Perth and Brisbane will lock horns in the crucial mid-table clash of the Australia T20 League 2020-21. Both sides stand in the top five, but any defeat from here can trouble its chances for the playoffs.
Match Timings: Jan 19, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Australia T20 League, 2020-21, is in its final stage, and Docklands stadium will witness a mid-table clash between Perth and Brisbane. Both sides have changed its attitude from the starting of the year and lost once in the previous five matches. The playoff qualification is now also depend on the bash boost point. Brisbane’s story is not less than a roller-coaster ride and the new year delivered happiness to Chris Lynn. Brisbane has tightened its grip in the playoffs this time.
In the last outing, they edged past the Melbourne-R with ease. Bowlers restricted Melbourne-R on 149. They didn’t allow the acceleration to the opposition throughout the game. Bryant and Lynn provided a good start in the chase, and the skipper scored a gritty half-century. In middle-overs, they formed a mini-collapse, but somehow, Brisbane managed to avoid any heartbreak. Joe Burns smashed 31 off just 14 balls to cross the line with eight balls spare. Brisbane has a good balance in the batting lineup, especially after the inclusion of Joe Burns. Both openers are in good touch, and Bryant looked solid in the last couple of games.
Lynn has aggregated 273 runs in just 6 innings, and his numbers will be important for Brisbane in the next four games. Mark Steketee has been pretty consistent this season, bagging 18 wickets at an average of 15.94. He is now a joint-second leading wicket-taker of the season. Mujeeb’s absence in the remainder of the tournament will hurt Brisbane in middle-overs. Morne Morkel played his first game of this edition and went for 29 with one wicket. Jack Wood included in the eleven as the spin option, and he was decent in the last game with picking two wickets for 28. Brisbane has the balance, and they have the caliber to gain bash boost point in crucial matches.
Meanwhile, Perth have a strong hand on playoffs, and Turner’s team are confident to make the final process. They also have a positive campaign but suffered a defeat in the last game after winning five matches in a row. The defeat against the defending champions will help them to fix their errors and come hard for the remainder of the season. Perth also have a solid chance to eye the top two spots, but they have to win all remaining matches. With 21 points from 10 matches, Perth are in a strong position. Sydney-S tasted the middle-order, and it let them down. Despite a positive start, Perth couldn’t take its total to 190-200 and scored 163. In the last 10-overs, Perth only managed 60 runs and lost six wickets. Livingstone scored 67 off 38 balls and remained the top-scorer of the match. The failure of the middle-order hurt Perth more, and they cannot deny the good start. Sydney-S made this chase a cakewalk and chased down the target with seven balls spare. Jason Behrendorff had a good outing with the bowl, conceding just 19 in his spell.
Monro and Roy are in good form, and Turner has to look for other players to step up. The last defeat will surely push its skipper to make changes. Jhye Richardson is currently the leading wicket-taker of the season with 19 wickets, and Jason Behrendorff’s support is also important. They have to use the bowlers according to the plan. If Fawad can control runs in the powerplay, then he would be a good option here. Turner should provide the 6th bowling option when the others are conceding boundaries. Perth has a good balance, and they look better side on Tuesday.
Pitch Report
Docklands stadium will host its first match of the season. The captain would try to bowl first to take early advantage from the pitch. Later the match progresses, it would be a batting track. 160-170 is a safe total here.
Possible XI
Brisbane-H
Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Matthew Kuhnemann, Morne Morkel, Xavier Bartlett
Perth
Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Bancroft, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed
Key Players
Brisbane-H
Chris Lynn
Season so far – M: 6, Runs: 273, Avg: 45.50
Mark Steketee
Season so far – M: 10, Wickets: 18, Avg: 15.94
Perth
Jason Roy
Season so far – M: 7, Runs: 233, Avg: 38.83
Jhye Richardson
Season so far – M: 10, Wickets: 19, Avg: 12.21
