Big Bash League 2019 Match 37, Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Sydney Thunder will take on Melbourne Renegades for Match 37 on January 15 at Manuka Oval, Canberra.

This looks like a one-sided fixture as Sydney Thunder are currently at fifth position with nine points and Melbourne Renegades have not recorded any win yet.

Sydney Thunder did start their campaign decently but then went on to lose three consecutive games. Finally, they made a comeback in their last fixture against Hobart Hurricanes when they won the match by four wickets. A close fight saw the Thunder taking away the match the Hurricanes at the climax with just two balls remaining. Daniel Sams led bowling unit restricted the Hurricanes for 162/6. A half-century from Alex Hales and an unbeaten 32 from Alex Ross ensured the win for Sydney Thunder.

For Melbourne Renegades it has been a disappointing tournament. They lost all nine matches they played including their opening game against Sydney Thunder. No matter what they did- batted first or second, nothing worked for the Renegades. Their last fixture against Adelaide Strikers losing by 63 runs. The Strikers set a target of 174 and the Renegades were bundled up for only 110 runs. It was a disaster as nine of the Renegades players failed to score double-digit. Melbourne Renegades do not have anything to lose as such but they would like to give their all to record first win of the season.

Head to head

In ten previous clashes between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades, the Renegades have won eight times whereas the Thunder have won only once. But in this edition, they have already met once where the Thunder won convincingly.

Key players

Daniel Sams- The consistency of Daniel Sams is undoubtedly the biggest asset for Sydney Thunder. Sams has so far taken 17 wickets at an average of 14.76 and has been leading the bowling table for long.

Shaun Marsh- The leading scorer of Melbourne Renegades, Shaun Marsh is the third-best batsman of the league currently with 319 runs. Even in the last match, he ended as the second-highest scorer with 21 runs to his name.

Likely XIs

Sydney Thunder- Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Morris, Daniel Sams, Alex Ross, Arjun Nair, Nathan McAndrew, Jonathan Cook, Chris Tremain

Melbourne Renegades– Shaun Marsh, Marcus Harris, Beau Webster, Dan Christian (c), Tom Cooper, Sam Harper (wk), Samit Patel, Bill Sutherland, Cameron Boyce, Joe Mennie, Richard Gleeson.

Prediction

Sydney Thunder to win.