Third-placed Hobart Hurricanes lock horns against second-placed Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.
Hobart lost their last game to Melbourne Stars by 10 runs. Sydney lost their previous match to Brisbane Heat by 5 wickets.
Head to Head
Matches Played- 13, Hurricanes-8, Thunder- 5
Team News
Chasing a steep target of 184, Hobart fell agonizingly short. D Arcy Short failed once again. Ben McDermott was impressive as he scored 91 runs. Skipper, Peter Handscomb was left with too many runs to hit in the final overs. Riley Meredith was good with the ball taking 2 wickets for 25 runs.
Sydney could not defend a score of 174 against Brisbane. Adam Milne and Tanveer Sangha were very expensive with the ball. They will also miss the services of all-rounder Daniel Sams who is yet to recover from concussion fully.
Pitch and Conditions
Both the matches played in Perth so far have been won by the team batting first. Scores of 180 and above can be successfully defended if the bowlers manage to take wickets at the start. No rain is expected to disrupt the match.
Probable Playing XI
Hobart Hurricanes (HBH): Ben McDermott (wk), D Arcy Short, Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Tim David, Peter Handscomb (c), Nathan Ellis, Johan Botha, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith, Sandeep Lamichhane
Sydney Thunder (SYT): Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings, Oliver Davies, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain
Key Battles
Ben McDermott (HBH) vs Chris Green (SYT)
McDermott hit a sparkling 91 in the last match. He has proved his prowess in T20's by providing strong starts batting at the top of the order. He has hit the most runs in this year's BBL with 277 runs in 6 matches.
Green maintained a tight leash conceding only 20 runs in 4 overs against Brisbane. The off-spinner is miserly as he hardly gives away runs. He has been with Sydney since 2015-16. He has played in the leading T20 leagues across the globe. He has taken 10 wickets in 7 matches this season.
Sandeep Lamichhane (HBH) vs Alex Hales (SYT)
Hales smashed a 26-ball 46 in the previous game. He is an aggressive striker of the ball known for his fearless and adventurous style of play. He is popular for his excellence in T20 cricket. With a strike rate of more than 150 in the BBL, he is unstoppable when he gets going. He has hit 243 runs in 7 games this season.
Lamichhane gave away 36 runs in the last match. The leggie from Nepal possesses clever variations and is a wicket-hungry bowler. The talented wrist-spinner can unsettle any batsmen with his nagging line and length.
Prediction
Both sides will be itching to get back to winning ways after suffering losses in their previous games. Whichever side wins this match will go on top of the table with 6 victories to their credit. Sydney has a deep batting line-up that can chase down any total while Hobart has a decent set of bowlers who can make a big impact.
Cricwizz predicts Hobart Hurricanes to win the match
