BBL7 Preview - Thunder v Scorchers Preview (Plus The Lurker's Pick and Bank)

The Thunder are in desperate need of a win as they host the Scorchers at Spotless Stadium tonight. Here is my full preview, as well as The Prophet's pick. 
 
Sydney Thunder (2-4) v Perth Scorchers (4-1) @ Spotless Stadium  
 
Head to Head History - Perth Scorchers 5, Sydney Thunder 1
 
Last 5 - Perth Scorchers 4, Sydney Thunder 1
 
Sydney Thunder 13-Man Squad - Shane Watson (c), Kurtis Patterson, Callum Ferguson, Usman Khawaja, Jay Lenton, Ben Rohrer, Chris Green, Fawad Ahmed, Arjun Nair, Mitch McClenaghan, Gurinder Sandhu, Andrew Fekete, James Vince
 
Perth Scorchers 13-Man Squad - Adam Voges (c), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Tim Bresnan, Will Bosisto, Hilton Cartwright,  Tim David, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Matt Kelly, Hayden Morton, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner.
 
Preview - The Thunder need a win, or risk seeing their season slip right away, when they host the high flying Perth Scorchers at Spotless Stadium tonight. It is a must win game for the Thunder if they want to stay in final’s contention, having won just two from six, and with the both the Heat and Hurricanes sitting two wins ahead of them in fourth and fifth spot respectively. The Scorchers bounced back in style to get their fourth win in five games, chasing down a mammoth 186 against the Renegades at the WACA, to stay equal top of the table halfway through BBL7. 
 
Big Batting Battle - Usman Khawaja v Ashton Turner - Two in-form batsmen here, with so much depending on Kwahaja returning to a desperate Thunder team, whilst Turner can become a genuine gun Number 4 batsman for the Scorchers. Shane Watson has desperately needed help at the top of the order, and he finds it in Khawaja who is coming off an imperious 177 at the SCG. Khawaja has a good T20 record, averaging 31 from 55 games. Ashton Turner scored a brilliant 70 from just 32 balls against the Renegades, to help clutch victory from the jaws of defeat for his side. Turner now has 197 runs at an average of 49, and a strike rate of 168 for the tournament. 
 
Big Bowling Battle - Mitchell Johnson v Mitchell McClenaghan - Two aggressive left arm fast bowlers in McClenaghan and Johnson battle it out here as their respective teams’ go-to men. McClenaghan is the Thunder’s equal leading wicket taker with 8 scalps from five games, and has brought some aggression and intent to the team’s bowling display this year, however he can be expensive at times. Johnson is dominating games again this year up front, having taken 7/112 from 20 overs through five games. Batsmen appear intimidated by his pace and aura, and are simply trying not to get out in many respects, with Johnson going for just 5.6 runs per over, making him a huge asset for the Scorchers in the bowling Powerplay.  
 
Ground Dynamic - Spotless Stadium - This is the fourth game at Spotless this season, so you would perhaps expect some tiredness to creep in to the wicket being used. Last match, the Thunder failed to chase down 163, with the Strikers limiting them to just 138. I expect both teams’ spinners to play a big role tonight, and the seamers to use plenty of changes of pace, on a wicket that could well be on the slow side. I think the team batting first will be very competitive with a score of 160-165.
 
THE LURKER'S PICK (12-12) - Sydney Thunder 'Uz and my man Vince will add plenty of quality to this Thunder side. They desperately need a win whilst Perth don't have the same need to win here. Thunder in an upset" 
 
THE LURKER'S 10-UNIT BANK (Running Tally = - 52 Units) 

(Tab Odds) 

4 Units Sydney Thunder by 1-20 runs or 1-4 wickets @ $6 

2 Units James Vince to Score 25+ runs into a Thunder win $3.75 

2 Units Ashton Turner to score 25+ into a Scorchers win @ $3 

1 Unit on Thunder high bat/bowler double of Watson/Ahmed @ $16

1 Unit on Scorchers high bat/bowler double of Klinger/Johnson @ $12