Match: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder (MS vs ST)
Date: January 25, Wednesday, 1:45 PM IST
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder will lock horns in Match 56 of the Big Bash League 2022-23 on Wednesday, January 25. The contest will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Stars have already been knocked out of the competition and will finish at the bottom of the points table regardless of the result of their last match. They are on a three-match losing streak and come into the next match on the back of a four-run defeat at the hands of Brisbane Heat. In a chase of 189, they fell short of the target by five runs.
The Thunder, on the other hand, will be low on confidence as they come into this game on the back of a 125-run defeat against Sydney Sixers. In a chase of 188, they were bowled out for 62 in 14.4 overs. Thunder are placed fifth in the table with 12 points and the next game will be a must-win for them if they want to qualify for the next round. At the moment, they face tough competition from Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, who have a similar net run-rate. Jason Sangha is back for Sydney Thunder after recovering from an injury.
There is a high chance of rain in Melbourne ahead of the game, so unless the pitch is dry, we may see a slight delay in the start of the game.
Ahead of the 56th game of BBL 2022-23, let’s look at the head to head of both the teams, pitch report, weather update, top picks for your MPL fantasy team and more.
Weather update and pitch report for MS vs ST, BBL 2023
The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground looks good for batting but the pacers might play a key role as the game progresses. The average first innings score in the last five T20 matches played on this ground is 173 runs. Overall, a total of 22 T20Is have been played at this venue, of which 12 have been won by the teams bowling first.
The average first innings score is 143, while the average second innings score is 128. The highest and lowest T20 total recorded at this venue is 186 for 5 and 74 for 10.
The weather in Melbourne will be mostly rainy and the skies cloudy. The temperature will fluctuate between 17 to 20 degrees.
Sydney Thunder team news and predicted XI
Team news: If the thunder lose their next, they will be eliminated from the competition. However, winning the match will also not straightaway guarantee them a promotion to the next stage, given the close similarity in the net run rate of Thunder, Strikers and Hurricanes.
Squad: Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha (c), Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, Gurinder Sandhu, Sam Whiteman, Joel Davies
Predicted XI: David Warner, Matthew Gilkes, Jason Sangha, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Joel Davies, Chris Green, Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Qadir
Melbourne Stars team news and predicted XI
Team news: The Stars have already been knocked out of the competition and will finish at the bottom of the points table regardless of the result of their last match. But they will be looking to exit the tournament on a winning note by winning their last league game.
Squad: Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa, Campbell Kellaway, Tom O’Connell, Sam Elliott, Cam McClure
Predicted XI: Joe Clarke, Tom Rogers, Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa
Head to head record
Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers have played a total of 19 matches against each other in the past. Of those 20 games, the Sixers have won 12 while the Stars have seven wins.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI MS vs ST, BBL 2022-23
Oliver Davies – batsman Sydney Thunder
Oliver Davies scored just two runs against the Sixers in the last game but is the leading run scorer for the Thunder this season with 325 runs from 12 innings so far. Davies boasts of a strike rate of almost 143 in his T20 career of 28 games. He is also a good choice for your MPL team’ captaincy for this game.
Joe Clarke – wicketkeeper batsman, Melbourne Stars
Joe Clarke has been one of the top performers for the Stars this season and is also the only player who has scored a century in BBL 2022-23. Clarke is the top run scorer for the Stars with 377 runs in 13 innings at an average of over 37 and a strike rate of almost 135. In all, he has played 149 T20 matches, from which he has a batting average and strike rate of 27.02 and 146.33.
Luke Wood – bowler, Melbourne Stars
Luke Wood is the leading wicket-taker for the Stars with 19 wickets in 13 games at an average of 18.15, an economy of 8.58, and a strike rate of 12.6. He was best bowler for the Stars in the last game with two for 38 and will be looking to carry the good form into the next match.
Chris Green – bowler, Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunders’ skipper went wicketless in the last game against the Sixers in the last game, but overall this season, Green has done well with 10 wickets at economy rate of 6.18 so far.
Matthew Gilkes – wicketkeeper batsman, Sydney Thunder
Matthew Gikes scored just one run against the Sixers in the last match but overall he has 259 runs from 13 innings this season.
MPL fantasy XI – MS vs ST, BBL 2023
MS vs ST – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder game at the BBL 2023 will televised on the Sony Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Sony Liv app. The match will begin at 1.45 PM IST on January 25.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
