The second half of the Big Bash League double header on Saturday sees the second Sydney Smash of the season being played out when the Sydney Sixers host the Sydney Thunder in a big game at the top at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
These two sides sit third and second respectively and will be chasing that spot in the top two when the regular season ends to give themselves a couple of shots at making the final. A win for the Thunder would all but secure it but should the Sixers come out on top it is game on again.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers came out of a bit of a rough trot with a win over the Melbourne Renegades last time out. To be fair to them their two losses were against the Perth Scorchers and there is nothing too shameful in those. What it has done though is allow their rivals to steal a march on them in the table and could leave the Sixers needing to play knockout cricket earlier than they would like to if they are going to defend their title.
There has been a lessening of the run output in the Sixers in the last few matches which is more than a slight concern but their playoff place is secured now so they have three chances to try and find some form before the business end of the season begins. This might not be the time for that given the rivalry that is around with these two but there are two more matches after that where they will be looking to find some much needed top order runs.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder saw a decent unbeaten run ended by the Hobart Hurricanes last time out but I don’t think we should be too harsh on them. It was their fourth match in a week and with all the changes and situations this tournament is having to endure I think it is fair enough to expect a flat display once in a while. It wasn’t as though they were humbled or anything. They went down to a decent Hobart Hurricanes side by nine runs.
That was a rare occasion where their bowlers went around the park but again it was just an individual effort that got the better of them. They still went pretty well with the bat but just couldn’t accelerate the scoring enough in the latter part of the innings to get them home. Prior to that the Thunder had won six matches in a row to secure a place in finals week. They’ll want to win at least one of their last two to make sure they go into the playoffs in decent form.
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Team News
Sydney Sixers have Steve O’Keefe back after he has recovered from a hand injury. His return is a timely one because Shadab Khan has exited for international duty now. Nick Winter is still hoping to make a debut for the club.
The Sydney Thunder have their captain Chris Green back for this match after he has finally served his isolation period. He is likely to come into the side for one of Nathan McAndrew or Gurinder Sandhu. Mohammad Hasnain is still in the squad.
Betting
There is a bit of rain around in Sydney before this match so we might get a pitch which has got a bit of moisture in it. I don’t think these two bowling attacks need much in the way of assistance because they are two of the better attacks in the competition. The last two matches here have been low scoring and the wicket hasn’t played brilliant in those games. To be fair the last one of those took place over two weeks ago but we’ve had the Test match here since then so the track hasn’t exactly been unused, and that match was interrupted by rain too.
A pitch with a bit of juice in it is probably the last thing the Sydney Sixers top order would want because there has been a lack of runs in that unit. Their attack certainly won’t mind it though and neither will the Thunder bowlers. That makes me think we could be in for a low scoring match, in keeping with the last two games here. The runs line for this one is 305.5 but that might be a little on the low side here.
Tips
Back Under 305.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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