MLS vs SYT 20th Match Prediction

MLS vs SYT Team Previews

Melbourne Stars

Stars had a quiet start to the tournament as they lost a couple of games on the trot, but have bounced back into the contention with back to back wins. They are now at the fourth spot in the ladder with a remarkable net run rate of .595.

They were terrific in their local derby game against Melbourne Renegades which was just a couple of days ago. The move to open the innings with Marcus Stoinis rewarded them with rich dividends as he went on to score a match-winning half-century.

After electing to field first, Stars' failed to make early inroads into the Renegades' batting lineup. Maxwell started off with the proceedings with a quiet first over. However, Sam Harper and Mackenzie Harvey were quick to put the bad balls away as the Renegades raced to fifty within the first five overs. However, some excellent bowling by Dwayne Bravo, Adam Zampa, and Marcus Stoinis in the middle-overs brought Stars back into the business. The pull-back in the middle overs allowed them to restrict to just 148 which was a terrific effort considering the start they had. Dwayne Bravo was the pick of their bowlers as he returned with the figures of 4-0-27-3.

Stars' opening batsmen in Ben Dunk and Marcus Stoinis utilized the field restrictions and the new ball to a good effect scoring 67 of the first eight overs. Ben Dunk was the first man to be dismissed for a personal score of 27. There were chances of another collapse with Larkin soon getting run out, but the 65-runs partnership between Maxwell and Stoinis meant curtains for the Renegades.

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Sydney Thunder

Sydney Thunders scraped through to a one-run win in their last match to get back into the top four teams in the points table. These are still early days in the Big Bash League and staying at the top of the ladder will mean lesser pressure towards the end of the tournament.

Batting first on a surface that was used for almost forty overs in the Women's Big Bash League match between the Thunder and the Sixers, Thunder managed to score 142. Although a total of 142 isn't threatening by any standards in T20 cricket, it was a total that required some effort to overhaul considering the slowness of the surface.

The early loss of Shane Watson, who experience of playing on slow wickets could have been helpful, was a big setback for the Thunder, but the partnership between Jos Buttler and Callum Ferguson nullified the advantage they conceded to the Scorchers. They were considerably slowed-down in the middle overs once the Scorchers' slower bowlers were introduced. Buttler anchored their innings and with an important cameo from Chris Green, the somehow managed to get to 142.

It wasn't an easy surface to bat in the second innings and it anything it only going to get slower. Thunder bowlers utilized the surface perfectly as they got rid of four important batsmen midway through the second innings. They, however, could not contain Ashton Turner who single-handedly brought Scorchers at the brink of a win. Scorchers needed twenty off the final over but fell short by just a run to face heartbreaking loss. The win helped Thunder climb a couple of places in the ladder, but will need to improve their performance so as to continue staying at the top.