Deadline: December 22, 2019 at 1:40 PM IST
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Pitch report
The pitch at Sydney Cricket is slightly on the slower side. That being said, hitting through the line isn’t a tough task. Josh Inglis, on his way to 81*, waited for the bad deliveries and was smart in choosing his shots.
Probable XIs
Sixers: Daniel Hughes, Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Hayden Kerr, Tom Curran, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Ben Manenti, Lloyd Pope
Heat: Tom Banton, Max Bryant, Chris Lynn (c), Matt Renshaw, Ben Cutting, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Josh Lalor, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin, Zahir Khan
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Match prediction
After registering a comprehensive win against the Scorchers in their first game, the Sixers failed to play as a cohesive unit against the Hurricanes. On the other hand, the Heat have lost both their matches.
To put things into perspective, both teams have explosive batsmen at their disposal but they need not attack all at once. They have to rethink their strategies.
Players to watch out for
Matt Renshaw is the only batsmen from Heat who has had significant contributions with the bat in both matches. However, the failure to bat as a cohesive unit put the Heat in trouble on both occasions. Renshaw’s scores read 26 and 39. He also, surprisingly, took a wicket in the powerplay.
Tom Banton displayed what he can do with the bat. He smoked four sixes in his pursuit of 64 runs on Friday. It was all power, sheer power. The Sixers should avoid bowling on his pads.
Mitchell Swepson‘s 3 wickets are the most for the Stars. Zahir Khan has had his moments but has been unfortunate to pick only a wicket thus far.
Meanwhile, Chris Lynn has been uncharacteristic, getting out while trying to go big. He will have to take the onus of anchoring the innings. The same has been the case with Ben Cutting. He has had starts but could not capitalise on them.
Josh Philippe has been the top batsman of this season. His 81* off 44 against the Sixers is still the highest score. In all he has smoked 16 boundaries. Many are likely to make him the captain.
Tom Curran has been in a top-notch form, taking 5 wickets with an economy of 7.5. His variations especially have been deceiving the batsmen. His pace partner Sean Abbott has been no less. He has been bowling exceptionally well against the Heat, finishing up with figures of 3 for 20.
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