Brisbane-H will take on the Sydney-S in the reverse fixture of the Australia T20 League. Brisbane are having a 3-matches winning streak while the defending champions suffered two defeats from the previous three.
Match Timings: Jan 10, 1:45 PM IST
Team Preview
Chris Lynn’s Brisbane entered in 2021 with pure positivity and they secured three straight wins after the heartbreaks in 2020. Even rain couldn’t stop Brisbane to get full points against Melbourne-S in a 10-overs affair, Brisbane posted 115, courtesy of Lynn’s 23-balls 48. Burns and Gregory added 30 runs off just 9 balls to get a strong total. Max Bryant also got runs at the top which is a positive sign. The bowling unit was outstanding and they managed to defend the revised total of 128 against a side who have the match winners like Maxwell, Pooran, and Stoinis. Nick Larkin tried to finish the match with 16-balls 35 but Melbourne-S fell short of 18 runs with the D/L method. Steketee scalped three and he is making himself a prominent pacer for his side.
Brisbane is picking the momentum and they are now one win away to strengthen its position in playoffs. They have four wins and four defeats so far. Joe Denly and Joe Burns both have been crucial for Brisbane. Since their inclusion into the squad, Brisbane’s middle-order has been boosted. Mujeeb is taking the charge in spin and he has controlled the runs in middle-overs. He has picked 12 wickets and the economy is 6.61. Stekette is now the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets at an average of 14.86. Things are getting better for Brisbane and they cannot deliver any mistake to trouble this winning run. Each game is pretty important for them to qualify for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Sydney-S are entering this fixture with a humiliating defeat against Perth where they were bowled out on just 97. Only Edwards showed some determination with 44. The bowling was also poor in that game. Munro and Marsh scored half-centuries to post 183 on board. Lyod Pope looked better and picked two in his 2-overs spell. The skipper didn’t try more spin and relied on pace. In the last 6 overs, they conceded 84 runs which show poor bowling in death. After the new year break, the defending champions lost two matches out of three, including a defeat against its Sunday rivals. Brisbane edged past them by 4 wickets and Lynn’s troops have a good chance to make it double against Sydney-S. Under Daniel Hughes, Sydney-S looked better this season but they are not improving its mistakes. Brathwaite is a key figure but consistency is missing. They tried Holder and then dropped. Hughes is picking Brathwaite over Holder which looks like a surprising call. Sydney-S can make changes for this game and they may bounce back to take the top spot back.
Pitch Report
Carrara Oval is a decent T20 ground and it offers little help to spin in middle-overs. Batsmen can take advantage of the pitch in both innings. Chasing is an ideal call after winning the toss but any score above 170 would be a tough task in the chase.
Possible XI
Sydney-S
Josh Philippe (wk), Jack Edwards, James Vince, Daniel Hughes (c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve OKeefe, Jackson Bird, Jake Ball/Ben Dwarshuis, Lloyd Pope
Brisbane-H
Max Bryant, Chris Lynn (c), Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Key Players
Sydney-S
Josh Philippe
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 266, Avg: 33.25
Daniel Christian
Season so far – M: 8, Runs: 99, Wickets: 9
Brisbane-H
Chris Lynn
Season so far – M: 4, Runs: 167, Avg: 41.75
Mark Steketee
Season so far – M: 7, Wickets: 15, Avg: 14.86
