Perth will take on Adelaide for the second time in Australia T20 League 2020-21 to find the first win of the season. Both sides locked horns on Monday in Adelaide Oval, and Adelaide thrashed Perth by 71 runs.
Match Timings: Dec 31, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Perth and Adelaide stayed in Adelaide Oval to conclude 2020 with a night clash on New Year Eve. Perth are still winless in the tournament, and they have just two points, which were earned in a washed-out affair against Melbourne-S. Perth have been a poor unit so far and conceded Bash Boost Point in all three defeats. They have been outplayed by the opponents in all departments. In the previous outing, Adelaide bowled them out on just 94 in the chase of 166. From scoring a quick 35 in the first 3 overs, Perth collapsed badly and lost their 10 wickets in the margin of 59 runs. Things are going worse for Perth, and they are looking like a dull side. Despite losing three games out of four, Perth made no changes in the squad, and they would enter with the same playing XI.
Perth haven’t batted very well so far. In the first two defeats, they failed to post a big total, and in the previous one, they surrendered in the chase of 166. Consistency is missing in their batting lineup. Munro had just one good knock, which came in a washed-out affair. The bowling unit had some positive points, but batting requires a big boost.
Meanwhile, Adelaide topped the table after defeating Perth this Monday, and they now have three wins and two defeats from five matches. Both Sydney-based sides won its previous encounter on Tuesday and Adelaide moved to third in the table. After surviving the Peirson show in Gabba, Adelaide added a second successive victory of the season by huge 71 runs. Adelaide’s batting was tested after a 57-runs opening stand. The middle-order trauma hurt Adelaide’s good start, and they finished on 165. Philip Salt got a half-century, and it was a big boost to Adelaide. Their bowlers put a commendable effort to bowl Perth out on 94.
Carey tried five bowlers, and all grabbed two wickets each. The collective efforts contributed gave a positive sign to Adelaide, and they would aim to finish this year by topping the table. If Adelaide earns the full four points on Wednesday, they will upstage Sydney-S from the top, and in case of losing the Bash Boost Point, they will equalise Sydney-S on points. Adelaide have got four Bash Boost Points so far, and with this compact unit, they are favourites to finish this year as the leaders.
Pitch Report
Adelaide Oval is a batting-friendly wicket, and it offers plenty of help to the pacers. Chasing would be a great idea after winning the toss. Spinners can draw some help from the pitch in middle-overs.
Possible XI
Adelaide-S
Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (c & wk), Jonathan Wells, Matthew Short, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Peter Siddle, Wes Agar
Perth-S
Josh Inglis (wk), Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed
Key Players
Perth-S
Colin Munro
Caribbean T20 League 2020 – M: 8, Runs: 207, Avg: 34.50
This season so far – 0, 49, 25, 5
Jhye Richardson
This season so far –M: 5, Wickets: 6, Avg: 13.50
Adelaide-S
Peter Siddle
This season so far –M: 5, W: 10, Avg: 14.80
DJ Worrall
This season so far –M: 5, Runs: 71, Wickets: 7, Avg: 14.80
