It has taken 34 matches to determine the two finalists of this season’s Big Bash and on Sunday the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder will play in their first final with the aim of winning a first title in the 20 over show.
Incredibly it has taken a side with the squad that the Stars have five attempts to make it into a final and their reward now they are here is that they get to host the match having finished above the Thunder in the league phase of the competition.
Melbourne Stars knocked off the Perth Scorchers in the semi-final on Friday when they rode the back of a Kevin Pietersen masterclass. He was in destructive mood but this Stars second string bowling attack really stepped up to the mark and they should be full of confidence having done a quick-fire double over the former champions.
The Stars will have been hoping to see their Australia internationals in between the ODI series and the T20 series for this final but they haven’t been released so the men in green will have to win this without Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, John Hastings and Scott Boland. They have named an unchanged squad from the semi-final.
Sydney Thunder will also be full of confidence having gone to the home of the table toppers and knocked them off in fine style in the semi-final. Their match winner was Usman Khawaja and once he started hitting the boundaries there was just no way Adelaide’s bowlers could keep him quiet. The Thunder know they won the league game between these two.
Jacques Kallis missed the semi-final through injury but he has recovered to be named in the squad for this match. Henry Nicholls misses out. Crucially Usman Khawaja is available despite having been in and out of the Australia squad over the last month.
Although Sydney won the league fixture between these two sides the Stars will know they threw that match away and will be keen to ensure that doesn’t happen again should they get into a position where they can win the match from.
Since then the Stars have lost some key players and if anything with Shane Watson back in top form the Thunder have kicked on from that narrow one run win and they look more like the side I’d like to be on here.
Melbourne just look a quality batsman light in comparison to the Thunder and while this final will be billed as Pietersen vs Khawaja it is the latter who should get the better support. I think the Thunder edge it in the bowling attack so I’ve got to side with the visitors in this final.
It is almost impossible to ignore the form of Usman Khawaja. He made an unbeaten 109 when these two met earlier in the season and hasn’t really looked back. Since then he has made 62 and in the semi-final he made 104* so he really is in the form of his life.
It would be a brave man to bet against him delivering the goods in this final and if he gets in and fills his boots to the level he has been doing throughout this summer in all forms of the game then he is going to be a serious contender for the man of the match. At 13/2 he looks good value to stamp his seal on the final.
Back Sydney Thunder to beat Melbourne Stars for a 4/10 stake at 2.05 with Boylesports
Back U.Khawaja Man of the Match for a 1/10 stake at 7.50 with Coral
