In this article, we preview Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, match 41 of the BBL 10 at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on 16 January.
<Match Preview: What to Expect
Defending champions Sydney Sixers are currently at the top of the points table with seven wins in 10 matches played, while Perth Scorchers are two rungs below them, having won five of nine matches played.
In their last game against Sydney Thunder on 13 January 2021, the first derby of BBL 10, Sixers scored 132 for 5 to win by the DLS method after Thunder had scored 166 for 6 batting first. Sixers batted after a thunderstorm had curtailed their innings to 14 overs. Philippe’s 24-ball half-century ensured that Sixers were always in control after Philippe took 23 runs from Jono Cook’s 2nd over. The opener registered a 24-ball half-century to see his side past the line. Thunder appeared to get back into the game when they got the wickets of James Vince and Daniel Hughes within four balls of each other. The first ball of the power-surge (curtailed to one over) saw the departure of Jordan Silk. with his side needing 32 off 23 balls, Dan Christian was lucky to be dropped by Ross off the first ball he received. Christian saw his side home with two sixes off the next over form Nathan McAndrew.
Scorchers registered their fifth came on the trot on 12 January 2021 when they thrashed Hobart Hurricanes by nine wickets to propel themselves to third place on the points table. hurricanes batted first and were restricted to 139 thanks to some fine bowling by Jhye Richardson, AJ Tye and Fawad Ahmed. When Scorchers chased, Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone’s aggressive partnership of 123 runs helped them past the target with nearly four overs to spare. After failing to reach the finals for two years running, Scorchers appear to have found their footing in season 10. Four out of four home wins, with the oppositions restricted to scores of 89, 97, 168 and 139 tell the story of a dominant pace attack led by Richardson.
The last match between the sides went Scorchers’ way after they piled up 183/4 batting first on 6 January. When Sixers batted, they were dismissed for 97 in 16.4 overs. While their batsmen Colin Munro and Mitchell Marsh registered fifties, Scorchers mainly owed their win to their bowlers, with Richardson (3/15) and Tye (4/20) outstanding on the day.
Summaryp>Scorchers lead Sixers 11-6 in the head-to-head comparison and beat the defending champions earlier this month. However, the Sixers are a formidable team and their record in home matches speaks for itself. While we expect a close game on Saturday, we must concede a slight edge to Sixers who would be keen to avenge their loss on the road to Scorchers.