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Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars will be up against each other in the final group match of the Big Bash 2022-23. The two teams will meet at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, January 25th. Sydney Thunder start as the favourites with the odds of 8/11 (1.72) while Melbourne Stars have odds of 1/1 (2.00) to win this fixture.
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
- Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, Match 56, BBL 2022-23
- January 25, 2023 – 8:15 AM GMT
- Melbourne Cricket Ground
Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
Contents
Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a pretty balanced venue over the years, with assistance for both batters and bowlers. The average batting first score here from over 60 T20 matches stands at 160. The number in the ongoing BBL season reads 153 after five games.
The Melbourne weather could be partly cloudy on Wednesday evening but there’s no real threat of rain. The chance of precipitation is predicted to be 8% while the temperature should hover around 20°C.
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder – Match Predictions
Melbourne Stars lead the overall record in this rivalry with a scoreline of 10-8. But looking at how the current season has panned out, Sydney Thunder hold the advantage. They have a better batting line-up compared to the Stars while the bowling attacks look pretty much the same.
Prediction 1
Stars To Hit Most Sixes
6/5 (2.20)
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Prediction 2
Sams To Take Most Wickets
13/4 (4.25)
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Prediction 3
Davies to be Man of the Match
14/1 (15.00)
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Probable 6s
Melbourne Stars have more power-hitters in the side such as Joe Clarke, Thomas Rogers, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster and Marcus Stoinis. They have struck 66 sixes in 13 matches compared to 56 by Sydney Thunder in the same number of innings. The Thunder will rely on David Warner, Oliver Davies and Alex Ross for six-hitting.
Our Prediction: Melbourne Stars to hit most sixes in this match with the odds of 6/5 (2.20).
Probable Wickets
Left arm seamer Daniel Sams has claimed 16 wickets in this season at a strike rate of 14.5 with best figures of 4/18. He has the odds of 13/4 (4.25) to be the highest wicket-taker for Sydney Thunder. For the Stars, Nathan Coulter-Nile has taken 15 scalps from 10 games and has the odds of 11/4 (3.75) to be the top bowler.
Our Prediction: Daniel Sams to be the highest wicket-taker for Sydney Thunder at 13/4 (4.25).
Man of the Match
Oliver Davies has been the best batter for Sydney Thunder, scoring 325 runs at a strike rate of 140 with three fifties. He has the odds of 10/1 (11.00) to be the player of the match. Apart from him, Daniel Sams, David Warner, Joe Clarke and Marcus Stoinis are some of the top betting options.
Our Prediction: Oliver Davies to be the Man of the Match at 14/1 (15.00) odds.
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Preview
This being the final group fixture, Sydney Thunder will have a clear picture but there could be a scenario where they will need to win this match to reach the playoffs. Let’s take a look at both teams ahead of their clash on Wednesday.
Melbourne Stars
Melbourne Stars have had a disastrous campaign, winning only three matches and losing 10. They’re coming off three straight defeats and are out of playoffs contention. Most recently, they lost by just four runs in a high-scoring thriller.
Thomas Rogers and Marcus Stoinis were pretty good with the bat in the previous game but Joe Clarke needs to do better than he was in that game. Nathan Coulter-Nile has been excellent with the ball but hasn’t had much support from others.
Squad: Joe Clarke (wk), Thomas Rogers, Campbell Kellaway, Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa (cap)
Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder have won six and lost seven matches in the ongoing season. They have the worst net run-rate in the competition at -0.813 and puts them in a critical spot. They suffered a heavy 125-run loss in the Sydney Smash, getting folded for just 62.
Sydney Thunder will need the likes of Oliver Davies, Matthew Gilkes, Alex Ross and Daniel Sams to step up in this game. David Warner hasn’t looked good in the four matches and could be rested. The bowling attack will rely on Sams and Chris Green.
Squad: Matthew Gilkes (wk), David Warner, Blake Nikitaras, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Joel Davies, Chris Green (c), Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Qadir
How to Watch Big Bash in the UK: Live Streaming & Channel List
For those in the UK, you can catch the live action of the Big Bash league on Sky Sports Cricket. You can also watch the Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder match live on the streaming platform SkyGo application.
- Sky Sports Cricket (TV)
- SkyGo app (Streaming)
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