Perth will continue its winning run with a clash against the defending champions in Australia T20 League 2020-21. Both sides will eye the top spot in the points table.
Match Timings: Jan 16, 1:10 PM IST
Team Preview
Sydney-S is moving towards the title defense with a solid campaign and they have taken the top spot back from Sydney-T after a win in the previous outing. They are 8-points behind to its derby rivals and with 4 more games left, defending champions have assured its qualification in playoffs. Despite a good start from Hales, bowlers managed to hold Sydney-T 166. Josh Philippe scored fine 36-balls 64 to chase down the revised target of 129 with eight balls spare. The early quick start helped Sydney-S to cross the line and they have now sealed the top spot. The tournament is in its final stage and most of the teams have played ten matches each. The playoff qualification is not in the mind of Daniel Hughes. He has led this side smartly. Steve OKeefe was excellent and bagged three wickets for just 15 runs.
Daniel Hughes should get the credit and he always use his six bowlers according to the batting side. Skipper tried Justin Avendano as an opener and Sydney-S got a good start with 50 runs in just 3.5 overs. Josh Philippe’s form is a big thing for them. The opener has aggregated 273 runs at an average of 30.33. Daniel Christian is taking charge in both departments, scoring 175 runs and picked 10 wickets. Carlos Brathwaite is a surprise package who bagged 11 wickets. They have a balanced side and after this week, they will also welcome its skipper Moises Henriques who led the side to title triumph last year.
Meanwhile, Perth has turned around the table with a terrific comeback after going winless from the first three matches. They have won five matches in a row and bagged three bash boost points. Ashton Turner has set an example with the captaincy. They have won all four matches at home ground and the remaining matches will be played in Melbourne and Canberra. In the previous fixture, they edged past Hobart by 9 wickets. Bowlers restricted the visitors to just 139 and chased down the target in 16.2 overs. Jason Roy and Livingstone both added 123 runs for opening wickets and the duo scored half-centuries.
Out of five wins, they have defended the total thrice and the bowlers did the job very well. Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye have been key factors in the pace-attack. Fawad Ahmad is the spin option who has an economy of less than 7. Turner had tried Aaron Hardie to fill the 5th bowling option. They have to boost the finishing option as Turner has the big responsibility to score runs in death. Munro will be back in action after missing out the previous game. Munro has scored 237 runs and had scored consecutive half-centuries in the last three outings. Perth would aim to make it six out of six and one more win will boost its chances to finish in the top two.
Pitch Report
Manuka Oval is a decent T20 surface and batsman can have a good run on this track. Any score above 160 would be an imposing total on this surface and chasing is an ideal call. Pacers have better chances than the spinners.
Possible XI
Sydney-S
Josh Philippe (wk), Justin Avendano, James Vince, Daniel Hughes (c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve OKeefe, Jackson Bird, Jake Ball, Lloyd Pope
Perth-S
Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh
Key Players
Sydney-S
Josh Philippe
Season so far – M: 9, Runs: 273, Avg: 30.33
Daniel Christian
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 175, Wickets: 10
Perth-S
Colin Munro
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 237, SR: 130.93
Jason Roy
Season so far – M: 6, Runs: 212, Avg: 42.40
