The final week of the Big Bash League regular season continues on Friday with the Sydney Smash as the Sydney Sixers take on their rivals Sydney Thunder in what is a huge game in the competition at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
There is a world in which the Thunder can still make the finals but they would need to win their final three matches and hope plenty of other results go their way. It is much more straightforward for the Sixers. If they win they are in the playoffs.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers certainly haven’t been at their best so far this season but the better sides in the league tend to come to the party when the business end of the campaign arrives and that is definitely here. I don’t think the Sixers have necessarily been bad per se but they have been frustrated by the rain at various times this season and had they been on the right side of that things would have looked much different.
I still don’t think we have seen the best of them with the bat in hand this season but you would imagine that is going to change here because they have Steve Smith back for the derby. He tends to go big when he plays in this competition. The good thing for the Sixers is that their bowling hasn’t been too bad. They have lost Tom Curran for the remainder of the campaign but he missed half of the season with his suspension so he might not be missed as much.
Sydney Thunder
This has been a season which just hasn’t got going for the Sydney Thunder. To be fair to them the schedule hasn’t done them any favours as we are six days away from the end of the regular season and they still have three matches to play but the fact that they have only won one of their first seven games along with a washout in the reverse fixture between these two sides, they are pretty much out of playoff contention. They need to win their last three matches and need at least two other results to go their way.
It must be a Sydney thing because the Thunder haven’t really got going with the bat either this season. They will have Dave Warner available for this match which will be the first time he has played this term so that should give them a boost in the batting department but unlike the Sixers, the Thunder haven’t gone as well with the ball and they have paid the price for that. They need three perfect performances from here on in if they are going to do their bit in terms of their playoff requirements.
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Key Players
Steve Smith is an elite cricketer and generally when he plays for the Sydney Sixers he fills his boots. He is preparing to open for Australia in the Test series with West Indies next week and he will open the batting for the Sixers here.
He will replace Dave Warner as Australian opener and his former Test teammate is expected to open the batting for the Sydney Thunder. Warner is now effectively a T20 franchise player and he’ll be looking to start that phase of his career with a big score here.
Betting
The Sydney Sixers were well on top in the reverse meeting between these two when the rain came an over before a contest was declared but I expect them to make up for that here. They haven’t been brilliant this season but they are an aging side who need a run of games to get into a rhythm and then they will be fine. I think they are into a groove now and I would expect to see them go from strength to strength from here on in.
Sydney Thunder have to win this match so the pressure is all on them here but you could argue that the Sixers have to win too because their last regular season game is in Perth and not many teams come away from there with much joy. The Sixers looked probably as good as they have at any stage of the season last time out which confirms my belief that as one of the best teams in the competition they will come good when it matters. I think the Sixers are much the better of these two teams and they play the SCG very well. I think they win this.
Tips
Back Sydney Sixers to beat Sydney Thunder for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with Coral
