The Stats Zone
January 6 2018, 18:20 · Tom

2017-18 Big Bash League – Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers Preview

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When? Sunday, 7th January

Where? Spotless Stadium

Weather? Overcast skies expected but warm temperatures of 29-30c and no rain in Sydney on Sunday

What channel is it on? Channel TEN in Australia & BT Sport 2 in the UK

Are tickets still available? http://www.sydneythunder.com.au/tickets

Where can I stream the match? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match online via the BT Sport website

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last five meetings: Sydney Thunder W2, Adelaide Strikers W2, No result 1
All-time meetings: Sydney Thunder W3, Adelaide Strikers W4, No result 1

SYDNEY THUNDER

Coach: Paddy Upton

Captain: Shane Watson

  • Sydney Thunder have won 2 of their 5 matches so far in BBL07 but they know they need to improve and close on the teams above them as they start the second half of their campaign determined to reach the top four.
  • They have named an unchanged 13-man squad for this game and will likely go with the same eleven that narrowly lost by 9 runs to Hobart Hurricanes last time out and this will be Jos Buttler’s final game for the team before he goes on England duty and he will be motivated to continue his fine recent form with the bat.
  • They will look to their spin trio of Chris Green, Arjun Nair and Fawad Ahmed to spearhead their bowling attack once again and those three have combined for 15 wickets so far in BBL07 as they try to strangle the Strikers’ potent batting line-up.

ADELAIDE STRIKERS

Coach: Jason Gillespie

Captain: Travis Head

  • The Strikers’ unbeaten run to BBL07 came to an end last time out as they lost to the Hobart Hurricanes by 7 runs but they remain one of the more impressive teams in terms of performance in the tournament so far.
  • They make one change to the 13-man squad as leg-spinner Liam O’Connor comes in to replace pace bowler Wes Agar but they will likely name the same starting eleven that played in Hobart on Thursday.
  • Star spinner Rashid Khan picked up a calf injury after being hit by the ball in that game but he is expected to pass a fitness test and should be fine for selection which is key to the Strikers’ hopes in this game.

PREDICTION
Sydney Thunder have hopes of reaching the top four places but they face another top team who they may struggle to match for batting firepower. They have typically fallen short against some of the biggest hitting teams like the Hurricanes and Heat, just as they did in the reverse fixture before Christmas when they lost to the Strikers by 53 runs. Barring monumental contributions from Buttler or Watson, the Strikers have the all-round strength in each department to get back to winning ways here.