BBL 12: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Jason Sangha and Adam Zampa (Source: OneCricket)

The 12th season of the Big Bash League is here and it will kickstart with the opener between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars. The match will be taking place at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. 

Before we go ahead and give tips on how to go about building teams for the match let us have a look at some of the important stats related to the clash. 

Ground Stats

BBL Matches: 20

Matches Won by Team Batting first: 9

Matches Won by Team Batting second: 10

No Result: 1

The team chasing has had a very slight advantage on this ground. 

Average 1st Innings Total in last 5 T20 Matches: 142

Average 2nd Innings Total in last 5 T20 Matches: 137

While the ground has seen very high totals in the previous sesaon of the BBL, recently the scores have varied a bit. We have seen 200 plus scores and also totals in the range of 120. Hence, it can be concluded that the pitch here will be a sporting one and will help players of all trades. 

Three Must Pick Players for the Match:

1.Adam Zampa: Adam Zampa will be leading the Melbourne Stars this year. In the last season of the tournament Zampa played 13 matches and picked up 15 wickets in them while conceding runs at the rate of 7.49 runs per over. 

In the last three competitive matches Zampa has picked up 5 wickets while concending just 80 runs, which shows that he is in a good striking form. So, Zampa will be a very important pick for the match. 

Alex Hales (Source: Twitter)

2. Alex Hales: Alex Hales was one of the main reasons behind England's championship run in the T20 World Cup 2022. Hales was giving some great starts to England and the Thunder will be hoping that he continues his sublime form in the BBL. 

In the 2021 season, Hales scored 383 runs in 13 matches at an average of 32.73 and at a strike rate of 148.40. Besides this in the last five international encounters Hales has scored three half centuries, so the English opener is an absolutely important pick for the match. 

3. Marcus Stoinis: Marcus Stoinis was seen opening the innings for Melbourne Stars in the last season. If that continues this season also, then there is chance that Stoinis will rack up some important points as there are chances that he will get to face a lot of deliveries. 

Also, Stoinis will be seen bowling a few overs for the team and hence could give some points with his secondary trade if he picks up a wicket or two.  

In the previous season, Stoinis played in 8 innings and scored 170 runs in them at an average of 28.33 and a strike rate of 153.10.  In his last three matches, Stoinis has been in a decent touch and has notched up a speedy 59 runs in one of the innings. 

Worth the Risk Picks

1.Daniel Sams: Daniel Sams will be an important part of the Thunder's team as he will have a responsibility to give them some strong finishes and also bowl some important overs for the team. 

In the last season he batted in 12 innings and scored 191 runs in them at a strike rate of 161.80. Besides, with the ball he picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches. So, this man can give some important points if kept in the team, but sometimes can fail to give you the desired results. 

Joe Clarke (Source: Twitter)

2. Joe Clarke: Joe Clarke will be a very important part of the Stars team. In the previous season, he scored 419 runs at an average of 32.23 in 13 innings. His strike rate was 151.20 during the season. So, one can expect some fire works from his bat and hence he can give some important points but, as he looks to play an aggressive brand of cricket sometimes he can be a very risky pick. 

Three hot picks for Captain and Vice-Captain

1.  Marcus Stoinis
2. Daniel Sams
3. Joe Clarke

Also Read: Big Bash League 2022-23 | Hobart Hurricanes: SWOT Analysis