It’s almost here! We have been waiting and waiting and waiting for our first BBL|06 game to roll around and it’s nearly arrived! We take on the Hobart Hurricanes in our first match of the season at Blundstone Arena with coverage starting at 7pm AEDT.
Last Time We Met
Melbourne Stars 2-126 def. Hobart Hurricanes 124 by eight wickets.
It was one of our best wins when we last played the Hurricanes and both our bowlers and batters fired to get us over the line.
Our bowling attack were in truly fine form, managing to get all ten of the boys in purple out in our 20 overs. Zamps and Bolo were outstanding with figures of 2-18 and 2-26 respectively. The Hurricane batters were just simply unable to get going - George Bailey was their only standout with 55 off 50 balls before being bowled by Zamps.
It then turned into the Maxi and Wrighty show and what a treat it was! With a combined total of eight fours and four sixes, Maxi finished with 56* off 43 and Wrighty with 51* off 64 balls. We just love watching our Stars smash them around the ground and this game gave us exactly that.
Players to Watch
Glenn Maxwell
Hands up if you’re excited to see Maxi in action? We know we certainly are! The all-rounder can smash sixes, take wickets and is one of the best fielders in the league. With 151 runs from just five games last season, Maxi’s batting is his superpower and we’re sure he can’t wait to get out on the park and start blasting them into the crowd.
Luke Wright
We’re not sure there are words to describe how pumped we are to see this Englishman back in green! Producing an unbeaten 109 in the Derby in front of more than 80,000 people at the MCG last season, Wrighty clearly loves showing his skills in front of a big crowd.
Adam Zampa
Zamps was an absolute star (yep, we love a pun) with the ball in BBL|05 and took 12 wickets for the season, the most of any of our bowlers. With international T20 and ODI experience under his belt, we think our opponents need to prepare themselves for this leg-spinner to cause some destruction.
George Bailey
George Bailey is an absolute danger man with the bat for the Hurricanes and one we definitely need to look out for. He may have only scored 14 runs in the purple team’s first BBL game of the season, but with the highest runs for the season for the Hurricanes and their highest average in BBL|05, we cannot underestimate him. Our bowlers will need to be at their best if we’re going to keep Bailey on a leash.
Stuart Broad
As a new face in the BBL this season, Stuart Broad is a key player in Hobart’s line-up and we know from his role in those Ashes losses that we try to pretend don’t exist that his bowling can absolutely derail a batting line-up. Although he didn’t manage to snag a wicket in his first game against the Sixers, with a mass of international experience and a mass amount of wickets, we definitely cannot underestimate what Broady could produce.
Recent Form
Melbourne Stars
Making the Big Final in BBL|05, our boys had a good season, only falling just short of the ultimate prize. But with the same squad back for BBL06, they are pumped and raring to go. The boys have been putting in the hours in the nets and have some practice matches under their belt so they are more than prepared for their opening clash. Bring on the Hurricanes!
Hobart Hurricanes
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Hobart ended last season with a total of three wins and four losses so it was a bit of a mixed bag for the Hurricanes in BBL|05. But with some new talent and a fresh start, the boys in purple have started this season with a convincing win against the Sydney Sixers. We just know the Hurricanes will again bring their A game our clash, we have absolutely no doubt about that!
Our game will be broadcast LIVE on Channel 10 from 7pm AEDT. So after you’ve enjoyed your Boxing Day activities – whether you shop up a storm at the sales or watch our own Peter Handscomb in the Boxing Day Test – you can then settle in on Monday night to our first Big Bash game of the season!