STA v THU Prediction: Who will win the BBL Match?
Glenn Maxwell and the Melbourne Stars play their second game in as many days as they go up against the Sydney Thunder on Saturday. Having issued a big statement with a comprehensive win over the Brisbane Heat in their opener, the Stars will be aiming to dispatch the Sydney Thunder and make it two wins in two in the 2020 BBL.
The Sydney Thunder will likely offer a much tougher test than the Brisbane Heat did. After finishing third last season, the Thunder have made some shrewd signings and have a fairly well-balanced squad. Sam Billings, Ben Cutting and Adam Milne have all been brought in by head coach Shane Bond, as he looks to plot a bid for the BBL title.
Daniel Sams took 30 wickets last season, and he will no doubt be their key player this time around as well. The left-arm pacer goes into the tournament after representing Australia against India and will be more determined than ever to make an impact. New Zealand quick Adam Milne will share the new-ball duties with Sams, and his thunderous pace could make him a threat for the star-studded Stars line-up.
Chris Green and Jono Cook will provide the spin-bowling options, with the former coming off an impressive campaign in the Caribbean Premier League.
The Melbourne Stars have momentum on their side, having cruised to victory over Brisbane Heat in their BBL opener on Friday. Nathan Coulter-Nile starred with four wickets in his 3.5 overs, conceding just 10 runs in the process. While Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright both came close to hitting 50s.
The Stars have a lot of quality in their XI, even with a number of key names missing. They are the clear favorites to win the tournament, and they'll be aiming to show exactly why against the Thunder.
BBL 2020-21 Match 3, Stars vs Thunder Match Prediction
The Sydney Thunder will offer a much tougher contest to the Melbourne Stars than the youthful Brisbane Heat did. But the Stars look unstoppable BBL at the moment, with so many T20I specialists in their side.
With Australia not playing any limited-overs matches during the entirety of the BBL, the Stars will be able to call upon Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa for every game.
The Sydney Thunder have enough to give the Stars a scare. If Usman Khawaja and Alex Hales get going, they can be hard to stop. But if anyone can prevent them from troubling the scorers, it is the Stars' bowling attack.
Comparing the two teams on paper, the Thunder simply don't have enough quality to match the Stars. They do have a quality team and some excellent performers. But to win T20I matches, you need game-changers, which the Stars have in abundance.
If Stoinis fails, they have Fletcher. If both openers fail, they have Maxwell and Cartwright. And if their batsmen fail to make a big total, they have Coulter-Nile, Zampa and Dilbar Hussain to ensure they are still in the game. The Thunder just don't have the same level of quality.
This one should be a hard fought BBL contest, but the individual strength in the Stars lineup should give them the edge.
Prediction: Melbourne Stars to win.