmatic Glenn Maxwell rescued the Stars from 7/75 with a preposterous 90 off 52 balls which elevated them to 165 before paceman Mark Steketee ran through the Gades with figures of 5/17 off four overs to dismiss their crosstown rivals for 123. The Hurricanes are unlikely to lie down as easily and there is every chance that a win here will secure top-spot for the Tasmanians after a break-through season in which they lost only one of their first eight encounters, although they will have to deal without lofty quick Billy Stanlake who is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
Betting Strategy
BACK Glenn Maxwell Top Melbourne Stars Batter at $5.50+ for 1 unit
One would expect the high-flying Canes to start odds-on at the MCG, although their performance against Brisbane on Thursday and any potential team news could shift the sands shift slightly. What we do know is that a win will be enough for the Stars to complete a remarkable resurgence and finish in the top four and in the big games we expect the Big Show to step forward, especially as Maxwell averages an insane 60.10 against Hobart at an eye-watering strike-rate of 180.48 so we'll be hoping he can continue that awesome run.
TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
The twelfth edition of the BBL promises to be one of the most keenly-contested yet with a couple of key changes set to increase the standard of cricket on what we have seen in recent seasons'. Firstly Covid protocols seem unlikely to strip teams bare of a number of players as we saw in BBL11, but most significantly Australian representatives will be able to compete in a high proportion of matches with no international limited overs matches scheduled during the tournament. That may be slightly offset by a number of imports leaving the competition early to compete in rival leagues, but domestic players still hold the key with the Perth Scorchers looking to go back-to-back for the second time in their history, while at the other end of the spectrum the Melbourne Renegades will be desperate to avoid a fourth consecutive wooden spoon.
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