International megastars David Warner and Steve Smith will be in town for the Sydney Smash on Friday night, suiting up for the Thunder and Sixers, respectively in a clash of the titans.
Both teams are in the frame for a finals appearance, so the sparks are sure to fly at the SCG!
Draftstars have put up a huge $15,000 contest for this clash, as well as a Big Bash Star Qualifier.
BIG BASH LEAGUE (BBL13) FANTASY TIPS: SIXERS VS THUNDER
Sixers Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Ryan Hadley, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, James Vince
Thunder Squad: Cameron Bancroft, Ollie Davies, Liam Doddrell, Matthew Gilkes, Toby Gray, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Liam Hatcher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner
The Sixers will enter this edition of the Battle of the Bridge as hot favourites, having won their way to third place on the table nearing the end of the regular season.
As we’ve come to expect from the men in magenta, the bowlers have led the way – Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis and Jack Edwards have all taken eight wickets apiece.
With that being said, James Vince has also had a decent season with the bat, hitting the majority of his 195 runs across two innings against the Melbourne Stars.
While English import Tom Curran has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament in a huge blow, the Sixers will be rapt to welcome back Steve Smith and Hayden Kerr, who will both strengthen the side significantly.
As such, the Sixers will surely challenge for another BBL title this campaign.
The same can not be said of the Thunder, who have managed just one win in seven matches. The big-name players, both local and international, have failed to fire, leaving the Thunder floundering down in seventh.
Retired test star David Warner is back on Friday, but the seam bowling stocks have been inadequate since the departure of Zaman Khan.
There is no easy fix for that problem, so this season will likely be a wasted one for the men in green.
Fantasy Plays
Love It – Steve Smith ($19,800)
The numbers speak for themselves - Smith has averaged 81.4 since returning to the top order for the Sixers last season, including a mammoth 125* off 66 balls in this fixture in BBL12. Smith also smashed 61 off 42 in his only appearance this campaign, strengthening the case that he is a truly elite T20 batsman.
Love It – Steve O’Keefe ($11,300)
There are plenty of attractive premium options on this slate so we have to find some value, and SOK is my favourite available cheapie. The Sixers veteran took four wickets in the rout of the Thunder last season, and should bowl well again considering there are plenty of right-handers in the Thunder XI.
Don’t Love It – Cameron Bancroft ($16,500)
Someone has to make way for the return of David Warner to the Thunder’s top order, and Bancroft will likely be that guy. Bancroft will likely drop to number four for this clash, making him a far less appealing fantasy asset, especially at over $16k.
Don’t Love It – David Warner ($18,000)
Like Smith, Warner will add some sparkle to the Sydney Smash on Friday night, landing at the SCG in a chopper after attending his brother’s wedding. While it would be a fairytale story for Warner to hit the ground running, his high score in the BBL last season was just 36 and his imperfect preparation here is a definite red flag.
Who Knows – Hayden Kerr ($13,600)
Kerr should return from a long injury layoff on Friday night, playing his first game since BBL12. A talented all-rounder, Kerr should slot into the middle order and bowl some left-arm seam, but its unclear how heavily the Sixers will involve him given his fitness issues.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
