After a thumping victory over the Defending champions, Perth will face strong Sydney-T in Australia T20 League. Both sides look to strengthen its positions in the playoffs.
Match Timings: Jan 09, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Perth will host Sydney-T in the important Friday clash of Australia T20 League. The tournament is in its second stage, and the results will surely affect the playoff qualifications. Perth were winless in the first four matches, but they have changed the table after a victory on New Year Eve and took this tally to three wins. In all three victories, Perth outclassed the opponents. In the last two matches, they bowled out the opposition on below 100. It’s an outstanding bowling display. In the last outing, they edged past the table-toppers, Sydney-S by a huge 86 runs. Colin Munro and Mitchell Marsh scored quick half-centuries for Perth, which helped them post 183 on board. Sydney-S were bowled out on just 97, and Perth has tightened its chances for the playoffs.
They are still behind to playoff position, but victory on Saturday can give them a place in the top five. Ashton Turner has led this side smartly, and his captaincy set a standard. In each game, they find a new match-winner. Jason Roy and Munro both got runs now. Josh Inglis is already in good touch. Marsh has been a consistent player with the bat, scoring 172 runs at a strike rate of 143.33. Tye bagged a 4-wickets haul in the previous match, and he can give enough support to in-from Richardson, who has 13 scalps at an average of 11.85. The spin option is missing in Perth, and it would be fascinating to see Perth add one more victory on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sydney-T moved to the top spot after a convincing win against Hobart in the previous outing. They have been consistent with the win this season and lost only two matches out of eight. On Thursday night, they defended 167 after a bowling brilliance. Usman Khawaja got his form back, and he scored a vital 49 off 33 balls, and Alex Ross also contributed 44. Ben Cutting’s finishing touch continued, and he smashed 14-balls 31 to get a good total. Hobart looked solid at one stage, but middle-order collapse let them down. From 91/2, Hobart collapsed to 128/8 and fell short of 39 runs. The top-order is in good form, which is a big positive for them. Ferguson has scored 244, and Hales has 264 runs so far this season. Khawaja made things better with back-to-back good outings with the bat. Daniel Sams might be back in the side after missing out the previous game. Sydney-T would look for the full four points to boost its chances for the top two finish.
Pitch Report
Perth’s surface hasn’t changed much, but it can favour batsman more on a used surface. The track offers a bit of bounce for the pacers. Chasing would be a tricky idea, but batsmen can back themselves on a total of 160-170.
Possible XI
Perth-S
Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed
Sydney-T
Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Arjun Nair, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha
Key Players
Perth-S
Colin Munro
Season so far – M: 7, Runs: 187, Avg: 26.71
Jhye Richardson
Season so far – M: 7, Wickets: 13, Avg: 11.85
Sydney-T
Callum Ferguson
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 244, Avg: 34.85
Tanveer Sangha
Season so far – M: 8, Wickets: 15, Avg: 13.73
