Fifth-placed Sydney Thunder takes on sixth-placed Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League 2020 (BBL 2020).
Sydney won their last match against Perth Scorchers by 7 wickets. Chasing a target of 153, skipper, Callum Ferguson led from the front with an unbeaten 61, and Ben Cutting hit a quickfire 29 to take the side home. Adam Milne made a successful comeback giving away only 17 runs in his four-over quota. Cutting controlled the run flow conceding only 16 runs in three overs.
Melbourne lost their previous game to Hobart Hurricanes by 6 wickets. Put in to bat, they could muster only 157 onboard. Sam Harper and Rilee Rossouw hit fifties each.
Josh Lalor was once again expensive with the ball. 15-year-old, Noor Ahmad was impressive in his four-over spell.
Head to Head
Matches Played- 11, Thunder- 2, Renegeades-9
Team News
Sydney needs their opening pair of Usman Khawaja and Alex Hales to the fire at the top to ease the pressure on the middle order. Chris Green can be given more overs to bowl.
Both the openers of Melbourne failed in the last match. The batting line-up has become a bit weak in the absence of Aaron Finch. The bowlers need to deliver in tandem to take wickets regularly.
Pitch and Conditions
The chasing team has won three out of the four games played in Canberra so far. A total of 180 above would be considered as a par score. The batsmen can get a big score if they stitch partnerships together. The bowlers can make the breakthroughs if they bowl a tight line and length.
Probable Playing XI
Sydney Thunder (SYT): Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson, Oliver Davies, Ben Cutting, Baxter Holt (wk), Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha
Melbourne Renegades (MLR): Shaun Marsh, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nabi, Beau Webster, Will Sutherland, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, Noor Ahmad, Mackenzie Harvey
Key Battles
Usman Khawaja (SYT) vs Mohammad Nabi (MLR)
Khawaja hit 21 runs in the previous match. He possesses a crafty technique and loves to cut and pull the ball at the start. The stylish southpaw needs to score runs heavily to regain his confidence.
Nabi went wicket-less and gave away 26 runs in the last game. The off-spinner can tease any batsman with his clever variations. He is a supremely talented player and a quintessential all-rounder who can bowl efficiently at any stage of the innings.
Adam Milne (SYT) vs Sam Harper (MLR)
Harper scored an unbeaten 66 in the previous game. He has valued his wicket a lot this season. His good reflexes and stroke-making skills have kept him in solid form. Playing at the crucial number 3 spot, he lends a lot of stability to the batting order.
Milne was miserly in his four-over spell in the last match conceding only 17 runs. The promising pacer can bowl above 145 kph consistently. He has suffered a lot of injuries in his career and needs to stay fit to play in the long run at the highest level of the sport. He is very good at adapting to the different conditions as he bowls with a lot of verve.
Prediction
A win for Sydney could seem them grab the second spot in the points table. A victory for Melbourne can catapult them to the third or the fourth spot. It is a direct shootout between Sydney's deep batting line-up and Melbourne's talented set of bowlers.
Cricwizz predicts Melbourne Renegades to win the match
