Australian T20 League 2022 

Match 1- THU vs STA

Preview 

The Australian T20 League 2022 kicks off with match number 1 between THU and STA at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Tuesday, December 13. Over the years, Thunders have emerged as one of the strongest teams in the competition.They finished third in the last two seasons and would now love to go all the way through this year. Stars on the other hand have suffered a massive blow ahead of the season. Their skipper Glen Maxwell is expected to miss out the entire season due to injury. Adam Zampa will lead the side in his absence in the quest for their first title. 

Thunders have a potent batting lineup with the likes of Matthew Gikes, Alex Hales, Rilee Roussow and Jason Sangha. All eyes will be on Hales, who set the recently concluded World Series ablaze with his power hitting prowess. He played a pivotal role in England’s dominant show at the showpiece event. In the bowling department, the Sydney based franchise has the services of Gurindher Sandhu, Nathan McAndrew and Tanveer Sangha. While Sandhu and McAndrew will lead the pace prowess, spin attack will be marshalled by Sangha. 

Despite missing their captain and star player Glenn Maxwell, Stars have plenty of firepower in their ranks. Joe Clarke, Marcus Stoinis and Nick Larkin will shoulder the batting responsibility for the Melbourne based Franchise. The linchpin of their top order will be Marcus Stoinis, who will have the onus to provide his side a flying start. Bowling attack looks threatening with Trent Boult in the mix. The NZ speedster was roped in by Stars in the 2022 Aus T20 League draft. He alongside Nathan Coulter Nile form a lethal pace duo. Adam Zampa and Clint Hinchliffe will take care of the spin bowling department. 

Match Details

Match: THU vs STA, 1st Match, Aus T20 League 2022-23

Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Time: 1:45 PM

Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra

Pitch and Weather Report

The Manuka Oval pitch in Canberra provides assistance to batters. The average first innings total on this wicket is 171. Pacers will hold sway in this game. The chasing team has won 11 of the last 15 Aus T20 League games played here. 

Partly Cloudy skies with 20% chances of precipitation is predicted on matchday. The temperature is expected to be around 15 degree celsius with 59% humidity and 19.0 km/h wind speed

Form Guide

THU: W W L W L

STA: L W L L W 

Head to Head   

Team                    Matches Won 

(i)THU                        7

(ii)STA                       10

Squads

THU: Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, David Willey (withdrawn), Fazalhaq Farooqi (replacing David Willey, first nine matches only), Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, Gurinder Sandhu

STA: Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa, Campbell Kellaway

Probable Playing XIs

THU: Alex Hales, Matthew Gilkes(WK), Rilee Rossouw, Jason Sangha(C), Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Gurinder Sandhu, Tanveer Sangha

STA: Joe Clarke(WK), Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Joe Burns, Beau Webster, Hilton Cartwright, Clint Hinchliffe, Tom O'Connell, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa(C), Trent Boult

Hot Fantasy Picks

Wicket Keeper

Joe Clarke- The right handed wicket keeper batter is blessed with immaculate timing and a watertight technique. He is safe behind the wicket and possesses the ability to constantly keep the scoreboard ticking. 

Batters

Alex Hales- The opening batsman is in some serious form at the moment. He packs a punch with the bat in hand and backs himself to create the fence. Apart from his prowess as a power hitter, Hales is an excellent fieldsman. 

Rilee Roussouw- The southpaw is an attractive strokemaker who has scored heaps of runs in this format. He has established himself as a consistent player, scoring day and day out across global cricket leagues. 

All Rounders 

Marcus Stoinis- The seasoned all rounder will play a crucial role for Stars. He is proficient with both bat and ball in hand. In the absence of star all rounder Glenn Maxwell, Stoinis will need to step up and make contributions for his side

Bowlers 

Trent Boult-  The new signing will have a lot of say in determining the result of this match. The Kiwi quickie has a knack of picking wickets upfront. 

Adam Zampa- Stars skipper will have an uphill task of keeping the opposition batters quiet. The crafty leg spinner is deceptive with his pace variations and length changes. 

Match Prediction 

Expect a cracking season opener. Both teams are stacked with quality players who can single handedly change the fate of the match. We fancy Stars to just edge past their rivals based on their bowling attack. 

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