Australian T20 League 2022 

Match 4- STA vs HUR

Preview 

Stars and Hurricanes will battle it out in match 4 of the ongoing edition of the competition   at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. Stars will look to put behind the upset of the last game and start afresh. They are coming into this match on the back of a loss against Thunder in matchday 1. Hurricanes on the other hand will aim to kickstart their 2022 campaign with a win. The two sides have shared a close rivalry, winning two games apiece out of four in the last two seasons. Stars would be eager to sort out their batting woes before stepping into the field on Friday. Their batters looked all over the place in the last game. It’s still early days in the tournament, and Zampa and co would eye a comeback in their home conditions. 

Despite the loss in the opening clash, Adam Zampa would be pleased with the way his team fought till the very end. They failed to hold their nerves, as a result suffered an agonisingly painful 1 wicket loss in the final over. The bowlers boldly defended a fairly low total of 122, but fell just short. Tom Rogers and Joe Clark didn’t fire at the top of the order, and the side needs a better show from their openers in this game. Nick Larkin and Joe Burn got starts but failed to convert those starts into something significant in the last game. Seasoned campaigner Marcus Stoinis will have to shoulder the batting responsibility against the Hurricanes. They have depth in their batting department and contributions from Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster and Luke Wood can put the side in cruise control. Their bowlers looked in decent form in the last game, and the side would expect a good burst from new signing Trent Boult and Luke Wood. Nathan Coulter Nile, Beau Webster and Zampa would feel confident after their good spells in the previou game. They will have an uphill task of restricting a potent Hurricane batting lineup. 

The Hurricanes have had a substandard last few seasons and skipper Matthew Wade will be hoping his players to bring their A game in the opening encounter and start the 2022 campaign on a positive note. The batting prowess is studded with stars like Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short and Tim David which is further bolstered by the addition of Jimmy Nisham and Faheem Ashram in the squad. Riley Meredith was the top bowler for the side last season and would like to provide his side with early breakthroughs, sharing the ball with Joel Paris. Nathan Ellis and Faheen Ashram bring a lot of experience to this bowling prowess. 

Match Details

Match: STA vs HUR, 4th Match, Aus T20 League 2022-23

Date: Friday, December 16, 2022

Time: 11:35 AM

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Pitch and Weather Report

MCG offers an outstanding batting surface as the ball here comes nicely onto the bat, allowing batsmen to score runs quickly and effectively.  Pacers tend to do well with the new ball at this venue and spinners have also enjoyed their fair share of moments on this wicket. 

There would be odd clouds over Melbourne on matchday. Batting would be a little challenging in the initial phase of the match and the batters would have to play to the merit of the ball. 

Form

STA- W L W W L

HUR- L W W L L  

Head to Head   

Team                    Matches Won 

(i) STA                        11 

(ii) HUR                      06

Squads

STA: Joe Clarke(w), Tom Rogers, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Clint Hinchliffe, Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa(c), Brody Couch, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, James Seymour

HUR: Ben McDermott, Caleb Jewell, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade(w/c), Tim David, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, James Neesham, Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith, Joel Paris, Patrick Dooley, Chris Tremain

Probable Playing XIs

STA: Adam Zampa (c), Tom Rogers, Joe Clarke (wk), Joe Burns, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult

HUR: Matthew Wade (c), Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott (wk), D'Arcy Short, Tim David, Riley Meredith, Nathan Ellis, Joel Paris, Will Parker, James Neesham, Faheem Ashraf

Hot Fantasy Picks

Wicket Keepers

Matthew Wade: The Hobart skipper and wicket keeper batsmen Matthew Wade is vastly experienced. He is a clean striker of the cricket ball and has been a revelation for the Hurricanes at the top of the order. With over 2100 runs in 77 innings at a blistering strike rate of 142.50, the 34 year old will play a crucial role for his side on Friday. 

Joe Clarke-  Clarke failed to score in the last. He would be itching to get going in this one. Known for his watertight technique, the opening batter is proficient in finding the gaps. 

Batsmen

Nick Larkin- Larkin showed promise in his short stay during Stars last outing. He is someone who can hold the Stars batting together. Keep a keen eye on this 32 year old. 

Tim David- David is recognised for his finishing abilities down the order. He is an attacking batter who can single handedly change the course of a match. 

All Rounders

Marcus Stoinis- He missed out in the last game but is of paramount importance to this Stars side. He can bat, he can bowl and is a remarkable fielder.

D’Arcy Short- Attacking by nature, Short is a proven game changer. He scores runs quickly at the top of the order and is more than just handy with ball in hand. 

Bowlers

Riley Meredith- Meredith has the ability to rattle opposition batters with his express pace and accuracy. He was their leading wicket taker in the 11th edition and we fancy him to continue from where he left last season. 

Trent Boult- Boult as expected started the tournament on a commanding note, picking up three crucial wickets in his first Aus T20 League outing, two of which came in the first over itself. With the ball projected to move and swirl in the initial overs, the Kiwi speedster can run through Hurricanes’ top order. 

Match Prediction

Although Stars didn’t start the tournament on an ideal note, still they had quite a few positives from the game. They will fancy themselves against the Hurricanes who will likely take some time to find out their winning combination. We predict Stars to win this match and open their account in Aus T20 League 2022. 

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