The Big Bash League is back in the capital on Sunday for the clash between the current pacesetters in the BBL15 season in Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder in a match which pits lots of exciting players on show.
The Stars have won their opening three matches and can skip clear at the top of the table with a fourth win here whereas the Thunder got off the mark last time out and will be keen to double their win tally in Canberra.
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars continue to impress in this competition with three wins from three matches and you would have to say they have been three very comfortable wins at that. If they can find another one here then they are going to control the balance of power as we head into the second half of the regular season and that is never a bad place to be. Already they would be six points ahead of fifth so with a win here they would be looking a solid bet to make the final four.
We still need to find out whether they can deliver the goods when they are required to bat first and until then we probably can’t absolutely pin them down as title challengers but they have been the best team in the competition to date. That is highlighted by their 1.383 net run rate when the next best is 0.419. If they can continue to dominate with the bat you would think there is no reason why they wouldn’t be able to win matches batting first.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder fluffed their lines in their first two matches this season but they certainly came good in the third one to get off the mark. As luck would have it that match was at Manuka Oval like this one is so even though they are the visitors for this contest, they probably have more of a home advantage than the Melbourne Stars do and it will be interesting to see if they can make the most of that and become the first team to beat the Stars this term.
The Thunder got the perfect performance out in that last match. They put up a score which looked daunting on paper and it proved to be exactly that on the grass as well and if they can continue to put those sorts of scores up, there is evidence to suggest that their bowlers are getting to grips with the task in hand. If their spinners can continue to not only keep the flow of runs down but take wickets as well then the finalists of a year ago could well be dangerous once again.
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Key Players
Sam Harper bashed his way to a century in the last match for the Melbourne Stars so the injury to Tom Rogers is actually beginning to look something of a blessing in disguise. All eyes will be on Harper to see if he can follow that innings up.
Shadab Khan picked up four wickets in that win over the Brisbane Heat last time out for the Sydney Thunder and if he can keep bowling with hat quality and then bring his nifty batting to the party then he is entitled to be a key man for Sydney.
Betting
The Melbourne Stars have started this season really well but this might be their acid test because the Sydney Thunder have been their kryptonite in recent seasons. The Thunder have actually won the last five matches between these two, including one here last term, so there is something about the formulae of these two sides which favours the Thunder. Home advantage hasn’t mattered to the Stars in this fixture in recent seasons but they don’t have it here so that might be significant.
The Thunder played here last time out so they will be perfectly in tune with the conditions and it looked like their bowling attack enjoyed what they found in terms of the pitch. I still have doubts over the Melbourne Stars should they be asked to bat first but we’ve seen the Thunder defend a score and there is no reason why they can’t chase scores in what is becoming a chasing league. Given the recent record between these two and a bunch of players from both sides still involved in the match, I think the value is with the Thunder here.
Tips
Back Sydney Thunder to beat Melbourne Stars for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Spreadex
