An in-form Perth Scorchers face the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Saturday. The match will take place at the Perth Stadium, with the Scorchers yet to lose a game at the venue this season.
The Perth Scorchers are currently the team to beat, with Ashton Turner’s men on a 3-game winning streak. Their recent run provides them with an outside chance of making it to the knockout stages. Although the Perth Scorchers are 7th in the BBL table, they will be just a point off 4th place if they beat the Sydney Thunder.
A change in the batting order coupled with stronger bowling performances have been the reasons behind Perth Scorchers’ resurgence over the past few weeks.
Josh Inglis has looked at home in the middle order after struggling at the top while Colin Munro and Mitchell Marsh have gotten going as well. While Jhye Richardson (13 wickets) has been on song all tournament, others such as Andrew Tye and Aaron Hardie have stepped up over the past few games.
Their confidence will be high coming into the game. Perth Scorchers won by a massive 86 runs against an in-form Sydney Sixers side, with the team bowling them out for just 96 in their last game.
The Sydney Thunder come into this BBL clash on the back of a win as well. The Sydney side beat the Hobart Hurricanes by 39 runs in their last game. They defended their total after scoring 167/5 in the first innings.
The win, combined with Sydney Sixers’ embarrassing loss, took Callum Ferguson’s men to the top of the BBL table. The team now has 22 points from 8 games and looks set for a playoff berth.
The Sydney Thunder have performed well as a unit this season, which has proven to be their biggest strength. Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja have all scored more than 200 this campaign.
Amongst the bowlers, rookie Tanveer Sangha (15 wickets) leads the wicket-takers list, with Chris Green (12 wickets) in the Top 7 as well.
As the Sydney Thunder is one of the season’s top teams and the Perth Scorchers coming off three crushing wins, this BBL game will be a cracking one to watch.
BBL 2020-21: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder match details
Date: January 9, 2021 (Saturday)
Time: 1:45 PM IST/ 4:15 PM Local Time
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder weather report
Although there is no chance of rain during this BBL clash, overcast conditions will be prevalent during the match. The average temperature will hover at around 31 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels predicted to be near 33%.
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder pitch report
The average score on the pitch is 150 runs and the surface historically favours the batsmen. The pitch gets slower as the match goes on, so the captain winning the toss should opt to bat first. All 3 BBL matches this season have been won by the teams batting first, with teams batting second averaging just 105.
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder predicted XIs
Perth Scorchers: Liam Livingstone, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed
Sydney Thunder: Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Arjun Nair, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder match prediction
Although the Sydney Thunder are placed above the Perth Scorchers in the table, the latter is the in-form team. Their 100% record at Perth makes them the favourites to pull off an upset against the table toppers.
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder TV and live streaming details
TV: Sony Sports Network
Live streaming: SonyLIV
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