Australian T20 League 2022 

Match 39- THU vs SCO

Preview 

Thunders and Scorchers will square off in Match number 39 of the Australian T20 League 2022-23 on Friday, January at the Sydney Showground Stadium. 

Scorchers led by Ashton Turner, are currently positioned at the top of the table with 14 points and net run rate of +0.938.  They will head into this match on the back of two consecutive wins against the Heat. They won their previous encounter by eight wickets. After being asked to hunt down a total of 156, Scorchers lost both their openers cheaply. However a 132 run unbeaten stand between Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis made sure the four time champions get over the line. 

Thunders on the other hand are precariously placed in the middle of the points table, predominantly because of their woeful start to their campaign. But an incredible four match winning streak has brought them back in the title race. However, they suffered a seven wicket loss in their previous match against the Sixers. After being put in to bat first, the Thunder could only muster 133 runs on the board. The Sixers in reply chased down the target inside 16 overs. 

Match Details 

Match: THU vs SCO, 39th Match, Aus T20 League 2022-23

Date: Friday, January 13, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM

Venue: Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch at Sydney Showground Stadium has been reasonably good for batting, although quick bowlers have also got assistance from the surface. Bowlers must use the new ball to reap the benefits. Winning the toss and batting first should be the strategy of choice.

Temperatures around 21 degrees Celsius will make for pleasant playing conditions. There will be no rain, and the humidity will be in the 70s.

Form Guide

THU: W W W W L

SCO: W W L W W

Head to Head

Team           Matches Won 

THU               07

SCO               07

Squads

THU: Matthew Gilkes (wk), Alex Hales, Sam Whiteman, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green (c), Brendan Doggett, Usman Qadir, Joel Davies, Toby Gray, Baxter Holt, Ross Pawson 

SCO: Cameron Bancroft, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Kelly, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris, Chris Sabburg, David Payne, Adam Lyth, Peter Hatzoglou   

Probable Playing XIs

THU: Matthew Gilkes (wk), David Warner, Sam Whiteman, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green (c), Brendan Doggett, Usman Qadir 

SCO: Cameron Bancroft, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Kelly, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris.

Hot Fantasy Picks

(i) Wicket Keeper

Josh Inglis- With 313 runs in 9 innings, the wicket keeper batter is the third leading run scorer in this tournament. The dasher is coming into this match on the back of an unbeaten 67.   

(ii) Batsmen

Cameron Bancroft- The Australian International was dismissed cheaply in the last game. Despite that, we pick him in our fantasy XI because of his fireworks at the top of the order.  

David Warner- The southpaw would instantly look to make an impact on the tournament . He is recognised for his premier ball striking ability in this format.  

(iii) All Rounders 

Aaron Hardie- The 24 year old showed his prowess as a quality all rounder in the last game. He has developed his game so much in the last 18 months and is certainly one to keep a keen eye on Wednesday.

(iv) Bowlers

Andrew Tye- The veteran pace bowler has taken 16 wickets in eight matches. With that, he is the tournament's joint second-leading wicket-taker, and if he can maintain that pace, Tye will be able to assist the Scorchers win their sixth title.

Jason Beherendoff- Widely regarded for his ability to move the ball both ways, the speedster put out his A game against the Heat in the last game. Expect the lanky pacer to carry his good form on Friday. 

Match Prediction

While Thunder will be praying for the Scorchers to win the toss (superstition! ), Thunder are unlikely to win given the Scorchers' current record. We'll choose a good team in red-hot form over superstition.

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