Sydney-T and Melbourne-S will fight out in the second game of the day to eye the top-two spot in the table. Both sides had a couple of wins under their belt, and they would aim to extend this.
Match Timings: Dec 29, 1: 45 PM IST
Team Preview
Sydney-T and Melbourne-S lock horns in Canberra to take the top-two spot. Both sides require three points to upstage Adelaide from the top. It’s a day of Melbourne vs. Sydney in Australia T20 League, and it will be the second game of the day. If Sydney-S lose against Melbourne-R, the winner of this game will get the chance to take the top spot. Sydney-T are coming off a 129-runs victory against Melbourne-R in a previous encounter. The collective batting efforts helped them to post 209 on board. Oliver Davies scored 48 off just 23 balls, and the top-order contributed 30 plus each. With some quick finish in death, they overcame the opposition. The bowling was also great as they bowled out the Finch-led side on a mere total of 80. Tanveer Sangha picked a 4-wickets haul to demolish Melbourne-R’s batting lineup. It was a pure dominating performance from Callum Ferguson’s side. It was their third straight win, and they occupy the third spot in the table.
They have a good balance on their side. After the inclusion of Sam Billings, Sydney-T looked a better unit, and in the last outing, the top-order also got runs. Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja both were not in good touch, but they looked confident on Boxing-Day. The captain is pretty consistent with the bat, scoring 146 runs so far at an average of 48.66. He scored two brilliant half-centuries in the tournament. Oliver Davies had a good outing with the bat, and it will form more confidence in the batting unit. The bowling unit is already a big asset for them, and they put a collective bowling show in the previous match.
Meanwhile, Melbourne-S suffered its first defeat of the tournament after two wins and one washed-out affair before Christmas. Pooran and Maxwell batted hard against the defending champions to post a strong total of 193. Both enjoyed the batting when the green outfit was struggling at 49/4. Pooran was more destructive with 25-balls 65, and Maxwell constructed the partnership with 47-balls 71. Sydney-S was not even in the contest after losing six on 126, but its captain led from the front by playing a match-winning knock of 94, and the poor bowling in the final over snatched the victory from Melbourne-S. Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa will be back in the playing XI after missing out the previous game. The reverse fixture between the two sides saw Maxwell’s troops winning by 22 runs, thanks to a quick half-century from Marcus Stoinis. It should be a riveting contest, and Canberra can get the treat of a high-scoring thriller.
Pitch Report
The Manuka Oval offers lot of runs to batsmen. The surface can offer slight help to the pacers with the new ball. We may expect a 170-180 score on this track, and the chasing side will have an advantage.
Possible XI
Sydney-T
Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (C), Olivier Davies, Sam Billings (WK), Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Milne, and Nathan McAndrew
Melbourne-S
Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Hilton Cartwright, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell (C), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Zahir Khan, and Lance Morris
Key Players
Sydney-T
Callum Ferguson
This season – M: 4, Runs: 146, Avg: 48.66
Daniel Sams
This season – M: 4, Wickets: 6, Runs: 87
Melbourne-S
Marcus Stoinis
Australia T20 League (last season) – M: 17, Runs: 705, Avg: 54.23 
Glenn Maxwell
This season – M: 4, Runs: 156, Avg: 78
