With the holiday period behind us we are down to one match in the Big Bash League on Tuesday but it looks a potential cracker as the Sydney Thunder head out to the capital to take on the runaway leaders Perth Scorchers in Canberra.
The Thunder were beaten in their last match and will be eager to get back to winning ways here but nobody has taken down the Scorchers this season so their task is a pretty stiff one but these are two of the best teams in the competition so we should be in for a good game of cricket.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder have a couple of wins and three defeats to their name from their five matches so far. They can probably be excused their loss in the Sydney Smash on Boxing Day because the rain did them no favours whatsoever but the two defeats to the Melbourne Stars don’t look very good, and from a form perspective the two wins over the Brisbane Heat don’t carry as much weight as they might have done at the time, so this is a big test for their credentials.
I always think when the Sydney Thunder are good they are one of the best teams in the competition, but on the other side of that coin when they are poor they can get beaten by anyone. That shouldn’t be the case because often an inconsistent team will have a weakness that gets exposed but this Thunder outfit don’t have that. They are good with the ball, have power at the top of the innings, smart nous in the middle and then a couple of good finishers at the end. They just need to make sure they deliver their best cricket as often as possible.
Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers might not be able to play at home this season but they are not letting that stop them. They are on course for one of the best campaigns in the history of this competition after starting with six wins from six matches. If they win here and claim the Bash Boost point they will move seven points clear at the top of the table and can pretty much limp their way to the finals from that position with half the season left to play.
The big thing for the Scorchers is that they haven’t got any weaknesses. Earlier in the competition you would say that individual batting efforts were getting the job done for them but now their entire top six have all got runs behind them. Their bowlers have been excellent as well and you could argue that they are missing their best one of them in Jhye Richardson so everything is going hunky dory for the Scorchers at the present time.
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Team News
The Sydney Thunder have added the talented batter Ollie Davies to their squad for this match while Brendan Doggett is also in the party which travels to Canberra. They remain without Usman Khawaja who is still with the Australia squad.
The Perth Scorchers squad remains the same as the one they have been using in previous matches. They can’t go home so they are not changing their squad and it remains unlikely that they’ll change personnel for this one too.
Betting
This is a tough match to bet on but I wonder if the Sydney Thunder are the team to stop the dominance of the Perth Scorchers. They certainly match up pretty well in that they have extreme pace combined with a bit of mystery both in slower balls with their seamers and a very good leg spinner. The other thing they have is a lot of batting depth and that could be the decisive factor in a match which isn’t a huge deal away from 50:50 if both teams play to their best.
I often think a lot of the Perth Scorchers matches are won in the death overs with the ball but Sydney Thunder counter that with the power and brutality of Ben Cutting and Daniel Sams with the bat so I think there is a bit of value on the side of the Thunder. Perth are travelling here there and everywhere at the minute and that is going to take its toll in the end. I wouldn’t say Sydney are favourites or anything like that but they’re not 7/5 shots either so I’ll chance my arm on the Thunder.
Tips
Back Sydney Thunder to beat Perth Scorchers for a 3/10 stake at 2.40 with Bet365
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