A place in the BBL Final is on the line tonight as the Sixers host the defending champion Hobart Hurricanes at the SCG.
Head to Head
This is a really tough game to call.
The home side is always a natural starting point in BBL cricket, but the Sixers have won just one of their last four completed matches at the SCG, and that came against the wooden spoon-winning Sydney Thunder. The Hurricanes have also won four of their last six at the ground.
The Sixers are also extremely reliant on Steve Smith making a score. He’s been their top runscorer in five straight matches and, outside of he and the departed Babar Azam, only Josh Phillippe has been a top 30 run scorer this season. The outcome of this match could depend on Smith scoring 80+ runs, which, on form, is a big chance.
The Hurricanes’ batting runs much deeper, especially since the return of Beau Webster. The Hurricanes have two batters inside the top 11 runscorers this season. They will be without skipper Nathan Ellis again, however, so the bowling advantage probably goes to the home side with Starc and Abbott in the line-up.
The chasing advantage seems to have been blunted in finals. Although 29 of the last 43 BBL matches have been won by the chasing team, eight of the last 10 finals have been won by the team batting first, so increased pressure on the team batting second appears to be a factor at the pointy end of the season.
With better batting depth than the Sixers, the Hurricanes are the pick to progress through to the final here, although it’s not a market to be rushing into with better betting opportunities below.
Best Bet
Continue to back Steve Smith every which way you can. As mentioned, he has been the Sixers’ top runscorer in five straight games, scoring 30+ runs in six of his last seven matches and 50+ in four of his last five. Backing him for Player of the Match is also a great option, as he will need to score big for the Sixers to win.
Value Bet
The red-hot Webster continues to show that he should have played more cricket for Australia over the summer. He has scored 51 and 47 since returning to the Big Bash, after making 71 at this venue in his only Test knock. He’s worth a bet for a ton as well.
Same Game Multi
Smith & Webster 30+ Runs / Meredith & Davies 1+ Wicket
