Hobart will meet Adelaide one more time in Australia T20 League 2020-21 after two back-to-back victories.
Match Timings: Dec 15, 1:45 PM
Team Preview
Hobart and Adelaide will fight out for the second time in this tournament on Tuesday. In the previous encounter, Hobart clinched the thriller by 11 runs after the resistance from the last wicket. D Arcy Short scored a fine 72 off 48 balls to get Hobart 174 in Bellerive Oval. Adelaide’s chase started on a woeful batting-show as the visitors lost 9 wickets on just 102. It was complete dominance from Hobart but Daniel Worral and Danny Briggs added the twist to the game with an unbeaten 61-runs-stand off just 34 balls. Adelaide fell short of 11 runs but the late fight can form some confidence in the batting-unit for this clash.
Only Matt Renshaw was the only batsman who scored in double-digit and it was a big downfall for Adelaide. In the debut match with Hobart, Renshaw contributed 33. Adelaide would expect some control in middle-overs from Rashid Khan who went for 38 in the last match. Siddlecaptained the side in the absence of Travis Head. He opted to bowl on the pitch where chasing is a bit tricky call but that’s not an error when a team disappoints from the starting. Alex Carey is now free to play in the league but he might be unavailable for this game due to the bubble rule. Daniel Worral’s half-century in the debut match for Adelaide was a big positive from the defeat. Adelaide’s two signings from Brisbane and Melbourne proved worthy for them.
Meanwhile, Hobart are in a better position after two wins out of two and they had a positive start to season 2020-21. Before defeating Adelaide on Sunday, they edged past the defending champions. After posting 179 in the first innings, Hobart was not in control of the game at one stage but they pulled off a solid comeback in death-overs. Sydney slipped from 118/1 to 162/6 and Hobart grabbed three points. They missed out the Bash Boost Point against Sydney but earned the full four points against Adelaide. In the absence of Mathew Wade, Peter Handscomb led Hobart smartly in both games. This is the first season for Handscomb with Hobart and he used this new role with a good attitude.
Tim David has been a good signing for Hobart with scoring 33-balls 58 and 13-balls 21 from the first two games. Handscomb can promote him up in the order. D Arcy Short got runs in the last game and James Faulkner surprised with the new ball. He picked five wickets from two matches and his economy is 5.25. Johan Botha used his experience and picked three wickets-haul in the last game. Before other players join the squad, Hobart would expect a better position in the table.
Pitch Report
Aurora Stadium will host its first match of the season. It’s a high-scoring ground and pacers have an advantage on this track. Batting first would be a great call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Adelaide-S
Philip Salt, Jake Weatherald, Matt Renshaw, Harry Nielsen (wk), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Peter Siddle (c), Wes Agar, Danny Briggs
Hobart-H
Will Jacks, D Arcy Short, Colin Ingram, Peter Handscomb (c & wk), Macalister Wright, Tim David, James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis, Johan Botha, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith
Key Players
Adelaide-S
Jonathan Wells
Australia T20 League (last season) – M: 15, Runs: 478, SR: 135.41
Matt Renshaw
Australia T20 League (last season) – M: 14, Runs: 348, SR: 129.85
Hobart-H
Tim David
This season – 58 (38), 21 (13)
D'Arcy Short
Australia T20 League (last season) – M: 16, Runs: 357, Avg: 44.62
