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BBL12 Fantasy Tips: Friday Double Header Strikers/Scorchers and Heat/Hurricanes
BBL12 will bring in the weekend with another huge doubleheader on Friday.
The Strikers will host ladder leaders Perth in the afternoon game, before the action shifts to The Gabba where the Brisbane Heat will welcome the inconsistent Hobart Hurricanes.
Draftstars have put up a heap of contests to suit every budget, including Qualifiers for the new Big Bash Star competition.
Here Josh Nevett will give his DFS tips for each encounter.
Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers
Strikers Squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey (wk), Harry Conway, Colin de Grandhomme (NZ), Travis Head (c), Adam Hose, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Matt Short, Henry Thornton
Scorchers Squad: Ashton Turner (C), Ashton Agar, Cam Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Stephen Eskinazi (ENG), David Payne (ENG), Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis (VC), Matt Kelly, Lance Morris, Andrew Tye
The Strikers are teetering after three consecutive losses, stuck in a battle for a coveted finals spot.
Despite gaining Travis Head and Alex Carey, Adelaide’s batting has fallen off a cliff, with the side unable to top 143 in their last three games.
The dip in form can partly be attributed to the loss of Chris Lynn, however most would have thought that Head and Carey could fill that hole.
Regardless, the Strikers return to their spiritual home on Friday, so home fans will be confident that a better performance is around the corner.
On the other hand, the Scorchers are flying at the top of the BBL12 table.
Perth are firing on all cylinders – the likes of Bancroft, Hardie, Inglis and Turner are all contributing with the bat and the fast bowlers are also performing superbly.
Importantly, the Scorchers have fared well on the road, so this trip to Adelaide shouldn’t faze them.
While the Strikers love playing at home, Perth are expected to win this one.
Strikers vs Scorchers Fantasy Plays
Love It – Ashton Turner ($11,200)
Turner may not have the DFS scores to his name over the last few rounds, but his role has improved markedly. The big-hitting right-hander has been utilised as an all-rounder, rolling out his tweakers in four of the last five games, rather than just playing as a batter. As such, Turner is a great value proposition given his improved ceiling.
Don’t Love It – Nick Hobson ($8,800)
While Hobson is undoubtedly a promising talent, his current role for the Scorchers is bad news for fantasy players. Playing solely as a middle-order finisher, Hobson has been starved of opportunities by Perth’s firing top order, so his ceiling is very low currently.
Who Knows – Travis Head ($16,800)
Head has bombed since returning to the Strikers XI, producing DFS scores of 15 and 11. The test star has flourished in the BBL in the past, so there’s no reason why he can’t find form this campaign, but he remains a risky pick at nearly $17k.
Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes
Heat Squad: Ross Whiteley (ENG) Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Spencer Johnson, Will Prestwidge, Josh Brown, Sam Hain (ENG)
Hurricanes Squad: Asif Ali (PAK), Tom Andrews, Faheem Ashraf (PAK), Zak Crawley (ENG), Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade
The Heat and Hurricanes are both just outside the top five, and in desperate need of wins if they want to play finals this campaign.
Hobart have been the more disappointing of the two teams, given their riches of talent on paper.
A squad with the likes of McDermott, Wade, David, Ellis and Meredith should be a lock for end-of-season action, but the Cane train just hasn’t gotten rolling in BBL12.
Conversely, little was expected from the Heat before this campaign, but they have managed to put some wins on the board.
Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne have really bolstered Brisbane’s batting stocks in recent matches, while Neser, Pierson and Renshaw have stood up at various times as leaders.
This shapes up as a telling game in the finals race, so it will be interesting to see which team comes out firing.
Heat vs Hurricanes Fantasy Plays
Love It – Patrick Dooley ($14,700)
Dooley has been one of the surprise packets of this campaign. The Hobart mystery spinner has averaged 71 DFS points, with two scores over 100, yet his price tag still doesn’t reflect this. Coming up against a hit or miss Heat batting line-up, I can envisage another big night for Paddy.
Don’t Love It – Matthew Wade ($18,300)
Wade has been a quality player for a long time in Australian cricket, but this season has not been his best. The explosive left-hander has averaged 46 DFS points but has not cleared 50 in his last five matches, a worrying form line.
Who Knows – Michael Neser ($17,300)
Brisbane’s swing king has been up and down in BBL12. Neser has four scores over 90, but is averaging just 50 due to some poor performances in between. Historically, Neser has favoured playing at The Gabba, so many will back him to produce a big score on Friday night.
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