It’s back to the nation’s capital as the Thunder and Scorchers face off at Manuka Oval. Both sides have had slow starts to their BBL10 campaigns, sitting sixth and seventh on the table respectively. But the Thunder will be full of confidence after an incredible victory against the Heat in their last outing, whilst the Scorchers will also be buoyed by a strong performance in their last match with only the rain preventing them from victory. See our full preview and betting tips for Tuesday night’s clash below.
BBL10 Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers Betting Tips
Manuka Oval, Tuesday December 22, 7:15pm
Sydney Thunder Squad: Callum Ferguson, Jonathan Cook, Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne, Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain
Perth Scorchers Squad: Mitch Marsh, Fawad Ahmad, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Joe Clarke, Cameron Gannon, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Jason Roy, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman
Match Prediction
Both teams have had slow starts to the season but have shown enough to have fans excited. The Scorchers batting line up looked dynamic as Colin Munro (49), Joe Clarke (34) and Ashton Turner (39) smashed them to all parts as the Scorchers scored 158 runs in just 17 overs. If Josh Inglish and Mitch Marsh can get going, they are going to be a scary sight for opposition bowling attacks.
A Daniel Sams miracle got the Thunder over the line in their last match, but their lack of genuine depth with the bat has to raise some concerns. If the top three of Khawaja, Hales and Ferguson don’t fire, there’s a lot of pressure on Cutting, Sams and Green to pick up the slack. They did produce against the Heat, but other sides won’t dish up awful bowling like the Heat did. Three all rounders in the top seven is a massive concern.
The Scorchers hold the overall head to head advantage over the Thunder 6-5, and it’s clear the Scorchers are on a mission to amend a few poor seasons by their lofty standards. Their depth with the bat is as strong as it’s ever been in their history and they always produce with the ball with the likes of Behrendorff, Ahmed, Richardson and Tye. Expect the Scorchers to produce a big performance to get their season going.
Thunder Prop Bet
Alex Hales had an outstanding BBL09 campaign, scoring 576 runs at an average of 38 with a strike rate of 146. And he started this season where he left off scoring 46 against the Stars. Hales also has a strong record against the Scorchers.
In the Thunder’s last two games against the Scorchers, Hales has top scored for the Thunder. Last season against the Scorchers Hales scored 85 off 59 and 47 off 27. Coming up against a side he’s had plenty of success against, expect Hales to relish the pressure that is on himself and the top three of the Thunder. At $3.50, Hales is a quality choice as the Thunder’s top run scorer.
Hales Top SYD Runscorer
$3.50
Scorchers Prop Bet
Fawad Ahmed had an excellent start to his time at the Scorchers, picking up 15 wickets at an average of 24 and an economy of 6.9. Ahmed gave the Scorchers a genuine star spinner that they haven’t seen since the days of Brad Hogg, adding another dangerous weapon to an already stacked bowling attack.
Given the years Ahmed spent with the Thunder Ahmed will not only know plenty about the Thunder batsmen, he will be eager to perform well against his former side. The Thunder have struggled against spin this season, with Adam Zampa taking 2/10 off four overs. With the Thunder’s vulnerability to spin bowling, expect Fawad to have a field day against the men in green.
Ahmed Top PER Wicket Taker
$4.50
