Canes guns worry Blaze

THE Desert Blaze are working on ways to “dry up’’ the prolific runscoring of Hobart Hurricanes batting pair Caleb Jewell and Alex Doolan.

Both of the Big Bash League side’s top-order bats are yet to record an average in the TIO Strike League’s T20 competition after unbeaten knocks in both day one fixtures.

The Blaze lock horns with the Hurricanes in a clash of the unbeaten sides at 3pm at Marrara Cricket Ground today.

Jewell has scored 134 runs without being dismissed and Doolan 110, with the traditional red ink beside their names on the scoresheet in both games.

Blaze skipper Kierran Voelkl wants to see both batsmen walking in the direction of the changerooms in preference to watching them bat.

“Obviously Jewell and Doolan have been the main marquee players and if we can get rid of them early with the new ball, it’s game on,’’ Voelkl said.

“We’ve got Ben Abbott and Jordan Silk in our batting lineup, which pushes myself and Harry Chamberlain down the order to compensate.

“Making a score of 180-plus is something we have to do and getting runs in the power play [only two fieldsmen outside the inner circle] in the eight to 10 runs-an-over range will go a long way to achieving that. They’ve been chasing down scores of 160-plus, particularly when they can score 180s and above on a regular basis as you’ve seen with the Big Bash.’’

Meanwhile, the “other’’ Tasmanians will ply their trade tomorrow when the Tigers meet a full-strength NT side in a 50-over match at Marrara.

The Sheffield Shield side will regain Silk, Jack White, Sam Rainbird and Gurinder Sandhu, who have been playing in rival Strike League sides.

A big plus for the Tigers is the return of Australian fast man Jackson Bird, who was released by Australia A selectors this week to train with his teammates in the Top End.