AS IT HAPPENED: Big Bash - Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder

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Live Coverage. Big Bash League.
Live Blog LIVE COVERAGE: Big Bash - Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder

What: Big Bash League
Who: Scorchers v Thunder
When: Thursday, January 1 – 7.10pm (AEDT), 4.10pm (AWST)
Where: WACA Ground
I Can Watch It On: Channel 10

Form Guide:
Scorchers: LWW
Thunder: WLL

20-20 Vision:
The Perth Scorchers return to the WACA for the third time in four matches this season as they look to consolidate their place in the competition’s top four. To do so, though, they’ll face a familiar foe as WA favourite son Mike Hussey returns to his old stomping ground as Thunder skipper. And Hussey’s not coming alone as he brings along experienced campaigners Jacques Kallis and Andrew McDonald, players who should relish the extra pace and bounce in the WACA wicket.

It really is champs v. Chumps though. The Scorchers are the competition’s most successful side and have shown their professionalism so far this season by winning two of their first three games and only narrowly losing their opening encounter with the Strikers. That’s with only three members of the side that won the championship match last year. The Thunder, on the other hand, have long been the Big Bash League’s whipping boys. They may have opened this season with a win, but since then normal service has resumed as they’ve lost a Derby clash with the Sixers before going down to the Renegades in Melbourne.

Reason To Watch:
Michael Klinger is relishing life in WA and has been one of the competition’s form batsmen so far. He may have failed in the recent win over the Sixers but produced big scores in the first two matches including a sparkling century against the Renegades at the Furnace. But will the crowd be supporting him or another home-town hero in Mr Cricket himself. It will be interesting to see!

Reason To Turn Away:
Ashton Agar’s selection for Australia has robbed the Scorchers of one of their key weapons with both bat and ball. A crowd favourite at The Furnace, Agar bats with power and even popped up to take one of the competition’s best catches against the Sixers the other night.

Say What:
“Hopefully he learns from the last experience. That was a meteoric rise in England. You could write a novel on that innings. It was one of the best things I’ve seen on TV since Gladiator I reckon. It was fantastic. It’s all part of the journey of being a young player, you have that rise, you’re in Women’s Day and Women’s Weekly and meeting the queen, then next minute you’re back playing first or second XI cricket with WA,” Scorchers coach Justin Langer’s original way of describing the rise and fall and rise again of Ashton Agar.

Final Word:
Along with the Strikers, the Scorchers once again appear one of the teams to beat in the Big Bash League. While the Thunder will rely heavily on players like Hussey, McDonald, Kallis and Eoin Morgan, Perth produce team performances time and again and have great faith in their ability to defend any total. It’s hard to go against the Scorchers in this one.

Teams:
Perth Scorchers 13-man Squad: Adam Voges (c), Ashton Agar, Yasir Arafat, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Carberry, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Dixon, Marcus Harris, Michael Klinger, James Muirhead, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman. 

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