By Shiamak Unwalla
Sep 27, 2014
Barbados Tridents will take on Hobart Hurricanes in match 16 of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 at Mohali. The Tridents would be smarting from their Super Over loss, while the Hurricanes will be looking to get another victory and all but seal a spot for themselves in the semi-finals.
Hobart have won two of their three encounters, and barring an absolute disaster, they ought to breeze through to the semi-finals. On the other hand, Barbados are yet to open their account despite taking things down to the final over — and the Super Over on one occasion — both times. They will feel quite hard-done by their luck after doing so well for much of the games.
Aiden Blizzard has been the key batsman for the Hurricanes, with two match-winning half-centuries. Apart from him, Ben Dunk, Tim Paine, and Shoaib Malik have looked good in patches as well. The Hurricanes are not a side whose batting line-up inspires much fear, but they remain an incredibly potent opponent with the ball. Joe Mennie, Ben Hilfenhaus, Xavier Doherty, Ben Laughlin, and Doug Bollinger have all bowled well. Together, they form a dangerous arsenal that could possibly stand up to the batting juggernauts of the IPL sides.
For the Tridents, the loss of some of their major players has been a massive stumbling block. The fact that they have held their own even without Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard and Shoaib Malik speaks volumes of the character of the side. Had the trio been involved, the fate of the Caribbean team could have been quite different. There is a lot of talent in the side, with the likes of Dilshan Munaweera, Raymon Reifer, Jonathan Carter, and Jeevan Mendis showing their class in the last couple of games.
The pitch at Mohali has been a superb one for batting so far, and should continue to remain so for this match as well. It has had a bit of purchase for the bowlers who are willing to exploit it, and despite the mountain of runs scored, it remains a track that the Hurricanes’ bowlers will enjoy bowling on. On the whole, the advantage lies firmly with Hobart but with Barbados pushed in a corner, they could well come out swinging.
Squads:
Hobart Hurricanes: Ben Dunk, Tim Paine, Aiden Blizzard, Shoaib Malik, Travis Birt, Jonathan Wells, Joe Mennie, Ben Hilfenhaus, Xavier Doherty, Ben Laughlin, Doug Bollinger, Evan Gulbis, Dominic Michael, Sam Rainbird, Cameron Boyce
Barbados Tridents: Dilshan Munaweera, Shane Dowrich, Raymon Reifer, Jonathan Carter, James Franklin, Jeevan Mendis, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Akeal Hosein, Rayad Emrit, Ravi Rampaul, Neil McKenzie, Kyle Mayers, William Perkins, Elton Chigumbura
Time: 10:30 GMT | 16:00 IST
Complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here
(Shiamak Unwalla is a reporter with CricketCountry. He is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic who likes to pass his free time by reading books, watching TV shows, and eating food; sometimes all at the same time. You can follow him on Twitter at @ShiamakUnwalla)
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