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The Adelaide Strikers will begin their Big Bash campaign on Friday at the Adelaide Oval when they take on the Sydney Thunder for their opener. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the BBL match, starting from 7:40pm AEDT.
The Strikers haven’t had the best of times in the BBL over the past six seasons and they would like to remedy that.
They have made the semi-finals just twice and never went on to enter the title decider, an unenvious record they share with just the Melbourne Renegades.
They will be going up against the Sydney Thunder, who started off the season with a close, last-ball win against the Sydney Sixers.
Captain Shane Watson led the way for the Thunder with a 46-ball 77 that included six sixes and six fours, after Mitchell McClenaghan had picked up a couple of wickets along with off-spinner Arjun Nair.
They will look to make it two in two against a team that has traditionally struggled in the competition.
Players to watch
The Strikers will hope captain Travis Head can lead from the front with his strong-hitting and part-time offies.
Head had a couple of starts on Australia’s tour of India recently in the ODI series, and then led them to a win with an unbeaten 48 on a seaming Guwahati surface in a T20I.
That confidence should hold him in a good stead as he looks to usher in a new era in the Strikers’ history.
The Thunder need Jos Buttler to fire after a lacklustre first game.
He was dismissed for a duck as an opener but he is capable of providing his sides a real quick start.
What is interesting to observe is that he had a woeful Bangladesh Premier League where he struggled to get going and made just 26 as his highest score.
Prediction
The Strikers will hold some of the edge playing at home and should start off favourites. Expect Thunder to fight hard but go down in another close encounter.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, from 7:40pm AEDT.
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