The 12th season of the Australian Big Bash League (BBL) is set to begin on Tuesday evening. Manuka Oval, Canberra, will host this tournament opener – Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars (THU vs STA).
BBL 05 winners Sydney Thunder finished fourth (knockout) in the last BBL season, while three-time runners-up Melbourne Stars just failed to qualify for the playoffs in the BBL 11 by finishing in the sixth position.
THU vs STA Match Overview
Competition: Big Bash League (BBL)
Season: 2022/23 (BBL|12)
Stage: League
Tournament Match no: 1
Match: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars
Format: T20
Date and Time: Tuesday, 13th December, 13:45 IST (19:15 local time)
Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra
Live Broadcasting/Streaming: (In Australia) Channel 7, Kayo, Fox Cricket and SEN Radio
(In India) Sony Sports Network; Sony LIV
THU vs STA Weather Forecast
According to weather.com, there is almost no chance of rain as the match will be played mostly under the clear sky.
THU vs STA Pitch Report
Manuka Oval, Canberra, hosted two T20Is last October during the T20I series between Australia and England (just before the beginning of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022). While England claimed an eight-run win in one of those games by successfully defending 178 runs, the other match had no result due to rain interruptions, where England scored 112/2 in 12 overs and Australia replied with 30/3 in 3.5 overs at their 130-run chasing in 12 overs (revised target).
In both those Canberra T20Is between Australia and England, the top orders majorly struggled against the new balls, but the late batters enjoyed the pitches, especially those who had some good spending times.
Among the bowlers, pacers generally play major roles at this T20 venue.
Toss prediction: Win the toss and bowl first.
THU vs STA complete available squad
Sydney Thunder: Ben Cutting, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Matthew Gilkes, Toby Gray, Chris Green (vc), Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha (C).
Melbourne Stars: Adam Zampa (C), Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Tom Rogers, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood
THU vs STA Predicted XIs
Sydney Thunder Predicted XI: Alex Hales, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw, Jason Sangha (C), Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gurinder Sandhu
Melbourne Stars Predicted XI: Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Joe Clarke, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint Hinchliffe, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa (C)
THU vs STA Dream11 Team Prediction #1:
Wicketkeeper(s): J Clark
Batters: R Rossouw (C), A Hales, H Cartwright
All-rounder(s): M Stoinis (vc), J Sangha, D Sams
Bowlers: T Boult, N Coulter-Nile, A Zampa, F Farooqi
THU vs STA Dream11 Team Prediction #2:
Wicketkeeper(s): M Gilkes
Batters: R Rossouw, A Hales (vc), H Cartwright
All-rounder(s): B Cutting, M Stoinis, D Sams
Bowlers: T Boult (C), A Zampa, C Green, F Farooqi
Stay tuned to Fantasy Cricket for upcoming matches.
