WBBL - Sixers vs Hurricanes match prediction
Sydney Sixers Women, in the absence of Ellyse Perry, will take on Hobart Hurricanes Women on Wednesday in their quest of winning their third WBBL title.
There are few things better than the sight of watching a North Sydney Oval match under lights. The sheer spectacle of it makes it for a special viewing and on Wednesday, we will have yet another enthralling contest in our hands as hosts Sydney take on the out-of-colour Hurricanes. On paper, this is as straightforward a match as it gets and soon, you will realize the reason for me stating the same. But what’s more important in such matches is not only to enjoy the game, but also to capitalize on it by placing a few smart bets to make your experience an enchanting one. Oh and in case you’re wondering how to ‘play smart’, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
Backing the hosts for value
Sydney Sixers to win the match @ 1.53
It will indeed be weird to see Sydney Sixers take the field without a certain Ellyse Perry, but hey, if you think that a team that has reached at least the final in every single edition of the tournament thus far is heavily reliant on one player, then the joke’s on you. Remember my statement about the contest being one-sided? Yeah, let me justify that. The Hurricanes, in the four year history of the tournament, have NEVER beaten the Sixers. I’m talking about 11 H2H clashes between the two teams with the scoreline reading 11-0 in favor of the Sixers. Oh and the Hurricanes Women are also on a six-match losing streak and have won just six of their last THIRTY SEVEN MATCHES in the competition. They’ve also met the Sixers already once this season, where they got crushed by 39 runs. It also happens to be that the Sixers, across the last 3 seasons, have a 100% win record at the North Sydney Oval against teams not named Brisbane Heat, so well, it might be a slightly tricky task for the Hurricanes, I reckon. I don’t believe in foregone conclusions but if there ever was one, then this, a Sixers win, is it.
Healy and Gadrner will hit
Sydney Sixers to hit more sixes @ 1.80
Isn’t it, in a way, kind of fitting that I’m going for Sydney ‘Sixers’ to hit more sixes? Perhaps you can say that it’s written in the stars. So, the Hurricanes have hit a total of 13 sixes in this WBBL season so far. It is not bad at all, but the only problem is that the duo of Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gadrner have alone combined to hit a staggering 14 big ones. The Sydney Women have struck more sixes than their Hobart counterparts in 4 of their last 5 H2H encounters, including the last H2H match at Launceston earlier this season, where Healy and Perry took apart the Hurricanes bowling, striking a total of six sixes. The problem doesn’t end there for the Hurricanes, who have conceded a total of 10 sixes in their last three matches, which is four more than Sydney’s tally of six. Clearly, the Hurricanes have got the concept of ‘sixes’ all wrong and with the North Sydney Oval, which has seen an average first innings score of 157.5, set to be a belter, expect the visitors to leak a few more against a red-hot Sydney Sixers.
Value in backing Sixers in powerplays
Sydney Sixers to score more runs in the powerplay @ 1.72
One of the key ingredients to the Sixers’ dominance in WBBL has been their ability to stamp their authority up front and this season has been no different. They have averaged 39.5 runs in the first powerplay this season and in fact, in the last three matches, have out-performed their average, having averaged 41.3 in the first six overs. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are not too far away with an average powerplay score of 35.12 but after starting the season off with scores of 44, 41 and 32, have withered slowly but steadily and in their last 5 matches have just averaged 32.8 runs in the first 6 overs. The Sixers’ success is unsurprising as in Alyssa Healy, who has a strike rate of 155.13, they arguably have the most destructive opener in the league. On the other hand, the Hurricanes openers - Erin Fazackerley and Nicola Carey - have a combined strike rate slightly under 110 and the difference in quality clearly reflected in their last H2H game as the Sixers (59/0) registered 14 more runs than the Hurricanes (45/3) in the first six overs. As attested above, the true nature of the North Sydney Oval pitch, if anything, should play into the hands of the hosts, so expect the Sixers, led by Healy, to take full toll of the field restrictions in the first six overs.
The beauty of betting is that the options are never-ending and it is you who gets to take the final call. So here, you can either place the bets individually, or parley them and go for glory. Parleying all the three events will leave you with odds of 4.73, meaning a $100 investment will give you returns of $473 instead of the $168.30 you would get by placing the bets individually.
