The first Sydney Smash of the Big Bash League campaign takes place on Saturday as the penultimate match of 2023 sees the Sydney Thunder hosting their city rivals Sydney Sixers in what is always a big game for both sides.
The Thunder have one win from their four matches so far this season and needed to get winning soon if they are going to be involved at the business end of the event. The Sixers lost for the first time last time out and will be keen to get back to winning ways.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder have played four matches and have lost three of them to find themselves second from bottom in the standings but when you look a little deeper into their results you soon find that they are not as bad as they would suggest in isolation. Two of the three defeat have been to the Brisbane Heat, who at this stage in the competition look the standout side so there is an easy case to be made that the schedule has been against them so far.
The problem for the Thunder this season so far has been their bowling unit. In three of the four matches they have conceded more than 170 runs and in a tournament which traditionally isn’t as high scoring as some of the others that is a lot to concede. Ordinarily they would have a batting unit to counter that but one or two of their middle order who usually deliver strongly for them haven’t really got firing yet which is a bit of a concern.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers won their opening three matches but you wouldn’t say that they fired on all cylinders in that spell and while they weren’t necessarily there for the beating, they were shocked by the Melbourne Stars last time out and they will be looking to find something resembling their best form as they head to the halfway mark in their regular campaign. The Sixers are positioned nicely in third place but with the restructured playoff bracket they’ll be keen to finish in the top two.
The Sixers are never the flashiest team in the world but they do tend to have a plan that revolves around attacking the fielding restriction overs but we haven’t really seen them maximise that too often so far this season. This would be a good time to do that because what we have seen so far this season would suggest that if they come alive they can fill their boots. Their bowling has gone through a number of changes this term which doesn’t help either.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for this tournament! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Key Players
Daniel Sams took five wickets in the previous match for the Sydney Thunder but it didn’t really do them any good as they were still beaten. His wickets will be important here but if he can club a few hits away it would help too.
Josh Philippe hasn’t really caught fire to the extent we would expect him to over the course of the campaign at the minute but the Thunder have churned up a number of runs this season so this would be a good time for the Australia international to fire.
Betting
This derby has been more than a little one-sided in recent times but you could argue that is the case overall. The Sydney Sixers have won 16 of the 23 meetings between these two all told but that includes the last four which the Sixers have won by wide margins. They have won by 30 runs in a 16 overs match, by 60 runs, by seven wickets with nearly four overs remaining and by 125 runs and I don’t see a better Sydney Thunder side in front of us here.
Sydney Sixers haven’t been at their best this season but in only one of their matches have they conceded 160 or more and I always say that in T20 cricket it is the bowlers that win these games not the batters and that is especially the case in this competition with the bigger grounds that it is played on. I think the Sixers are night and day ahead with the ball and they have enough with the bat to make the most of that attack. This might not be as one-sided as some recent matches but I do think the Sixers come out on top again.
Tips
Back Sydney Sixers to beat Sydney Thunder for a 3/10 stake at 1.82 with Bet365
