The Stars will be looking to continue their perfect start to the season, when they take on the Thunder in Canberra. Can the Thunder upset the Stars? Or will the league leaders continue on their merry way? Catch our full game preview and betting tips below!
Big Bash League (BBL15) Stars vs Thunder Betting Tips
Manuka Oval, Sunday 28th December, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Stars
Another game, another win as the Stars made it three from three with a win over the Sixers on Boxing Day. Sam Harper made his maiden BBL century, scoring an unbeaten 110 off just 60 deliveries. The Stars made light work of the chase, reaching the target of 145 for the loss of just three wickets, with 15 balls to spare. A big positive for the Stars was that they managed to win so easily without Marcus Stoinis or Glenn Maxwell having to bat.
Sam Harper did the job with the bat, however like every win they’ve had this season, the game was set up by their bowlers. Tom Curran continued his stellar season with the ball, taking 3/26 including the key wickets of Babar Azam, Daniel Hughes and Jack Edwards. Peter Siddle picked up 3/23 to take his season tally to seven wickets. Curran and Siddle are equal second in the competition for wickets, and are both averaging under 12.50.
The Stars haven’t had to chase many in their first three games chasing scores of 159, 156 and 145, but they’ve had an even spread on contributors. Sam Harper leads the side with 165 runs, Marcus Stoinis has 94 runs from two innings, while Campbell Kellaway has 83 runs. Glenn Maxwell, Joe Clarke and Hilton Cartwright haven’t got going yet, so the Stars still have plenty of scope for improvement.
Sydney Thunder
The Thunder finally got on the board in BBL15, with a 34 run win over the Thunder back on the 22nd of December. The win was built on the back of a 127 run opening partnership between Sam Konstas and Matthew Gilkes. Gilkes scored 76 off 48 while Konstas scored 63 off 45 after a couple of low scores to start the season.
The score of 4/193 was never in danger as Shadab Khan tore through the Heat batting lineup with 4/24, taking the wickets of Munro, Wildermuth, Renshaw and Alsop. Daniel Sams was also excellent with 2/25, while Chris Green kept it tight in the middle overs with 0/32. It was a much improved performance with the ball compared to their opening two games of the season.
The Thunder will need their bowlers to produce a similar effort if they are to challenge the league leaders. In their opening two games when they conceded 181 and 198 they never looked in the game, and given the quality in the Stars batting unit, they’re going to need their bowlers to stand up.
Match Prediction
The Stars bowling attack is firing on all cylinders, which is making things easy for their batting unit having to chase small totals. They’ve beaten quality sides in the Hurricanes and Sixers and they’ve still got room for improvement with a couple of their best batters yet to make a big impact.
The Thunder have been an inconsistent side this season and their top end talent outside of Shadab Khan are yet to make a meaningful impact. The Stars' work with the ball will be the difference once again, as their seamers lead them to a 4-0 start.
Melbourne Stars to Win
$1.70 (2 Units)
BBL Stars vs Thunder Prop Bet
Tom Curran is in red hot form and he is making a big impact with the new ball. The Englishman has taken 7 wickets at an average of 10.85 and a remarkable strike rate of 9.42. Curran has figures of 1/25, 3/25 and 3/26 and is getting the new ball to do plenty in the air, and off the wicket.
Tom Curran: Stars Top Bowler
$4.20
