Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes Prediction

HBH Team News

With Tim Paine away on international duty - replaced as captain and wicket-keeper by Matthew Wade - Hobart Hurricanes have fielded an unchanged team in all six matches so far. With D'Arcy Short and Ben McDermott not in the Australian ODI squad they can continue to do so too, having opted not to replace injured English fast bowler Tymal Mills too.

HBH Key Players

Along with Jos Buttler, D'Arcy Short is one of two batsmen to have passed 250 runs so far, hitting three half-centuries. His score of two against Melbourne Renegaded was his first failure, having scored 67, 34, 58, 34 and 64 in his five previous innings and taken four wickets with the ball too.

Matthew Wade has 190 runs and a top score of 85 against Sydney Thunder, as well as 52 against Melbourne Stars when these sides last met. George Bailey, who top-scored in the defeat to Melbourne Renegades with 70 from 53, and Ben McDermott (50 from 43), who he shared a 102-run partnership with, provide middle-order runs, meanwhile.

Both James Faulkner and Jofra Archer went wicketless last time out, but they have ten and seven wickets so far, respectively. Archer took 3-25 from his four overs when these two teams last met.

HBH Team Form

After winning their first five matches, Hobart Hurricanes lost to Melbourne Renegades last time out to end their perfect start.

D'Arcy Short and Matthew Wade have been central to their success, with Short hitting 67 from 52 balls in a 15-run win against Brisbane Heat - James Faulkner claiming 3-25 as the Heat were bowled out for 144. Wade, meanwhile, scored 52 from 37 balls when the Hurricanes successfully chased 156 to beat Melbourne Stars by six wickets when they last met.

Wade was the Hurricanes' top scorer again in a seven-wicket win against Sydney Thunder, posting 85 from 49 balls in a seven-wicket win, helping them reach 196/3 in the final over. Their next win owed much to the bowlers, meanwhile - Riley Meredith taking 3-15 and Short and Faulkner two wickets apiece to restrict Perth Scorchers to 107/8, which they chased for the loss of four wickets with 2.3 overs to spare.

Faulkner took three more wickets against Sydney Sixers, who posted 161/8 in Hobart, but another Short half-century saw them win by five wickets with just one ball to spare. The fantastic run finally ended last time out, however. George Bailey top-scored with an unbeaten 70 in a total of 145/5, but Melbourne Renegades won by six wickets in the final over.