FANTASY
Follow UsThis is a crucial match, not only because it is a Sydney Derby, but also due to the fact that Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers occupy the top two places in the 2020/21 Big Bash League table at the moment. A win for either team here will see them build a good gap to third, which is important with the playoff format that is being used in this tournament.
The Sixers have been the dominant team in this encounter over the years, having won 11 out of 17 matches against the Thunder. In recent matches as well, the Sixers have been the better side, winning three out of the last five contests.
BBL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 17 | Thunder – 6 Wins | Sixers – 11 Wins
Last 5 Matches: Thunder – 2 Wins | Sixers – 3 Wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points.
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
In BBL 10, while the average run-rate (8.3) at Manuka Oval in Canberra is the second-highest in the league this season, wickets have fallen every 15.9 deliveries which is very good from a bowling viewpoint. So, there’s something here for both batsmen and bowlers.
In this season so far, 44% of the overs bowled at the Manuka Oval have been by spinners which is a very high number and they’ve accounted for 43.9% of the wickets as well. There isn’t much to separate spin and pace when it comes to economy rate or strike rate. Hence, we’ve gone with three pacers (two of whom are allrounders) and two spinners.
Our team is a bit lopsided with seven players from the Thunder. You could drop one of the batsmen or Sam Billings for a top-order Sixers batsman if you feel you need more balance.
Daniel Sams is set to return for the Thunder in this game, but we didn’t have enough budget to fit him in. He is definitely a player you should consider selecting.
There could be a few interesting match-ups too.
Alex Hales has got the Thunder off to some rapid starts this season, so it’s pivotal for the Sixers to get his wicket early. On that front, Jackson Bird could be a crucial player for the defending champions as he has dismissed Hales thrice in only 13 deliveries across four innings in T20 cricket until now.
Adam Milne has had a subpar season so far, but heading into this match, he does have a superb record against James Vince. If the Sixers lose an early wicket, we could get to see this contest. Previously, the duo have faced off in three T20 innings with Milne dismissing Vince twice in nine deliveries so far.
CAPTAIN SELECTION
Dan Christian is coming into this game on the back of an unbeaten 61 which inspired the Sixers to victory over Brisbane Heat. In this season’s BBL, the veteran allrounder has scored 160 runs and taken 10 wickets. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball is what makes him a good captaincy option to consider.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Christian could score 9-26 runs and could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
X-FACTORS
Alex Hales has had some highs and some lows in this tournament so far. At one stage, he was dismissed for two ducks in succession before making four consecutive scores of 35+. Since 2020, he has a healthy average of 32.4 in T20 cricket and since he’s usually fairly consistent, we’ve picked him as vice-captain.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hales could score 14-37 runs in this match.
Josh Philippe had a superb BBL 09 and he has done well in the tenth edition so far as well. While he has been dismissed for single-digit scores in the last two games, he has managed 273 runs at an average of 30.3 this season which is quite good. There’s the added bonus of his wicketkeeping and in his last game, he took three catches.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Philippe could score 13-36 runs in this match.
Tanveer Sangha is featuring in his first BBL campaign, but if you’ve seen him play, you wouldn’t have thought so. In nine matches, he has taken 15 wickets at a splendid strike rate of 12.2 and has gone wicketless on just two occasions. At the Manuka Oval, he has taken nine wickets in five games this season.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Sangha could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
