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The Hobart Hurricanes will take on the Sydney Thunder in the 44th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
The Thunder, captained by Chris Green, started the tour by losing two out of their first three games. But having won their next five matches, the Thunder have found their mojo in the championship.
Currently placed second in the table, the Thunder have garnered 27 points from 10 games. They will be going into the game on the back of a thumping 129-run victory over Nic Maddinson’s Melbourne Renegades on January 8.
After being put in to bat first, the Thunder amassed 209 for seven on the board. Daniel Sams smashed his way to an unbeaten 44-ball 98. Alex Hales lent Sam apt support with a quickfire 28-ball 63.
Thereafter, the Thunder bowled the Renegades out for 80 in a mere 14.2 overs. Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of their bowlers with a three-wicket haul. Gurinder Sandhu and Tanveer Sangha also got two wickets apiece.
The Hurricanes, led by Peter Handscomb, on the other hand, have blown a tad hot and cold in the championship. Having won five out of 10 matches, the Hurricanes are precariously placed in the middle of the points table with a decent net run rate of 0.123.
In their previous match on Saturday, the Hurricanes defeated the Brisbane Heat by eight wickets. After opting to bowl first, the Hurricanes did a reasonable job as the Heat scored only 144 for eight. Barring Lachlan Pfeffer, none of the Heat batters could make an impact.
Sandeep Lamichhane and Mitchell Owen picked up two wickets for the Hurricanes. Thereafter, Ben McDermott played another knock of substance to take his team over the finish line. He stayed not out on 93 off 61, laced with 10 fours and two sixes. The Hurricanes won with 16 balls to spare.
Can the Hurricanes beat the Thunder?
The Thunder haven’t done much wrong of late in the tournament. They also have the best net run rate of 1.265 among the eight participating teams.
The Hurricanes, on the contrary, did beat the Heat, but they have had their fair share of struggles of late.
The Thunder will go into the next game as the favorites.
Match Prediction: Sydney Thunder to win the match.
