The Sydney Thunder have been one of the big disappointments of BBL12 so far, sitting 1-2 after three games.
It doesn’t get any easier for the team in green on Tuesday night as they face the undefeated Adelaide Strikers outfit that wiped them out for 15 last week again on enemy territory.
Josh Nevett provides his full match preview and betting tips below.
BBL12 Strikers vs Thunder Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Tuesday 20th December, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Adelaide Strikers
Predicted XI: Matt Short, Jake Weatherald, Chris Lynn, Adam Hose, Colin de Grandhomme, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Rashid Khan, Wes Agar, Henry Thornton, Peter Siddle
Don’t mess with a winning formula. That’s the mantra that I’m sure Adelaide will be applying heading into this clash with the lowly Thunder.
The Strikers have been firing on all cylinders so far, and last Friday’s drubbing of their upcoming opponent demonstrated that anything is possible for this squad.
Quicks Henry Thornton (5-3) and Wes Agar (4-6) were front and centre as Adelaide held the Thunder to just 15, a new record for T20 cricket.
The form of Chris Lynn (36 off 27) and Colin de Grandhomme (33 off 24) also bodes well for the rest of the competition, after Matt Short struck 84 against the Sixers.
Sitting 2-0, it seems at this early stage as if the Strikers will be among the frontrunners in this campaign.
Sydney Thunder
Predicted XI: Alex Hales, Matthew Gilkes, Rilee Rossouw, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Gurinder Sandhu, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Brendan Doggett
Things couldn’t get much worse for the Thunder after Friday’s embarrassing defeat, but a loss to the Renegades on Sunday certainly wasn’t ideal.
Despite setting a competitive total of 174, Sydney lost their way in the latter half of Melbourne’s innings as Aaron Finch (70) turned back the clock.
Making matters worse, Jason Sangha suffered a broken collarbone during the clash, ruling him out of Tuesday’s game against Adelaide.
It’s tough to tell who will replace the skipper, as the Thunder have questionable batting depth. If I was in charge, I would move talented youngster Oliver Davies up and insert an all-rounder to provide more flexibility.
At least import Rilee Rossouw proved his worth at Marvel Stadium, hitting 53 off 38 in a powerful display.
Whatever direction the Thunder take with their line-up, it’s imperative that they get back on the winners list soon.
Match Prediction
Is there such a thing as mental scars in T20 cricket? If so, the Thunder would certainly have some after their last game against the Strikers.
However, Sydney at least showed they’re capable of a serviceable batting performance against the Renegades.
Nevertheless, Adelaide are on fire and they clearly have the upper hand heading into this encounter which will be played on their home turf.
As such, I’m predicting a Strikers victory.
Adelaide Strikers
$1.73 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Thornton has taken an early lead in the wicket-taker rankings, with nine to his name after just two games. The tearaway quick’s express pace has overwhelmed opposition batsmen so far, and the Thunder were powerless as he took 5-fa on Friday night. You can get great odds for Thornton to take two on Tuesday.
It makes sense to pair Thornton wickets with a low opening Thunder partnership. While Hales is in decent touch after a big World Cup, his partner Matt Gilkes is struggling and the pair haven’t covered the 24.5-run line in three matches.
After nearly topping the run-scoring charts in BBL11, Short kicked off BBL12 with a classy 84. Fronting up to the same venue against an opponent low on confidence, I’m backing Short to produce more runs on Tuesday.
Player to Take 2+ Wickets – Henry Thornton
Sydney Thunder Fall of Wicket 1 - Under 24.5 Runs
Player to Score 15+ Runs – Matt Short
