The Perth Scorchers travel to Sydney to take on the inconsistent Sydney Thunder in another Big Bash fixture that will see two quality outfits butt heads. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:40pm (AEDT).
Look at these betting odds: $1.92 apiece. Can you pick a winner?
One beautiful thing about Big Bash cricket is the frequency with which underdogs win. One player can light things up with bat or ball, and it’s game over for the unlucky opponent. See Short, D’Arcy last night as reference point number one.
When the odds are dead even? You know it’s going to be a belter of a contest.
We’ll start with the Sydney Thunder. Usman Khawaja returns to the side in a massive boost for the green army. He will likely open the batting, replacing Englishman Jos Buttler who departs on international duty. James Vince also comes into the side, which makes the Thunder’s batting order look seriously ominous. In recent weeks it’s been all Watson and Buttler, however they now bat deep.
They also welcome back Jay Lenton who will don the gloves. The keeper-batsman also happens to hit a very long cricket ball.
On the other side of the bill is the evergreen Perth Scorchers outfit who seem to not know how to lose. Their run chase against the Renegades last start was remarkable, and they have one of the best bowling units in world T20 cricket. Expect Michael Klinger to get runs, as he doesn’t miss out twice in a row. Ever.
Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar are the spine of a fully firing middle order, and they will be confident of chasing anything the Thunder post, if required to bat second.
Prediction
The game will come down to the Thunder’s collection of spinners. Fawad Ahmed, Arjun Nair and Chris Green form a quality trio of tweakers operating at Spotless for the home side. If their 12 combined overs are cheap, they will win this game.
Perth Scorchers to roll on with a comfy win.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:40pm (AEDT).
Don Freo
Guest
Just reading last night's comments by Jameswm. Do you reckon he has a grudge against Bancroft? I'd say Banners did really well with both gloves and bat...but I guess 75no at 133 strike rate could be seen as a failure (in a sport like golf).
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Spinners and Sandhu for the Thunder did the job,but dropped catches in both innings would have brought the totals up. Bancroft's last big T20 score was 72 against the Thunder in Sydney in January 2016 so I guess he was due one
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 20: THE SYDNEY THUNDER HAVE WON BY 3 RUNS IN A THRILLER AT SPOTLESS STADIUM SCO 4/172 Bancroft 75 (56) Cartwright 65 (41) Cartwright faces the first, and it's four!! Nicks it through fine leg for four - another French cut. 20 needed from 5. OH MY GOODNESS!!! McLenaghan bowls in the slot second ball, and Cartwright has deposited it ON THE ROOF of Spotless Stadium... 105M! 14 needed off 4 now. Two off the third, and there's 12 needed off of 3. Cartwright to face... It's A WAIST HIGH NO BALL! He takes two as well. This is awful death bowling. So... The Scorchers need 9 from 3, with a free hit. This is one of the biggest chokes I've ever seen. Two to mid off off the free hit. Two off the 5th, and Cartwright runs two... McLenaghan misses the run out - can't collect it at the bowlers end. Single off the last only. Huge finish.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 19: SCO 4/152 Bancroft 75 (56) Cartwright 46 (34) Sandhu to bowl - and he nails the Yorker first up. Delicious death bowling. Second is also just a single. Third is a single, then Gurinder bowls two clutch dots. Average finish from Perth here, but delightful slower balls and variations from Sandhu. Four off the last ball, but still 24 needed from Perth to win it in the last over.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 18: SCO 4/135 Bancroft 70 (51) Cartwright 44 (32) McLenaghan to bowl the 18th. Four first ball. Wide Yorker and Cartwright plays a delicate (and totally intentional) French cut to fine leg. Single off the second to mid on. Two straight down the ground from Bancroft off the third rock. Wide Yorker off the 4th - dot ball. Two to Sandhu at mid off on the 5th - nine from it so far with one ball left. Wide from the 5th - he'll have to bowl it again. In to re-bowl... Another wide. Two off the final ball. 13 off it. This is going to be a bumper finish!
Jameswm
Guest
We’d have been better off with Watto
Jameswm
Guest
Why did they bring Green back on?
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 17: SCO 4/132 Bancroft 64 (48) Cartwright 39 (30) Green to bowl out, and Cartwright is back and cutting for 4 first ball. Nice shot. Leg bye single off the second as Green spears it in quicker and flatter. Third ball is a quick full bunger, and Bancroft can only get one off it. Wow. That is huge from Cartwright. 4th ball, he steps across and WALLOPS that over midwicket for six. 93m, as you do. Next ball, Green bowls a low full toss, and Cartwright swings one to deep square leg where... This is becoming a joke... McLenaghan puts down a soda! Next ball - you guessed it... Six runs. That hurts a lot.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 16: SCO 4/113 Bancroft 57 (46) Cartwright 28 (26) Singles off the first 3 balls of Nair's over, and the Scorchers are burying themselves a hole. Quickly. As I type, Hilton plunders a shorter one for 4 through square leg - nice shot. Two off the fifth and this is a huge ball coming up now - the last of Nair's spell. Just the one off it.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 15: SCO 4/102 Bancroft 56 (44) Cartwright 18 (21) Fawad Ahmed bowls the 15th and starts well. Dot and a single to start things off as Cartwright looks to give himself room and go through point. Singles swapped off balls 3 and 4. Make that a single off the 5th too. This over is hurting the Scorchers - they need a boundary off this last ball. It's a dot - Bancroft smokes one back into the stumps at the non-strikers end. Ahmed's spell is done - and he finishes with 1/19 off his 4.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 14: SCO 4/98 Bancroft 54 (42) Cartwright 16 (18) Pair back into the attack for the 14th, and Bancroft and Cartwright are content to tick ones over. Ahmed makes a meal of the 4th ball, and kicks it over the fence by accident. Single and a dot to finish.
Jameswm
Guest
Fielding from both teams awful tonight
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 13: SCO 4/90 Bancroft 52 (39) Cartwright 14 (15) Green bowls the 13th and you feel it's now hammer time for the Scorchers. Single to Bancroft off the first, and Cartwright tries to go big off the second, air swing. Third is a full toss and it can't be put away by Cartwright - just the one leg bye. Fourth ball and it's... DROPPED! The fielding in this BBL has been very, very poor. It hangs in the air, and Rohrer spills a relatively regulation catch. Next ball, Bancroft smokes it over wide mid on for six. Four to finish - could that be a big turning point? That boundary also brings up Bancrofts' 50 off just 39 balls. Nice hand from the Aussie test opener.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 12: SCO 4/76 Bancroft 39 (35) Cartwright 14 (13) Nair has a rest, so McLenaghan will bowl the 12th. A few nice slower ones, and singles to begin for both. Bancroft gets two off the third ball. Next ball is slow and into the wicket and Bancroft skies one which is dropped by Khawaja. Tough chance back pedalling, but still a chance. Six from Cartwright over square leg to finish it!
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 11: SCO 4/63 Bancroft 33 (31) Cartwright 7 (11) That set from Ahmed was full of action. Bancroft advances and deposits Ahmed for six over mid on, before two balls later, Ahmeds' wrong-un slips straight through Cartwright who is down the track and charging. Lenton can't collect, and misses the stumping. Single to Bancroft to finish the over.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 10: SCO 4/51 Bancroft 25 (28) Cartwright 7 (9) Very important boundary off the first ball of that over as Nair drops slightly short. Pulls it back nicely though with a few dots.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 9: SCO 4/41 Bancroft 20 (23) Cartwright 5 (7) Ahmed bowls another tight set - he's drifting it away slightly and bowling little variations out the back of the hand. 4 singles only off it.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
End of Over 7: SCO 4/37 Bancroft 15 (16) Cartwright 1 (2) Ahmed with another cracking first over. Skittles Voges, and bowls tight into Bancroft and Cartwrights'' pads through the rest of the set. Only 2 off it.
Jameswm
Guest
Maybe a toppie, but great bowling. Can’t see Bancroft upping the rate
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
WICKET! Adam Voges - Bowled Ahmed 1 (3) SCO 4/35 (6.2) Beautifully bowled!! It was the wrong-un from Ahmed, Voges plays down the line of it, and it rolls back through the gate to knock back the middle peg.