The Sydney Thunder take on the Perth Scorchers in their second and final BBL match at Manuka Oval this season tonight, 8 December.
Match details
Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers
Tuesday 28 December, 7.15pm
Manuka Oval, Canberra ACT
Weather: Max 21, partly cloudy, 5% chance of rain
The game will be broadcast on Channel Seven, Fox Sports and Kayo.
Head-to-head record: Thunder 6 wins vs Scorchers 7 wins.
Season so far
Sydney Thunder | 5th – 2 wins and 3 losses | Net run rate +.172
The Thunder started the season with a comfortable seven wicket win over the Heat at Manuka Oval before losing three of their next four.
They lost back-to-back games against the Stars before coasting to another win over the Heat in Brisbane.
Their last match was against cross-town rivals where the Sixers were too good for them in a rain-affected match.
The Thunder are right in the mix for finals but they need to start beating some of the better sides to be a real threat this year.
Perth Scorchers | 1st – 6 wins and 0 losses | Net run rate +1.673
As the only undefeated side in the BBL, the Scorchers are the form team right now.
They took down the Heat and Strikers in the first two matches before beating the Hurricanes and Renegades twice each.
They’ll have to spend the rest of the season on the road given Western Australia’s tough border restrictions, but this side is good enough to go all the way.
Line ups and key players
Sydney Thunder
First XI previous match: Matthew Gilkes, Alex Hales, Jason Sangha, Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Saqid Mahmood, Tanveer Sangha
Sam Billings is proving to be one of the best international players this season with the Englishman averaging 42.25 with the bat at a strike rate of 142.01 all while being a very good wicket keeper as well. They need their other English import Alex Hales to get going after a slow start to the season, so look for him to have an impact.
Perth Scorchers
First XI previous match: Cameron Bancroft, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Colin Munro, Ashton Turner, Laurie Evans, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Hatzoglou, Tymal Mills
The Mitchell Marsh redemption story just keeps on getting better with the hard-hitting star bringing his stunning T20 World Cup form into the BBL. After missing the Scorchers first two matches due to quarantine, Marsh has been red hot, ranking second in the BBL with 249 runs across four innings at a ridiculous average of 124.5 with a strike rate of 149.1. Nobody in world cricket hits the ball harder than this man, so be ready in the crowd if he gets going.
Last five meetings
- 9 January 2021 @Perth Stadium: Scorchers 6/185 (20) vs Thunder 168 (20) – Scorchers won by 17 runs
- 22 December 2020 @Manuka Oval: Thunder 3/156 (19.3) vs Scorchers 5/152 (20) – Thunder won by seven wickets
- 26 January 2020 @Sydney Showground: Thunder 3/97 (11.4/12) vs Scorchers 4/99 (15) – Thunder won by seven wickets (D/L)
- 20 January 2020 @Perth Stadium: Scorchers 2/154 (15.3) vs Thunder 5/153 (20) – Scorchers won by eight wickets
- 24 January 2019 @Perth Stadium: Scorchers 4/181 (20) vs Thunder 4/182 (19.2) – Thunder won by six wickets
Despite Perth being a better side than the Thunder for most of the BBL’s existence, the head to head record is quite even with the Scorchers holding a 7-6 edge.
The Thunder hold a slight 3-2 edge in the past five meetings and won the only time these teams have met at Manuka Oval.
The team that bowled first has also won four of the last five matches.
In the last eight matches at Manuka Oval, the team that bowled first has won, so there could be an advantage to the team chasing tonight.
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
