CANE TRAIN ON TRACK
Cane Train on track for finals, says Doolan
THE equation is simple for the Hobart Hurricanes — defeat the Melbourne Stars at the MCG tomorrow and the Cane Train rolls on to the Big Bash finals. Lose and the Train is out of steam. Opening batsman Alex Doolan is back in the team after missing the Scorchers game with delayed concussion. And “Dools” believes the men in purple have the right stuff to tame the Stars.
OPENING batsman Alex Doolan says “destiny is in our own hands” before the Hurricanes’ match against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG tomorrow.
A win for Hobart will guarantee the Canes a spot in the finals, but a loss may see the side miss the top four for the third straight year.
Should the Hurricanes lose away from home to the bottom-placed Stars, Hobart will be relying on a Melbourne Renegades victory against the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba tomorrow night to ensure Hobart plays finals.
But a win for the Heat would mean fourth place would be decided by the team that has the highest net run rate.
Doolan, who scored 70 not out against the Adelaide Strikers, looks certain to return to the Canes’ top order after missing the most recent match against the Scorchers with concussion.
The right-hand batsman said a win against the Stars would not come easily.
“I think it’ll be a tough game,” Doolan said. “Playing any team at their home ground, no matter their form, is always going to be tough.
“They’ve got some dynamite players who are starting to find some good form. Glenn Maxwell’s 84 in the Stars’ last game was really impressive and having Kevin Pietersen return is a really big boost for them.
“We’re not taking it lightly, regardless of their ladder position.”
Despite coming off a pair of narrow losses, Doolan concedes the vibe among the playing group is as positive as it has been all season. “We’ve been able to stay pretty consistent throughout the whole campaign, whether it’s been wins or losses,” he said.
“If we can win on the weekend then we won’t have to worry at all about needing a high net run rate [to make finals]. Destiny is in our own hands, so if we win it takes care of itself.”
Doolan has scored 186 runs in BBL07, the third most for the Hurricanes behind opening partner D’Arcy Short (504) and powerful hitter Ben McDermott (228), but the 32-year-old admits individual performances count for little if the team isn’t winning.
“It was nice to get some runs in my last game, however it didn’t result in a win,” he said. “If we’d got a win in one of our last two away games we’d be playing potentially a home final. We’ve now got to play really well against the Stars to make sure we’re in the finals.”
Doolan’s Tigers teammate Jordan Silk had surgery on Wednesday night to repair a fractured collarbone.