BBL 08 Match 8, Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers: Preview and Playing XI
Sydney Thunder is all set to face Sydney Sixers at the Sydney Showground Stadium on December 24. Both sides have played 13 BBL games against each other with the Sixers comprehensively leading the scoreline 9-4.
In their previous clash during BBL 07, the Sixers registered a convincing eight-wicket win at the SCG. Batting first, the Thunder posted 156/6 on the scoreboard, but it proved insufficient as sixers rode on Daniel Hughes unbeaten 66 to overhaul the target on the final ball.
Sydney Sixers
Sixers won their opening game against Perth Scorchers by 17 runs in BBL 08. They are coming on the back of five consecutive BBL wins and aim to keep the momentum against the Thunder.
Batting
Openers Jack Edwards (13) and Joe Denly (13) looked in good touch before throwing away their wicket off loose shots, and both would like to rectify that against Thunder.
Jordan Silk (67*) and Daniel Hughes (62) played a key role during the Sydney Sixers win over Perth. Both batsmen shared a 124-run partnership for the fourth wicket to get the team through after a poor start.
Bowling
Steve O'Keefe (3/19) and Sean Abbott (3/29) rattled the Perth lineup in the previous game and they will be expected to replicate their show against Thunder. Ben Dwarshuis and Tom Curran also play a key role in their bowling department.
Expected Playing XI
Tom Curran, Jake Edwards, Joe Denly, Moises Henriques, Dan Hughes, Jordan Silk, Josh Philippe, Sean Abbott, Steve O'Keefe, Ben Dwarshuis, and Lloyd Pope.
Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder won the rain-affected game against Melbourne Stars by 15 runs. After the win against Star, they will face Sixers as a more confident side and will aim to end the opposition's unbeaten run.
Batting
The Thunder possesses great depth in their batting with the likes Jos Buttler and Shane Watson, Joe Root and Jason Sangha in their lineup. Jason Sangha was the top performer in the last game with an unbeaten 63 while Daniel Sams too looked good in his innings of 34.
Apart from them, they will also need a strong contribution from their top order batsman. The openers failed to convert their starts against Stars and will be eager to rectify that in next outing.
Bowling
Daniel Sams took three wickets against Stars and is expected to continue his good form. Chris Green (1/6) and Gurinder Sandhu (1/25) were quite impressive in last game and are likely to make things tough in the middle overs.
Expected Playing XI
Shane Watson (C), Callum Ferguson, Joe Root, Jason Sangha, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Gurinder Sandhu, Sam Rainbird, Fawad Ahmed and Jos Buttler.