The second match of the Big Bash League 2022-23 season sees the Sydney Sixers beginning their latest title tilt when they make the trip south to take on the Adelaide Strikers in what is the opening game of the new term for both teams.
Both sides were in the finals of the competition last year but it was the Sixers who went on to lose in the final. They have both won the title in the past so know what the tournament is all about which should ensure a decent match here.
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers made the postseason last term but in a normal year their six wins wouldn’t have got them anywhere near the top five. Thankfully for them the Bash Boost was in play last season and they picked up a ridiculous number of those points and it eventually got them into the finals. They will need to play better over the full 40 overs this season but when you look at their squad it looks a whole lot stronger which is encouraging.
The batting looked very light last year but a number of their players are coming into this season in much better shape after a good start to the season in the Marsh Cup. They will also get their best players back in the second part of the campaign too, so Adelaide will finish well and that gives them a freedom to just go after matches in this first part of the campaign and look to pick up what might be considered bonus wins. They have a very good bowling attack.
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers were a match away from claiming the Big Bash title for a third season in a row last term. They came up short against a decent Perth Scorchers side but it shows the dominance they have had over this competition over the last three years and they don’t need to make too many changes to stay competitive. One of the reasons for their success is that they generally keep a settled squad together and that has been the case again here.
They have an opening pair who bounce well off each other and some clever players in the middle order who can smack it out of the park but should they come in with their side in a bit of trouble they are able to rebuild things as well. They also have a bowling attack which is hard to get away, which bowls well in the fielding restriction overs and which can squeeze really well in the middle overs. The bottom line is you have to play very well to beat the Sixers in the main.
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Key Players
In what could be a high scoring match Rashid Khan is always a key player for the Adelaide Strikers. Even if he isn’t taking wickets he is generally economical which puts pressure on the opposition. He can also whack the ball over the rope too when the need is there.
Josh Philippe is the one Sydney Sixers batter who can take a game away from a team right at the very top of the innings in a matter of balls. The rest need to go through the gears so if he can get going it will have the Sixers in front when Rashid Khan comes on.
Betting
I like the sixes in this match. I say that because we all know that the square boundaries here are incredibly short and the longer ones were not out of hitting range in the recent T20 World Cup where there were some high scoring matches on this ground. Although these two aren’t blessed with what you would call brutal hitters of the cricket ball, there are plenty of tall players who hit the ball hard and pick up length well and can clatter the ball over those shorter boundaries.
Chris Lynn and Josh Philippe would be the natural six hitters on show here but the likes of Matt Short, Adam Hose, Moises Henriques, James Vince and Colin de Grandhomme all pounce on anything short and can hit the ball a long way. There is a lot of depth to the batting units on these sides which I always think helps the sixes as the top order can play a lot more freely than they might otherwise. We usually always get a good pitch in Adelaide so over 10.5 sixes will do for me.
Tips
Back Over 10.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Coral
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