Silk refutes Thunder's 'vulnerable' sledge

Jordan Silk has refuted claims by Thunder bowler Tanveer Sangha that the Sydney Sixers are vulnerable heading into the Challenger.

Sangha labelled the Thunder's biggest rivals as "vulnerable" and "scared" after his side beat Melbourne Stars to go through to the next round of finals.

The Sixers have won the last six match ups against the Thunder with Silk rebuffing Sangha’s claims saying he doesn't think Sangha's claims are "fair".

"It's a stage where we've been for multiple seasons in the past, we've played in six or seven final series in a row now, and this is a stage where we're comfortable playing on and it's good to have an opportunity to play against the Thunder in a finals game," he said.

"We're confident in the group that they can stand up, and when the time comes tomorrow, they'll be ready to deliver."

The last time the Thunder defeated the Sixers was in January 2021 where the two sides met at Adelaide Oval during the Covid affected season.

You have to go back even further to January 2016 for when the Thunder last beat the Sixers on the SCG, the venue for the Challenger.

Silk believes that history does give the Sixers the upper hand heading into the final but has stressed the Thunder are a different proposition with David Warner as captain.

"In all our history, our record over the Thunder has been quite strong. We take a lot of belief from that. We've had the wood over them for a number of years," Silk said.

"This year with David Warner back in the fold for the Thunder, Sam Billings back around that group, they definitely line up a bit differently.

"You can never really take any game for granted and we'll have to be absolutely at our best to knock them off tomorrow."

Thunder veteran Chris Green also played down the claims by his teammate, highlighting players like Kurtis Patterson and Ben Dwarshius who have stepped up this season.

"I certainly don't see them as vulnerable; they've got some great replacements. Kurtis Patterson did a great job the other night coming in for Steve Smith and Ben Dwarshuis is having a season to remember, with both bat and ball," Green said.

"There's a lot of guys in that group that have played finals cricket, have won BBL titles, and know how to get the job done."

Recent history between the two sides would suggest the Thunder will go into this final as underdogs, a label that Green believes his side are embracing.

"Even the year we went on and won it in BBL|05, we were underdogs that year, and we had a great team. We've got a great team this season, and I think we come into this finals race still as underdogs," he said.

"I really back the way we're playing; there's a lot of belief within the group and there's a lot of fight within the group that we can go on and win this match tomorrow night and we're all excited for that prospect."

However, when asked if he had a message for Sixers captain and NSW teammate Moises Henriques for tomorrow night Green had just a two-word response: "Good luck."

KFC BBL|14 finals schedule

Qualifier: Hobart Hurricanes beat Sydney Sixers by 12 runs

Knockout: Sydney Thunder beat Melbourne Stars by 21 runs (DLS)

Challenger: Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder, SCG (Friday, January 24, 7.15pm AEDT)

Final: Hobart Hurricanes v winner of Challenger, Ninja Stadium (Monday, January 27, 7.15pm AEDT)