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Big Bash League: Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder match preview, analysis

19th December, 2013
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Usman Khawaja must play in New Zealand. (Image: Sydney Thunder)
Roar Guru
19th December, 2013
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The second 2013/14 Big Bash League match kicks off in Sydney with a huge derby. And intriguingly, it’s the Sydney Sixers that have dominated the harbour city, with the Sydney Thunder desperate to turn things around this year.

The Sixers have been the title-winners previously and have won 10 of their 17 matches in the competition so far while their cross-town rivals — the Thunder — have managed just a handful of wins.

The Thunder’s 2012/13 campaign was nothing short of a disaster… but that was last year. The competition this year stands as a fresh chance for both Sydney clubs to make a statement to the other teams that they will not go down easily.

Both the Thunder and the Sixers will be looking to do start that from their opening match against each other.

Full Preview
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2013
Time: 7:15pm AEDT (7:15pm local time)
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
TV: Live coverage via Network Ten

Previous Encounters
Jan. 8, 2012 — Sixers (7/117) def. Thunder (4/29) by 17 runs (D/L method)
Dec. 8, 2012 — Sixers (3/147) def. Thunder (5/143) by 7 wickets
Dec. 30, 2012 — Sixers (6/136) def. Thunder (6/132) by 4 wickets

Team Squads (final lineups announced later in week)
Sydney Sixers — Brad Haddin (capt.), Moises Henriques, Marcus North, Ben Dwarshuis, Mark Cosgrove, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott, Ravi Bopara, Chris Tremlett, Brett Lee, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Stephen O’Keefe, Jordan Silk, Michael Lumb, Daniel Smith, Trent Copeland

Sydney Thunder — Michael Clarke (capt.), Dirk Nannes, Jason Floros, Mike Hussey, Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Jeremy Maher, Daniel Hughes, Eoin Morgan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Cameron Borgas, Ryan Carters, Scott Coyte, Chris Tremain, Luke Doran, Jake Doran, Luke Feldman, Kurtis Patterson, Ajantha Mendis, Chris Woakes

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THREE STARS TO WATCH FOR
David Warner, Sydney Thunder
David Warner was expected to miss the first few games for the Thunder due to his Test commitments, but with Cricket Australia announcing that the Test opener is eligible to play the Thunder’s opening-round match, Warner instantly becomes the player to watch out for.

The left-hander needs no introduction in terms of his raw power and hitting ability, and is capable of turning any match on its head in just a handful of deliveries.

Sean Abbott, Sydney Sixers
Abbott has quickly progressed as one of the more underrated limited overs bowlers in Australian domestic cricket and could well use this tournament as somewhat of a ‘breaking out’ party.

Abbott was dynamic with the ball throughout the Ryobi Cup this year and holds an impressive T20 bowling average of 26.86 from his 19 matches so far. Look for the 21-year-old to be a real handful during the middle overs of an innings.

Usman Khawaja, Sydney Thunder
Khawaja has made a name for himself in nearly all formats of the game but continues to be underrated as a T20 batsman.

He led the Thunder in terms of runs scored last year. With a much better batting complement around him this year, the classy left-hander should be able to play his natural game and accumulate the runs once more.

The Last Word…
“You look at BBL and see the stumps light up, big crowds and all these bright kits… I think it’s brilliant. There’s only a few teams as well, which makes it a very strong competition. I had a look at the Sixers squad and I think we’ll do very well. We’ve got [Michael] Lumb at the top of the order who makes a huge difference and I’m hoping to make a big difference as well…” (Ravi Bopara via The Daily Telegraph)

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