It’s going to be a long day, and night, for cricket fans around the country on Saturday as Day 1 of the Test match between Australia and South Africa rolls straight into the BBL clash between the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers.
Traditionally, this would be considered the blockbuster match of the BBL schedule. Arguably, the two best and most successful franchises in BBL history locking horns on Saturday night prime time. However the Scorchers have been gutted through injury and other circumstances, while the Sixers suffered a poor loss in their opening BBL12 contest.
The pressure could be immediate upon the loser of this one.
Check out our preview and BBL betting tips for Scorchers vs Sixers below, and check out our BBL Data Tools where you will find all the stats you could possible need to help form your own analysis!
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixes Preview & Betting Tips
Optus Stadium, Perth, Saturday 7:05pm AEDT
Perth Scorchers
Perth Scorchers Squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf Du Plessis, Steve Eskinazi, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Adam Lyth, Mitch Marsh, Hamish McKenzie, Tymal Mills, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Phil Salt, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye
The Scorchers squad has been decimated before a ball has even been bowled this season. As bizarre and unbelievable as it seems, they struck out completely with their three imports after a shoulder injury to Phil Salt, a positive doping result for Laurie Evans and a family emergency for Tymal Mills. Throw in the season-ending ankle surgery to star all-rounder Mitch Marsh, Jhye Richarson struggling under an injury cloud and Lance Morris joining the national Test squad, and there’s more cracks than a fifth day WACA pitch.
They’ve stemmed the bleeding with some handy fill-ins with former Test opener Adam Lyth, South African star Faf du Plessis and English keeper-batter Stephen Eskinazi who is a talented player worth keeping an eye on.
The Scorchers are going to have to rely heavily on their local talent, but they certainly still have the depth to be a contender in BBL12. It’s not bad when you have the bowling talent of Matt Kelly sitting on the bench. Also watch for Aaron Hardie to have a breakout season.
Sydney Sixers
Sydney Sixers Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Chris Jordan, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince
Meanwhile the Sixers put in a lacklustre effort in Adelaide to kick off their BBL12 campaign. They bowled too wide with the ball and never got going with the bat.
On paper, they look as solid as ever, but there’s no doubt the likes of Moises Henrqiues, Dan Christian, James Vince and Steve O’Keefe are not at the peak of their powers anymore. The decision to leave Dan Hughes out of the starting XI was a strange one after his superb Marsh Cup form, and he may come into the lineup at the expense of Kurtis Patterson.
Young Afghan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed was impressive as he showed glimpses of the unpredictability of a young Rashid Khan which will take him a long way in this tournament. However the likes of Ben Dwarshuis and Hayden Kerr will need to find their range with the ball to keep the pressure on the opposition.
Match Prediction
The bookies are finding it hard to separate them here. There’s no doubt the preparations of Perth have been interrupted for BBL12, and this is not the A team they had planned, but they are still a strong unit capable of defeating anyone. Their new batting recruits aren't shabby, and they have the bowling depth to cover. The Sixers will need to be back to their best to compete. With the home ground advantage, I’m happy to back the Scorchers to get off to a winning start this season.
Perth Scorchers
$1.87 (2 units)
BBL12 Same Game Multi
When we look at our BBL12 Data Tools, and specifically the Perth Scorchers BBL data, we can see a few trends that look favourable for our BBL12 Same Game Multi.
Firstly, with the bat, he may not be the most genuine T20 cricketer going around, but Cam Bancroft is consistent and does value his wicket, hitting 10+ in 70% of his career BBL innings. He'll have an opportunity at the top of the order to lay a platform for the Scorchers.
We'll combine him with a couple of strike weapons with the ball. Peter Hatzoglou has an incredible strike rate, with a wicket in 81% of his matches. That increases to 89% if bowling second. Granted, a lot of those matches were for the Renegades in spinner-friendly conditions, but there's no doubt he's a hand full for any batsman.
Finally, we'll include one of the BBL all-time leading wicket takers in AJ Tye. He'll bowl the death overs, and with a career average of 1.5 wickets per match, he goes straight into our multi.
Cam Brancroft 15+ runs
Peter Hatzoglou 1+ wickets
AJ Tye 1+ wickets
