Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes will look to seal their first-ever Big Bash League title when they meet in the final of the 2017/18 season at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, February 4.
Strikers reached the final after a thrilling one-run-win over Melbourne Renegades in the second semi-final on Friday, February 2. Captain Travis Head was available for the crunch match and he delivered big with a 57-ball unbeaten 85 and figures of 4-0-27-1.
Nonetheless, the hero of the match was fast bowler Ben Laughlin as he successfully defended 12 runs against Kieron Pollard and Tom Cooper in the final over.
On the other hand, the Hurricanes, who qualified for the semi-final after finishing fourth on the table, stunned defending champions Perth Scorchers by 71 runs. Matthew Wade and Ben McDermott hit half-centuries each after which Dan Christian and Thomas Rogers picked up seven wickets between them to help their team reach the final.
Hurricanes will be upbeat going into the final as they will have the services of Player of the Tournament D'Arcy Short for the all-important clash. Notably, the left-hander, who is at the top of the batting charts with 504 runs from 10 matches, missed the semi-final due to international duty.
The experience of captain George Bailey and Head will be key as the Hurricanes will play in front of a packed house that at Adelaide Oval will be rooting for the home team.
Meanwhile, Strikers' chances of sealing their maiden title have taken a big hit as Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps, will miss the final due to international duty. However, the availability of their top-scoring wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey should boost the team's confidence.
When is the BBL 2017/18 final and how to watch it live
The BBL final between the Strikers and Hurricanes will be played at the Adelaide Oval from 11 am IST, 4 pm local time, 5:30 am GMT.
Live streaming and TV listings
- India: TV: Sony Six; Live streaming: Sony Liv
- Australia: Network Ten, Fox Sports
- US: Willow TV
- UK: BT Sport
- South Africa: Supersport
Squads
Adelaide Strikers: Jonathan Dean, Jake Weatherald, Travis Head (c), Colin Ingram, Jonathan Wells, Jake Lehmann, Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Nick Winter, Peter Siddle, Ben Laughlin, Liam O Connor, Wes Agar
Hobart Hurricanes: Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (wk), George Bailey (c), Ben McDermott, Daniel Christian, Simon Milenko, D'Arcy Short, Jofra Archer, Clive Rose, Thomas Rogers, Riley Meredith, Alex Doolan, Cameron Boyce
