The Big Bash continues on Saturday morning as the Perth Scorchers take on the Sydney Sixers at the Optus Stadium with the home side looking to begin their campaign with a win.
While some teams have already played twice, the Scorchers are yet to get their season underway and they are seeking to defend their crown after beating the Sixers by 79 runs in last year’s final.
The Sixers began their season with a loss, going down to the Adelaide Strikers by 51 runs and will be seeking revenge for defeat in last year’s showpiece.
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers Betting Tips
Team news
Perth Scorchers have a squad full of quality ready for another title charge, with South African Faf du Plessis and Englishman Adam Lyth both ready for action.
Cameron Green will be unavailable due to his Test cricket commitments, while injury problems have ruled out captain Mitch Marsh and batter Phil Salt.
Tymal Mills will also be absent after withdrawing from the entire tournament due to a family issue.
The Sixers have Afghanistan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq as a partial replacement for Chris Jordan, who won’t arrive in Australia until later this month.
A change could be made to the opening partnership with James Vince a contender to replace Kurtis Patterson at the top of the order alongside Josh Philippe.
Perth Scorchers to win @ 8/11
On the face of it, this should be a bit of a struggle for the Scorchers given how many absentees they have to contend with.
Captain Marsh will be a big miss, in particular, following his performances in previous editions – he has the fifth-highest batting average in the competition’s history.
However, there is still so much talent in the Scorchers’ ranks and that is why they are one of the antepost favourites to win the tournament outright.
They are a big-hitting team and the Sixers struggled last time against the strikers, with the seam attack having no answer.
In terms of head-to-head record, the Scorchers have managed to win each of the last four games and have had the highest opening stand in six of the last eight meetings.
James Vince top run scorer for the Sydney Sixers @ 11/4
In Vince, the Sixers have got a player who is a phenomenal talent in the shorter formats of the sport.
He has won this tournament before, helping the Sixers in the 2019-20 iteration, scoring 95 in the final.
Vince has had a few good knocks against the Scorchers with scores of 95 and 98 and knows how to come up against their bowling attack.
The dangerous Andrew Tye has only dismissed him once from 41 deliveries – 49 runs being scored in the process.
