Australian T20 League 2022 

Match 5- THU vs STR

Preview 

Strikers and Thunders are set to face each other in match number 5 of the Australian T20 League on Friday, December 16. The Sydney Showground will host this enthralling encounter. 

Led by Jason Sangha, Thunders had a lucky escape in their opening match against the Stars where they just won the game by one wicket after chasing down a partly total of 123 off the final ball of the match. They will be looking to put on a much improved show at home against the Strikers. The pace bowling attack of Thunders did exceptionally well against the Stars, but their batters struggled to get going. Had Gurinder Sandhu, batting at No. 9, not played a stellar cameo of 20 off 16 balls, the Sydney based franchise wouldn’t have been able to secure two crucial points. 

The Strikers, led by veteran Peter Siddle, will be delighted with how his side turned up against the defending champions on Wednesday. Having won their opening game by 51 runs, Strikers will be heading into this fixture with a world of confidence. Matthew Short led the charge with bat in hand, smashing 11 fours and two colossal sixes during his blistering knock of 84 which set a perfect platform for the likes of Adam Hose (40) to fo ballistic right from the get go. Chris Lynn, who made his Strikers debut on Wednesday looked good during his knock of 41 before he was dismissed by the 18 year old Afghani leggie, Izharulhaq Naveed. Thereafter, Henry Thornton ripped apart the Sixers, ending the game with impressive match figures of 4/20. He enjoyed good support from Rashid Khan at the other end, who picked three wickets. 

Match Details

Match: THU vs STR, 5th Match, Aus T20 League 2022-23

Date: Friday, December 16, 2022

Time: 2:45 PM

Venue: Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch in Sydney is expected to be favourable for batters. A high scoring contest seems to be on the cards. The margin of error for bowlers on this wicket is very little. The team winning the toss should elect to field first. 

There is no chance of rain for the time being. Cool playing conditions with temperatures around the range of 16 degree celsius is predicted on matchday.

Form

THU -  W L W L W 

STR-  W W W W W 

Head to Head

Team                   Matches Won 

(i)THU                   9      

(ii)STR                  8    

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

STR: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Ryan Gibson, Travis Head, Adam Hose, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matt Short, Jake Weatherald, Henry Thorton, Peter Siddle, Ben Manenti, Jordan Buckingham (local replacement player)

Probable Playing XIs

THU: Alex Hales, Matthew Gilkes (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Jason Sangha (c), Daniel Sams, Alex Ross, Oliver Davies, Chris Green, Gurinder Sandhu, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Brendan Doggett

STR: Jake Weatherald, Matthew Short, Chris Lynn, Adam Hose, Colin de Grandhomme, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen (wk), Rashid Khan, Wes Agar, Henry Thornton, Peter Siddle (c)

Hot Fantasy Picks

Wicket Keeper

Matthew Gilkes- Gilkes struggled to stamp his authority in the last game but that doesn't change the fact that he is a free flowing opening batsman who can pace his innings as per the match situation. 

Batsmen

Alex Hales- The English opener showed a glimpse of his vintage self with a gigantic six but was unable to convert his start into something of substance. He is an attacking batter at the top of the order who can take the attack to the opposition right from outset. 

Chris Lynn- The explosive batter looked a little sluggish during his 34 ball 41 but proved his prowess as a premier striker of the ball courtesy a couple of huge sixes at the back end of his innings. 

All Rounders

Jason Sangha- Sangha can bat, bowl and is a remarkable fieldsman. He is someone you can bank upon to ease the nerves when wickets are falling at the other end. Watch out for this up and coming all rounder. 

Bowlers

Rashid Khan- The spin wizard started the tournament with a three-fer. He was right on the money in the last game and we fancy him to continue his lethal form  

Fazal Haq Farooqi- Farooqi who came in as Willey’s replacement commenced his Aus T20 League career on a positive note. He looked comfortable with the ball and showed no nerves on his debut. He finished the game with decent match figures of 2/20.  

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