The Boxing Day bonanza of cricket rolls on with the first game of a BBL12 double header taking place at the SCG, with the Sydney Sixers hosting the Melbourne Stars! Both sides are 1-2 and in desperate need of a victory, who will keep in touch with the top five?
Jack Tobin has you covered with his preview and tips for Sixers vs Stars, and be sure to check out BeforeYouBet's BBL Tips page for coverage on every game in BBL12.
BBL12 Sixers vs Stars Preview & Betting Tips
SCG, Monday 26th December, 6:10pm (AEDT)
Sydney Sixers
Predicted XI: Josh Philippe, Kurtis Patterson, James Vince, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Dan Christian, Hayden Kerr, Sean Abbott, Stephen O'Keefe, Naveen-ul-Haq Murid, Todd Murphy
After two straight losses to start the season, the Sixers managed to pick up their first win of BBL12 on Thursday with a six run win over the Hurricanes in a rain shortened game at the SCG. The Sixers were in control for the majority of the contest, with Asif Ali hitting 22 runs from the last four deliveries of the thirteenth over keeping the score look closer than the nature of play.
The Sixers top order finally got going, with Josh Philippe (43 off 21) and Kurtis Patterson (38 off 25) laying the platform for a winning score. Hayden Kerr closed out the innings with a 32 off 20, which will give the Sixers some confidence that they can begin to launch their season with their next two games both at the SCG.
Todd Murphy replaced Izharulhaq Naveed, and the touted heir-apparent to Nathan Lyon made an immediate impact with an important spell of 1/18. Stephen O’Keefe took 1/7, with the duo set to be a tough combination for opposing sides to face, particularly at the SCG.
Melbourne Stars
Predicted XI: Joe Clarke, Tom Rogers, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Campbell Kellaway, Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa
The Stars copped a fair hiding from the Scorchers on Friday afternoon, with Perth producing the third highest BBL score of all time, with a mammoth 7/229 at Junction Oval. The Stars never got close in the 68 run defeat, and are one of the hardest teams to get a read on after their 1-2 start. The Stars should have beaten the Thunder in the season opener, then produced an outstanding performance to beat the highly touted Hurricanes, then were smashed by the Scorchers.
With the top end talent of Joe Clarke, Marcus Stoinis, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile the Stars are capable of producing big performances. However their lack of depth has been a big issue to begin this season, and will be the biggest obstacle in the side achieving anything this season. With Tom Rogers, Beau Webster and Nick Larkin featuring inside the top four, it’s safe to say opposing sides aren’t fearing the Stars as they have in previous seasons.
Another issue for the Stars this season has been the performances of their overseas players. Trent Boult has had an underwhelming start to the season, with figures of 1/41 and 0/42 in his last two games. Fellow import Luke Wood has gone at an economy rate of 9.25, and although he’s taken eight wickets, three of those coming in the final over against the Scorchers who were swinging for the fences. With how top heavy their side is, the Stars simply can’t afford for their best players to underperform.
Match Prediction
This is a huge game for two sides who expected to be in the top five coming into the season. Falling to 1-3 wouldn’t be season ending, however it makes things difficult chasing the pack. The Sixers two losses have been on the road against the Scorchers and Strikers who have been excellent to start the season, so a run of games at the SCG against some less talented sides will be a welcome sight for the Sixers.
The Sixers have dominated the Stars over the past three years, winning their last seven games against the Stars. Sydney have piled on the runs against the Stars in their recent meetings, putting up an average score of 192 runs in their last four fixtures against the Stars. The Sixers match up incredibly well against the Stars given their greatest strength lies in their depth, and the Stars biggest weakness is their depth. After a slow start to the season, the Sixers will pick up back to back wins to even the ledger at 2-2.
Sydney Sixers
$1.73 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Moises Henriques has had a poor start to the season, with consecutive ducks from his last two games. The Sixers captain will be looking to bounce back against a side he’s had plenty of success against. Henriques has scored 403 runs against the Stars, the second most of any player in games between the Sixers and Stars, at a strike rate of 147.
Josh Philippe is another Sixer who has loved taking on the Stars, having scored 323 runs at an average of 35. Philippe scored 99* and 85 in his two knocks against the Stars last season.
Our BBL Data Tools show that Friday was just the second time in his last ten games Adam Zampa had gone wicketless. Zampa will enjoy bowling on an SCG surface that gave plenty for the spinners on Thursday.
Josh Philippe 15+ Runs
Moises Henriques 15+ Runs
Adam Zampa 1+ Wicket
