Adelaide will face Sydney-T in the reverse fixture of Australia T20 League 2020-21. The winner may finish in the top two, while playoff qualification has been almost assured for both sides.
Match Timings: Jan 25, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Adelaide and Sydney-T will end its league stage campaign in the reverse fixture at Adelaide Oval. Both sides have almost made it into the playoffs, and the victory will seal the place in the top four. Melbourne-S have 24 points, and in case of their victory in the last fixture with the bash boost point can trouble both sides if any side loses here. All permutation and combination is favouring both sides, but both captains would avoid any drama. Adelaide defeated Sydney-T by 6 runs in the last home game. The tight bowling from Sydney-T helped them to restrict Adelaide 159.
The top-order from Adelaide got a good start, and three batsmen crossed 30 runs mark, but nobody couldn’t convert the start into big. A similar trend started in the chase when Sydney-T struggled early. From 72/1, Sydney-T slipped to 114/7, and the middle collapse hurt the chase. Ben Cutting and McAndrew tried hard to cross the line, but Adelaide took the game by 6 runs. It was a collective bowling effort. Travis Head used his bowlers smartly. Micheal Neser bagged two for 17, and Siddle also picked two wickets, conceding 22 in a 4-overs spell. Adelaide can back themselves to add one more victory here. Adelaide’s points-table game will also be affected by other team’s results.
Carey is in good form and has scored 410 runs so far at an average of 37.27. Weatherald has also batted very well with scoring 321 runs at an average of 29.18. Adelaide have to look for other option in batting, and the more reliability on Carey will hurt in playoffs too. Wes Agar is now a key bowler for them, picking 21 wickets at an average of 19.33. Peter Siddle has also provided experience with picking 18 wickets so far. Adelaide has the caliber, but they have to play better cricket against Sydney. It will be a contest between Sydney’s batting and Adelaide’s bowling.
Meanwhile, the top-two finish will be the main target for Callum Ferguson. The batting unit has been the biggest strength of Sydney-T. The top-order is in excellent form, starting with the openers Khawaja and Alex Hales. Hales is the top-scorer of the season, with 472 runs at an average of 36.30 and a strike rate of 163.88. Ferguson has led from the front by scoring 334 runs, and he has been crucial at the top-order. Khawaja looked better after Christmas, but in the last couple of games, he couldn’t convert his start. The Bowling unit should also step up with the batting if Sydney looks for a balance.
Pitch Report
Adelaide’s surface is good for batting, but we saw some trouble in the previous batting. Spinners will control the run-rate, and batsmen will see pressure in both innings. Any score above 160 would be a tricky total to chase.
Possible XI
Sydney-T
Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (C), Oliver Davies, Sam Billings (WK), Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Adam Milne, Brendan Doggett, Tanveer Sangha
Adelaide-S
Alex Carey (WK), Jake Weatherald, Travis Head (C), Phil Salt, Matt Renshaw, Ryan Gibson, Michael Neser, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Liam O'Connor, Peter Siddle
Key Players
Sydney-T
Alex Hales
Season so far – M: 13, Runs: 472, Avg: 36.30
Callum Ferguson
Season so far – M: 13, Runs: 334, Avg: 27.83
Adelaide-S
Alex Carey
Season so far – M: 11, Runs: 410, Avg: 37.27
Wes Agar
Season so far – M: 13, Wickets: 21, Avg: 19.33
