Fantasy suggestions for match 51 of BBL 2020-21
Jan 24: Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, Adelaide
Pro Tip: Alex Carey and Alex Hales, who scored the only two centuries in BBL10, will face off in this fixture. So, it is hard to go past them for captaincy choices.
Our XI: Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Phil Salt, Michael Neser, Wes Agar, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Ben Cutting, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Green
Substitutes: Nathan McAndrew, Callum Ferguson, Peter Siddle, Danny Briggs
Player Availability: Daniel Sams will not be available for the Thunder due to injury.
We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Captain: Alex Hales
Fresh from his 110 off 56 balls against the Sixers at this same venue, Hales is an obvious captaincy choice. In BBL10, he is the leading run-scorer with 462 runs as well as the leading six-hitter with 26 hits in 12 games so far. Nobody has scored more runs against spin than him in the tournament – 200 runs at a strike rate of 173.91.
Vice-captain: Alex Carey
Much like Hales, Carey is also coming into this game after scoring a match-winning 101 off 62 balls against the Heat at the same venue. He has accumulated 381 runs in ten games in BBL10 so far. Now that he has scored a century while opening the batting, expect him to hold on to that position where he averages 38.59 in his BBL career.
Hot Picks
Jake Weatherald: Weatherald looked in great touch in his last outing where he scored an 18-ball 36 while batting at his preferred spot, opening the innings. He is the second highest scorer for Strikers with 290 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 140.77. Since his BBL debut in 2016-17 season, he is the second highest run scorer for Strikers with 1525 runs in 60 games.
Wes Agar: The second highest wicket-taker in this edition of the BBL, Agar has impressed everyone with his wicket-taking abilities. He has picked up 21 wickets in 12 games at an average of 17.14. He has been especially prolific in the middle overs, with 13 wickets at an average of 12.76. In the six games he played at this venue in BBL10, he has picked up 14 wickets.
Tanveer Sangha: In his debut season, the 19-year-old has already picked up 20 wickets in 12 games striking once in every 12.1 deliveries, the most prolific spinner in BBL10 even bettering the likes of Adam Zampa. He is the only Australian in the BBL to take 20 or more wickets in a debut season.
Differential Picks
Michael Neser: Although Neser has missed the majority of this season due to his national commitments, he has been a consistent performer for the Strikers picking up ten or more wickets in each of his last three seasons. He has picked up ten wickets in nine games against the Thunder at an incredible economy of 6.25. He is also a handy batter who can blast some maximums at the death.
Sam Billings: After a slow start to the season, the keeper-batsman has been back to his brilliant best in recent games, recording three 30-plus scores in his last four games. In the only two games he has played at this venue, he recorded scores of 40(33) and 33(21).
Alternate Scenarios
- Phil Salt who is playing in an unfamiliar batting position can be replaced by Callum Ferguson.
- Nathan McAndrew can replace Chris Green.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo