After clinching a thrilling win last night, Sydney Thunder is all set to square off against the Melbourne Stars in the 19th match of Australia T20 League. The match will be played at Sydney Thunder’s home ground- Sydney Showground Stadium on January 2nd 2020. It’s a day game so the match will begin at 10:10 AM IST. Both teams will be facing each other for the first time in this season and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on the top.
Sydney Thunder ended the New Year’s Eve with a win by the thinnest of margins. Thunders clinched a nail-biter against the Adelaide Strikers as they won by just 3 runs. Half-centuries from Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson helped the Thunder post a challenging total of 168. Thunder’s bowlers started well as they reduced Stars to 3 for 38 in first six overs. Jake Weatherald (52) and later Rashid (40) fought hard but fell just short.
Sydney Thunders are now topping the points ladder with three wins out of their four completed matches and they will look to continue their winning momentum against the dangerous Stars.
Melbourne Stars, on the other hand, have also looked good so far in this tournament. They are also coming into this match with a win against the Hobart Hurricanes. Stars edged out Hurricanes in a rain-hit game and won by four runs (DLS method). Peter Handscomb and Marcus Stoinis were the anchors with the bat for the Stars as they rescued their team from a precarious 2 for 3 with a 52-run partnership. Melbourne Stars are now standing at the third spot with 6 points and will look to give Thunders a stern test in the upcoming match.
Head to Head
|
Matches Played |
Sydney Thunder |
Melbourne Stars |
No Result |
|
10 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
Pitch Report
Sydney surface has been known for producing spin friendly pitch and we can expect the same for this game as well. The surface will favour the spinners and the batsman will find it hard to hit.
Weather Conditions
Few clouds will hover around the ground but there is no forecast of any rain. The temperature will be around 21-25 degree Celsius.
Probable Playing XI
Sydney Thunder
Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Matthew Gilkes (wk), Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Chris Morris, Chris Green, Arjun Nair, Nathan McAndrew, Jonathan Cook.
Melbourne Stars
Nic Maddinson, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Peter Handscomb (wk), Glenn Maxwell (C), Ben Dunk, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Daniel Worrall, Dale Steyn, Sandeep Lamichhane.
Key Players
Sydney Thunder
Usman Khawaja
Callum Ferguson
Melbourne Stars
Glenn Maxwell
Marcus Stoinis
