BBL6 Game 25 Preview - Sydney Sixers V Sydney Thunder @ SCG
Sydney Sixers (4-2) v Sydney Thunder (2-4) @ SCG
Preview - The Sydney Thunder will be aiming to keep their playoff hopes alive with a third straight victory in the big Sydney derby against the Sixers on Saturday night. The Thunder looked dead in the water in BBL6, sitting at 0-4, however victories over the Stars and Hurricanes have given them a glimmer of hope heading into their final two games of the season. With new overseas imports James Vince and Carlos Brathwaite impressing on debut, and skipper Shane Watson finding some form, the Thunder are building some momentum and looking a far more balanced unit on paper. The Sixers are sitting pretty in third spot with 4 wins and 2 losses and need one more victory to secure a final's spot. Impressive back-to-back victories against the Heat and Renegades have been achieved through good team performances, with the Sixers having a number of contributors. When the sides clashed in the opening game of BBL6, the Sixers proved far too strong, winning by 9 wickets at Spotless Stadium. The SCG is expected to be close to a sell out for this fixture as interest in the BBL across the country continues to soar.
Squad Changes - The Sixers make one big change, welcoming overseas import Colin Munro into their 13-player squad to replace Joe Mennie. Munro is an explosive batsman, having represented New Zealand in 31 T20 games and 18 ODIs. The 29 year old is coming off a recent 52 ball hundred against Bangladesh in a T20 International, and is known as a bruising left-handed batsman who is strong square of the wicket. He has an excellent overall T20 record, averaging 27 from 129 with a high strike rate of 144. I expect him to slot into the Sixers' middle order and bat at Number 5. The Thunder also make one change to their squad with rookie contracted player Liam Hatcher coming in for Pat Cummins who is on International duty. Hatcher is a promising 20 year old fast bowler, having represented the Australian Under 19s side.
Sydney Sixers Scouting Report - The Sixers batting appears to be really starting to click after an inconsistent start to BBL6. Daniel Hughes has been in outstanding form in BBL6, and has really made the opening position his own. Hughes now has 196 runs at an average of 65 and a strike rate of 129. His ability to manipulate the ball into different areas and find boundaries without brutal power has been most impressive. Michael Lumb made a good start to his season by scoring 31 and getting the Sixers off to a good start in their successful run chase against the Renegades. Moises Henriques is striking the ball really well, despite not really having a dominant campaign, while veteran Brad Haddin has played crucial match winning innings in the Sixers last two games. Haddin has come in under pressure in both games, and managed to assess the situation well, launching against the Heat while playing more of a functional innings to get the Sixers home in greasy conditions against the Renegades. Probably all the Sixers need is Nic Maddinson to fire and then they will really have a batting line up to to be feared coming into the finals.
All the Sixers bowlers did a steady job against the Renegades with Jackson Bird and Nathan Lyon both returning to the fold from Test duty. Bird and Lyon were two of the more expensive bowlers going for over 8 runs per over, however I feel will be better for the run in this game, having had a few more training sessions under their belt. Adjusting from Test cricket bowling to T20 bowling are two totally different skills, and it's one of the challenges the modern cricketer faces. I would be surprised if the Sixers don't start this game with some spin with Ben Dwarshuis proving far more effective in the middle and death overs.
Sydney Thunder Scouting Report - The Thunder had really struggled with the bat through their first five games of BBL6, however finally put a stamp on the competition with a dominant batting display in their win over the Hurricanes. Englishman James Vince gave them far more presence and confidence at the top of the order as he stroked his way to 44 from just 28 balls. Vince is a classical type batsman and some of his lofted off drives were majestic in their simplicity. The Thunder had really struggled to take the bull by the horns in any batting Power Play this year before Vince's knock in Hobart. Shane Watson is the Thunder's most important player, and after a wretched start to BBL6 with three single digit scores, he returned to his brutal best with 55 from 31 balls. Watson brutalised five 6s, hitting the ball extremely hard and showing far more purpose and energy with his footwork. With Ben Rohrer starting to find a bit of form in the middle order, the Thunder can head into this game with more players in form and far more confidence.
The Thunder have actually been one of the more consistent bowling outfits throughout BBL6 and they put in an excellent all round performance in their last game in Hobart. Clint McKay bowled two good overs in his return to the side and will have to take on a really important role given the Thunder will be missing Pat Cummins for the first time this BBL. McKay is an experienced performer. He has been below his best in BBL6, however has an excellent overall record with 121 wickets from 101 games at an excellent economy rate of 7.9. The Thunder have had consistent performances throughout from their two main spinners, with both Fawad Ahmed and Chris Green really controlling the middle overs for them. With Shane Watson at his crafty best, the Thunder have a balanced attack, however will be lacking some strike power through the absence of Cummins.
Verdict - I think this has the potential to be a real cliff hanger. A week ago I might have said the Sixers win this game with their eyes closed, however the Thunder's performance against the Hurricanes gave me pause for thought. For the first time this season I saw their top order play with a confidence and freedom that is needed if you want to challenge some of the stronger sides in the competition. Watson remains the key, and if the Sixers can dismiss him early they would be heavy favourites to take out this game. The Sixers have won games this year without really being at their best, which is a pretty good sign. They have more quality and depth to their batting line up than the Thunder, so in a close game you would fancy the Sixers middle or later order batters to get you over the line more than the Thunder's. I think at the SCG, scores of around about 175 are par, and the side batting first will want a score in and around that region if they are to be confident of winning. I'm leaning towards the Sixers, but I expect the Thunder to be far more competitive than way back in Round 1.
The Lurker - "I am sticking solid with the Sixers here after they did the job for me back in Round 1. I like the look of the High Bat Double of Nic Maddinson who is due to fire into James Vince who showed his class in his first dig. Also have a lash at Michael Lumb to score 25+ into a Sixers win."