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Sydney Thunder v Adelaide Strikers: match preview

Latest team news and broadcast details as Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers open their season in Canberra

Match facts

Who: Sydney Thunder v Adelaide Strikers

What: Match 3, KFC BBL|14

Where: Manuka Oval, Canberra

When: Tuesday, December 17. Bat flip at 6.30pm AEDT, first ball at 7.15pm AEDT

How to watch: Channel Seven, 7plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports

Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps

Officials: Mike Graham-Smith and Simon Lightbody (field), Claire Polosak (third), Roberto Howard (fourth), Kepler Wessels (match referee)

Match squads

Sydney Thunder: David Warner (c), Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Chris Green, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Sherfane Rutherford, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha.

It will be a club debut for Wes Agar, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Konstas and Sherfane Rutherford if they are to feature for the Thunder XI in this match. 

Sam Billings is set for a return to the Thunder after a two-year stint at Brisbane Heat. 

Blake Nikitaras is in the squad after coming in as a replacement player for Nic Maddinson who is likely to be out for the entire season due to a finger injury.

Adelaide Strikers: Matt Short (c), Fabian Allen, James Bazley, Cam Boyce, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton, Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Liam Scott, D'Arcy Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald.

West Indies international Fabian Allen is set to make his Big Bash debut for the Strikers. 

Alex Ross returns to the Strikers from the Thunder and Liam Scott is in the squad after coming in as a local replacement player for Travis Head. 

Club news

Sydney Thunder

Adelaide Strikers

Get the latest

Top performers

Most Runs
BBL|14 BKT Golden Bat
Player Total
1 Cooper Connolly C Connolly
64
2 Tom Curran T Curran 37
3 Marcus Stoinis M Stoinis 37
4 Ashton Turner A Turner 37
5 Nick Hobson N Hobson 27
6 Beau Webster B Webster 19
7 Hilton Cartwright H Cartwright 18
8 Tom Rogers T Rogers 14
Most Wickets
BBL|14 BKT Golden Arm
Player Total
1 Jhye Richardson J Richardson
3
2 Lance Morris L Morris 2
3 Adam Milne A Milne 1
4 Peter Siddle P Siddle 1
5 Brody Couch B Couch 1
6 Tom Curran T Curran 1
7 Ashton Agar A Agar 1
8 Cooper Connolly C Connolly 1
Most sixes scored
BBL|14
Player Total
1 Cooper Connolly C Connolly
3
2 Tom Curran T Curran 3
3 Finn Allen F Allen 1
4 Hilton Cartwright H Cartwright 1
5 Nick Hobson N Hobson 1
6 Marcus Stoinis M Stoinis 1

Local knowledge

Rapid stats

  • Adelaide Strikers have won their last five BBL matches against the Sydney Thunder – the Strikers' longest winning run against a single team in the history of the competition.
  • Sydney Thunder have won only one of their last nine BBL matches – a five-wicket victory against the Melbourne Stars (December 23, 2023); the Thunder have lost each of their five games since then, the last and only time they recorded a longer losing run was a competition-record 19-match span from 2011-2014.
  • Adelaide Strikers (67 per cent) and Sydney Thunder (63 per cent) had the best batting good connection rates of any teams in the BBL|13 season but the Strikers' batting average (33.2) was the best of any team in the campaign while the Thunder (18.6) were ranked last in this category.
  • Matt Short scored 29.1 per cent of the Adelaide Strikers' runs when he played in BBL|13, the best rate of any player for a team in the competition (minimum 2 innings); he's scored 60-plus in each of his last three BBL innings against the Sydney Thunder (65, 82, 74no).
  • Sydney Thunder's Chris Green (24 per cent from 71 balls faced) and Adelaide Strikers' Harry Nielsen (26 per cent from 46 balls faced) had the best batting dot ball rates of any players in BBL|13 (minimum 20 balls faced).

KFC BBL|14 standings

Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1 Perth Scorchers Men Perth Scorchers Men SCO 1 1 0 0 0 1.438 0 2
2 Adelaide Strikers Men Adelaide Strikers Men STR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Brisbane Heat Men Brisbane Heat Men HEA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Hobart Hurricanes Men Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Melbourne Renegades Men Melbourne Renegades Men REN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Sydney Sixers Men Sydney Sixers Men SIX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Sydney Thunder Men Sydney Thunder Men THU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Melbourne Stars Men Melbourne Stars Men STA 1 0 1 0 0 -1.438 0 0

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

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