Coming off from two consecutive wins, Sydney Sixers will lock horns with Melbourne Stars in the 15th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21. Queensland will host this match on Sunday (December 26).
Sydney Sixers are at the number four position in the points table with winning two matches out of three and having eight points.
The defending champion doesn’t have one or two match-winners in their side but every player has chipped in the last two victories. With a strong batting line up, they have also got good bowlers.
Here, let’s take a look at how Sydney Sixers playing XI might shape in:
Josh Philippe:
Jack Edwards:
After scoring 47 runs in the season opener, Jack Edwards scored 1 and 17 in the last two matches. His early departure has put the pressure on the middle-order to get runs on the board. He will have to set up a match-winning partnership with Josh Phillipe to give Sydney Sixers a good base.
James Vince:
James Vince, who also scored a half-century in the first match of Sydney Sixers, was out for 17 runs and 19 runs against Renegades and Striker respectively.
The 29-year-old, who has represented Australia in 12 T20Is, will want to implement his international experience in the league to regain his spot in the national team.
Daniel Hughes (c):
The left-hand batsman Daniel Hughes played the captain’s knock after the early fall of the top-order. He remained unbeaten but could not accelerate the innings albeit Daniel Christian played the gun-blazing knock in the end. He scored 46* runs off 41 balls, smacking one four and two sixes.
The Sydney Sixers’ skipper will look to maintain the winning streak by registering the win against Melbourne Stars.
Jordan Silk:
Against Renegades, Jordan Silk gave full support to Josh Phillipe to save the side of the early fall of the top order. He stitched a match-winning partnership with the wicketkeeper-batsman and scored unbeaten 45 runs off 19 balls in which he struck seven fours and one sixes.
Apart from batting, his excellent fielding has been applauded. His video of saving a boundary for which he jumped like a superman has gone viral on social media. Silk is, overall, a great asset to Sydney Sixers.
Daniel Christian:
The fast bowling allrounder Daniel Christian registered second fastest century of the Big Bash League. With Sydney Sixer having a slow start, he accelerated the innings after James Vince departure. The allrounder went on to hit four boundaries and five sixes to score 50 runs off 16 balls. His fiery knock helped the side to put fighting 178 runs target.
Apart from batting, he also gave a significant contribution with the bowl. In his four overs, he picked one wicket and conceded 25 runs.
Jason Holder:
The Windies allrounder played the first match for Sydney Sixers of the 10th season against Adelaide Strikers. With his power-hitting, he struck one four and one six to score 11* runs in five balls and took the total above 170. But he was also beaten badly, giving away 26 runs in his two overs.
Carlos Brathwaite:
Carlos Braithwaite hasn’t got enough opportunity to bat but has given significant contribution with the ball. He has picked up overall four wickets in the last three matches. In the last match, he picked the crucial wicket of Alex Carey and Rashid Khan to defend 178 runs target.
Ben Dwarshuis:
The 26-year-old left-arm pacer has been extraordinary in the first two matches against Hurricanes and Renegades respectively. He picked up three and four wickets in the first two matches respectively. In the last match against Adelaide Strikers, he went wicketless.
Steve O’Keefe:
The left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe, who was the most expensive for Sydney Sixers in the first match, has controlled his economy rate in the last two matches. Against Strikers, he picked two wickets while gave away eight runs in two overs.
Benjamin Manenti:
Benjamin Manenti, the right-arm off-spinner, is only playing the second season of BBL. Moreover, he is playing the competitive series after February. However, the long hiatus hasn’t affected his performance. In the last match, he notched two wickets while gave away 23 runs in his four overs quota. Sydney Sixers will hope that 23-year-old continue a similar performance in the coming matches.
