Fantasy Cricket Tips: Melbourne Stars who were the first team to qualify for the playoffs have lost all their momentum in their last couple of games. The Stars have lost three consecutive games and need to bring back their A-game if they want to proceed further.
On the other hand, the Sixer has been boosted by the comeback of Steve Smith who helped them win their last game which meant they finished No.2 in the points table. The Sixers seem to be in good form and it won’t be an easy task for the Stars to defeat them.
Both the teams deserve to get one more chance and so this is not a knockout game but both the teams would want to book a place in the final. It will be interesting to see who becomes the first team to book a place in the final on the 31st of January.
Weather Condition:
The temperature will hover in the mid-30s and high-20s with no chance of rain on the 31st of January at the MCG.
Pitch Report:
42 T20s have been played at the MCG where there is a clear dominance of the teams batting second who have won 24 out of the 42. The average score batting first is 158 whereas the highest score is 219/1 by the Melbourne Stars.
Injury and Availability News:
All the Australian players are available for this game. Haris Rauf is coming back for the Stars whereas Sean Abbot is fit and fill the void left by Tom Curran.
Probable Playing XIs:
Melbourne Stars:
Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larin, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell (C), Seb Gotch (WK), Clint Hinchliffe, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Lamichanne, Daniel Worrall, Haris Rauf
Bench – Nic Maddinson, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jonathon Merlo, Ben Dunk, Lance Morris, Jackman Coleman, Tom O Connell
Sydney Sixers:
Josh Phillippe (WK), James Vince, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques (C), Daniel Hughes, Jordan Silk, Sean Abbot, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Bench – Llyod Pope, Mickey Edwards, Daniel Fallins
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Top Picks
The top Australian players are big match players and hence Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis would be the top picks along with the Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf is making a comeback.
Captain and Vice-Captain Picks:
Captain – Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis
Vice-Captain – Haris Rauf, Josh Philippe, Adam Zampa
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Suggested Playing XI No.2
Keeper – Josh Philippe
Batsmen – Steve Smith (C), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Hughes, Peter Handscomb
All-rounders – Marcus Stoinis (VC), Moises Henriques, Sean Abbot
Bowlers – Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshius, Haris Rauf
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Suggested Playing XI No.2
Keeper – Josh Philippe
Batsmen – Steve Smith, James Vince, Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larin
All-rounders – Glenn Maxwell (C), Marcus Stoinis, Moises Henriques
Bowlers – Haris Rauf (VC), Sandeep Lamichanne, Sean Abbot
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Expert Advice
The pitch at Melbourne is good to bat on so players like Maxwell, Smith, Stoinis, and Henriques would enjoy batting here so they should be in your team. Along with them, the spinners would be effective so the likes of Lyon and Zampa would be good picks. The comeback players – Haris Rauf and Sean Abbot could perform well.
Probable Winners:
The Melbourne Stars have lost a bit of momentum and the Sixers are on a winning momentum so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sixers book their place in the final.
Match Details:
The first Qualifier of the Big Bash League will take place between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on the 31st of January.
The match starts at 1:45 PM IST (18:15 Local Time). The live streaming of the match will be available on the Sony Liv App.
