Squads –
THU –
Alex Hales, Alex Ross, Sam Billings, Jason Sangha, Matthew Gilkes(w), Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green(c), Chris Tremain, Jonathan Cook, Gurinder Sandhu, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Arjun Nair, Tanveer Sangha, Sam Whiteman
HEA –
Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Chris Lynn, Ben Duckett, Tom Cooper, Jimmy Peirson(w/c), Nathan McSweeney, Jack Wildermuth, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Xavier Bartlett, Liam Guthrie, Cameron Gannon, James Bazley
Team News –
THU –
– Thunders have declared a 16 member squad for their opening encounter against Brisbane which will be led by Chris Green.
– Alex Hales amd Sam Billings will be their 2 foreign players included in the squad.
– Hales will open along with Sam Whiteman. Hales was top scorer of BBL last season and will look to continue his form this year as well. Whiteman played for the scorchers last season.
– Matthew Gilkes or Baxtor Holt will bat at 1 down. Both are average batsman and will keep the Wickets.
– Sam Billings will bat at 2 down followed by Alex Ross. Billings has international experience and did good last season as well for the thunders.
– Ben Cutting and Daniel Sams will do the Allrounder duties. Both will be very important with bat as well as bowl.
– Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha will lead the spin attack of Sydney. Jono Cook if plays will join them.
– Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew and Chris Tremain will lead the pace bowling of team.
HEA –
– The Heat were placed at #4 last season with 7 win and 7 loss in their 14 games. They have a well balanced squad this year and will look to dominate in the early phase of the league.
– Chris Lynn will open the innings along with young Max Bryant.
– Chris Lynn is a brilliant striker of the ball and is someone who can change the course of the game in a matter of a few overs. He scored 458 runs in the last season.
– Ben Duckett will bat at 1 down. Duckett has been scoring very freely recently and was amongst the top scorers in T20 blast.
– Sam Heazlett will bat at 2 down followed by skipper Peirson and Tom Cooper. Heazlett is a gritty player and contributes in every game. Peirson will be crusial in case of top order failure.
– Mujeeb ur Rehman and Matt Kuhnemann will lead the spin attack of team.
– Jack Wildermuth, James Bazley and any 1 of Cameron Gannon or Xavier Bartlett will lead the pace attack of heat.
Probable XI –
THU –
Alex Hales, Sam Whiteman, M Gilkes/B Holt, Alex Ross, Sam Billings, Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green (c), Tanveer Sangha, Jonathan Cook /Gurinder Sandhu, Chris Tremain
HEA –
Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Ben Duckett, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Peirson (c & wk), Tom Cooper, Jack Wildermuth, James Bazley, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Matt Kuhnemann, Cameron Gannon/X Bartlett
Pitch Report –
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Very high scoring ground with short boundaries. Can easily expect score around 180 here.
Team Blueprint –
WK –
Sam Billings(2/3 down, RHB + wk, very important player in SL, 260 runs in 10 innings last season, Must )
Ben Duckett( 1 down, LHB, attacking cricketer with 2800+ t20 runs with a SR of 135, Must )
Jimmy Peirson ( Middle order, RHB + wk, 324 runs with average of 46 last season, very important pick in GL )
BAT –
Chris Lynn( Open, RHB, highest scorer of team last season with 458 runs, Must have any day )
Alex Hales( Open, RHB, highest scorer of BBL last season, SR of 162 in BBL, Must have)
Alex Ross( 2/3 down, RHB, 177 runs in just 5 games against Heat, can try in GL )
Tom Cooper( middle order, experienced, haven’t played much cricket lately, 2515 t20 runs in 134 innings )
Max Bryant( Open, RHB, very aggressive batsman with a t20 SR of 139, hit or miss)
Sam Heazlett ( 2 down, LHB, 180 runs in 9 innings last season, averages 54 against Thunders )
Sam Whiteman( Open, LHB, playes bit slow but can play big, 622 t20 runs in 42 games )
ALL –
J Wildermuth ( RHB + Right Arm medium fast, bowls in powerplay as well as in death, 13 wickets + 75 with bat last season)
Daniel Sams( RHB + left arm medium fast, very important Allrounder of team, will bowl in death + can be promoted to bat)
Ben Cutting( RHB + Right Arm medium, powerful hitter of ball, bowls very less nowadays, 280 runs + 4w last season)
Chris Green( Off spin + RHB, wicket taking option, guaranteed 4 overs, 8 Wickets in 6 games against Heat )
BOWL –
Mujeeb Ur Rahman( Off spin, amongst the top spinners in world cricket, 14 Wickets in just 8 games last season, must have any day )
Tanveer Sangha( Leg spin, wicket taking bowler, highest wicket taker of team last season with 21 scalps in 15 games, Must )
Nathan McAndrew( Right Arm Fast medium, hit the deck bowler, has good variations at death, 15 Wickets in 13 games last season)
Cameron Gannon( Right Arm Fast medium, hit the deck, 30 wickets in 27 t20s, good option to have if plays)
X Bartlett ( Right Arm Fast medium, goot at death, 12 Wickets in 15 games last season)
Chris Tremain( Right Arm medium fast, can swing the ball both ways, not bowling in death nowadays, 46 t20 Wickets in 52 games )
Jono Cook ( Leg spin, not much important option to consider, 3 wickets in 3 games last season, good in GL )
C/VC Options –
THU –
Alex Hales
Ben Cutting
Daniel Sams
HEA –
Chris Lynn
Jack Wildermuth
Ben Duckett
