Perth Scorchers vs. Adelaide Strikers – Big Bash League, Saturday, December 11, 2021

There are two Big Bash League matches to bet on this Saturday, December 11. The Sixers meet Hobart in the first clash, but I will be focusing on the Scorchers’ showdown with Adelaide in this betting preview.

On Wednesday, the Scorchers kicked off their BBL 11 campaign with a narrow victory over Brisbane. Meanwhile, the Strikers picked up a win and a loss from their double-header with the Renegades.

Both sides head into Saturday’s match on the back of a victory, but who will come out on top at GIANTS Stadium?

Let’s start by checking out the odds. I will then assess the chances of both teams before settling on a Perth Scorchers vs. Adelaide United prediction and pick.

As expected, the Scorchers come into this clash as the bookmakers’ favorite. The three-time champions secured a relatively comfortable win over the Heat last time out, so they will be confident of beating Adelaide.

Although the Strikers are viewed as underdogs here, the odds gap for this matchup is extremely tight. That tells you everything you need to know about the competitiveness of the Big Bash League.

It’s time to take a closer look at both sides.

The Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat in their first match. However, they would not have been happy with their opening total

A 30-ball 55 from Kurtis Patterson fired Perth into a strong position, while Laurie Evans (33), Ashton Turner (28), and Cameron Bancroft (25) chipped in with modest scorers.

Nevertheless, opener Colin Munro fell for just three runs. Aaron Hardie (5), Ashton Agar (2), and Andrew Tye (1) were dismissed cheaply, too, leaving the Scorchers on 157/6 after 20 overs.

Matthew Kelly was the pick of the bowlers on Wednesday, finishing with figures of 4-28. Tye (2-32) and Agar (1-16) made amends with the ball, while Jason Behrendorff (1-31) and Peter Hatzoglou (1-40) cleaned up.

Season after season, the Scorchers find a way to win matches. Even with the big-hitting duo of Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone, Perth looks set to enjoy another stellar campaign.

The three-time champions won the title BBL title in 2014, 2015, and 2017 before finishing as runners-up last season. Having reached six of the past ten finals, they know what it takes to go all the way.

Starting the season with two games against the same opponent is always a strange proposition, but that’s exactly what Adelaide had to do.

Jason Gillespie’s men suffered an agonizing two-run loss to the Renegades on Tuesday, failing to chase down 159/3. On Thursday, however, they gained their revenge over the Melbourne franchise.

The Strikers claimed a 49-run victory last time out, dismissing the Gades for just 100 runs with eight deliveries to spare. That’s more like it, right?

There was also another wicket for the evergreen Peter Siddle. The veteran paceman finished up with 3-42 in the first match before taking one wicket for just 11 runs from three overs on Thursday.

Still, the Strikers’ overreliance on Matt Short is a cause for concern. The opening batter has chalked up scores of 29 and 32 so far, but his teammates have yet to get going with the bat.

The South Australians gave a good account of themselves last time out. That said, they could struggle to compete with Perth.

The Strikers can take confidence from their previous performance, but beating the Renegades is nothing to write home about. Let’s not forget that the Gades have finished last in each of the previous two campaigns.

With that in mind, I expect the Scorchers to dominate Saturday’s match. Adam Voges’ men cruised past Brisbane without any real problems on Wednesday, so I can see them getting the better of Adelaide.

I’m backing the Scorchers to dispatch the Strikers and maintain their 100% record in BBL 11. The cricket betting sites favor Perth to claim the victory, and I totally agree.

At the end of the day, it is difficult to find a weak link in the Perth team. On the flip side, it feels like Adelaide’s batting line-up could be exposed by the Scorchers’ lethal bowling attack.

If you enjoyed this preview, be sure to check out my previews for other upcoming Big Bash matches.