After losing their second match in the Big Bash League against Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers will be looking for a strong response as they take on Perth Scorchers who defeated Adelaide Strikers in their opening match of the tournament.
Sydney Sixers started their BBL campaign in a fine form as they defeated the defending champions Sydney Thunder by nine wickets, but they could not continue their winning momentum against the Hurricanes who proved to be too good for the Sixers. The Sixers captain, Moises Henriques, who scored a superb 76 runs in their first game, will once again have to step up after he got out for a duck in their second match. Brad Haddin is another player who needs to put in a better performance with the bat if the Sixers are to avoid another defeat.
Sydney Sixers will still be without two of their key bowlers in Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, who are still on international duty with Australia. Sean Abbott, who picked up two wickets in their loss against the Hurricanes, will once again have to be at his best with the ball. The likes of Doug Bollinger and Joe Mennie will have to be tighter while bowling because Perth Scorchers have many hard hitting batsmen in their team.
The good news for Sydney Sixers going into this match is that their spin bowler Johan Botha acquired Australian citizenship recently, so they will be able to add another foreign player to their starting 11.
The Scorchers will be determined to make it two wins out of two and they will be looking to two of their top batsman in Ian Bell and Aston Turner to once again put up a decent score with the bat. The duo scored 61 and 44 runs, respectively, as they put up a total of 197, which proved too much for the Strikers in their first match. It's hard to judge a team on just one game but given Perth Scorcher's history in the Big Bash League, it's fair to say they will once again be a tough side to beat.
The good news for the Scorchers is that Shaun Marsh could make his comeback in this match after a broken finger ruled him out of the first match. Mitchell Johnson will once again lead the line with the ball for the Sixers and he will be hoping to put in a similar performance as he did against the Strikers which saw him take 3 important wickets.
Squads:
Sydney Sixers: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Johan Botha, Ryan Carters, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques (Captain), Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Steve O'Keefe, Jordan Silk, Mitchell Starc, Sam Billings, Doug Bollinger, Daniel Hughes, Joe Mennie, Jason Roy
Perth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Ian Bell, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Voges (Captain), Sam Whiteman, David Willey
Where to watch
India: Star Sports 2/HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.com
Australia: TV: Network Ten. Live Streaming: Bigbash.com.au
United Kingdom: TV: Sky Sports 2/HD2. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports
USA and Canada: Willow TV
South Africa: Supersport
