There are another two matches scheduled for the Big Bash League on Thursday, however if the last 48 hours have shown us anything it is that it is anything but guaranteed both games go ahead. We will concentrate on the second game between the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Thunder which looks the surer of the two games to proceed.
The Scorchers are locked in battle with the Sixers in the race for top spot and their win over their rivals earlier in the week means they can open up a 10 point game at the top. The Thunder can go level on points with their Sydney rivals so this is a key game.
Perth Scorchers
We have been giving credit to the Perth Scorchers throughout the competition but they deserve even more of it after their win over the Sixers on Tuesday. They weren’t meant to play that game but they stepped up when the organisers needed them to at short notice and didn’t just beat the other standout side in the competition but did it without a trio of key players. That shows the quality within this Scorchers ranks and signals why they have won eight of their nine matches this term.
They won’t need us to remind them that the one loss came against the Sydney Thunder. That was when they had been playing a lot of matches in a row and travelling from place to place. The concern is that they are in that situation again here, albeit without too much travelling having played the Sixers here at the Carrara Oval on Tuesday. Nevertheless they have players coming and going so if the Scorchers are going to be vulnerable it might be here.
Sydney Thunder
After struggling for a bit of consistency in the early part of the season, the Sydney Thunder have now won three on the trot so are beginning to find their best stuff. They followed up that impressive win over the Scorchers with a quick double against the Adelaide Strikers where various different players contributed amid a bit of a Covid crisis that hit the camp ahead of their first meeting with the Strikers. To win without some key players should only give them further confidence here.
The Thunder batters have really come to the party in the last three matches. That would have been impressive anyway but it is even more the case when two of their top five have missed the last two games because they have been isolating. The Thunder have also been able to rotate their bowling options in the last week or so and they haven’t really been weakened at any point so that is very much another positive.
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Team News
The Perth Scorchers remain without Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis because they can’t get into Queensland because of the border restrictions. They do have Tymal Mills for a bonus game and Jason Behrendorff is in the squad after missing out on Tuesday evening.
Sydney Thunder will welcome Alex Hales back into their squad after he has finished his isolation period. They will be without Muhammad Hasnain though as he isn’t eligible to enter Queensland. Sam Billings and Saqib Mahmood play their final match before heading off on international duty.
Betting
I backed the Sydney Thunder to win the first meeting between these two sides and I see no reason to desert them now. The Thunder beat the Scorchers when the men in orange had Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh and given that those two men are not around here I think there is just as much value, if not more, on the Thunder this time around. We also have the added bonus that Sydney have won a couple of matches since then as well which is no bad thing.
The Scorchers still look strong with the ball but they were pretty strong for the first meeting between these two sides. There is no getting away from the fact that they don’t look anything like as strong with the bat though and we saw that against the Sydney Sixers the other day. Even with their absences the Thunder have gone about their business nicely. The amount of options they have with bat and ball make them a tough assignment for anyone and in the form they are in I like the Sydney Thunder here.
Tips
WON – Back Sydney Thunder to beat Perth Scorchers for a 3/10 stake at 2.25 with Betfair
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