It's time to find the first finalists of the Big Bash League 2020 (BBL 2020). The much-awaited clash between the top two sides- Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers is scheduled to take place at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, this Saturday.
Sixers finished at the top of the table with 36 points and their opponents- Scorchers managed to finish one place below them with 32 points. This does give both the teams an extra bite at the cherry as the loser of this game will play the winner of the Eliminator match. While the winner of the match will directly make it to the grand finale.
The teams have met each other twice in this season and they stand one apiece. The first encounter saw the Scorchers hammer the Sixers by 86 runs. But the Sixers made a thundering comeback in the second outing to win the match by 7 wickets. It does look tough to separate the teams based on their performances and the result of this match is likely to come down to which team manages to hold their nerves.
Sixers will come into this match on the back of a dominating 5-wicket win over the Stars, which once again was lead by the spirited veteran- Daniel Christian. The Scorchers though were on the receiving end against the Heat but the was rather a narrow win for the Heat and that does show the Perth are still in great touch.
Two of the most successful teams in the Big Bash League will lock horns. Which of them can seal their spot in the Grand-finale? Can the Sixers defend their title? Or will the Scorchers get closer to their fourth title?
Match Toss Time: 18:45 Local (13:15 IST)
Match Start Time: 19:15 Local (13:45 IST)
Match Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra
Weather Report
The conditions are not quite in favor of cricket as scattered showers are expected throughout the duration of the day. The precipitation is forecasted to be around 50 percent, which does suggest we could be looking at a rain-curtailed game.
The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 25-20 degree Celsius range and the humidity at the peak is likely to touch the 65 percent mark.
Pitch
Canberra is known to be a good strip for the batsmen. The last match at this venue saw an aggregate of close to 330 runs and the same can be expected for this match-up as well. The team winning the toss should be looking to chase down given the success rate of teams that have won chasing.
Team News
The table-topper Sydney Sixers undoubtedly are one of the best line-ups in the tournament. The team has not relied on one player but rather have played as a team. Their star all-rounder Daniel Christain has been fantastic with both the bat and ball. The Sixers are likely to play the same Xl that featured against the Stars.
The only probable replacement would be Jake Ball with Llyod Pope, the sole reason being the spin-friendly nature of the Manuka strip.
Scorchers on the other side have been a tremendous force in their home conditions. Their top 3 have been good touch and a lot depends on how they go about the proceedings. Mitchell Marsh played a blinder in his last game and thus does show he is completely recovered from his injury but still remains to see if he would have a bowl.
Perth Scorchers would be more than happy to feature the same Xl as they would not want to fiddle with the winning combination.
Probable Playing Xl
Sydney Sixers (SYS): Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Steve OKeefe, Jake Ball
Perth Scorchers (SCO): Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed
SIX vs SCO Fantasy Team
Josh Phillipe, Josh Inglis, Jordan Silk, Colin Munro, Mitchell Marsh, Daniel Christian, Liam Livingstone, Ben Dwarshius, Sean Abbott, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff
Captain Picks: Josh Inglis (SCO), Daniel Christian (SIX)
Vice-captain Picks: Liam Livingstone (SCO), Josh Philippe (SIX)
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