Sydney Sixers will play Perth Scorchers in the 27th game of the Big Bash League 2011-12 on Wednesday, January 18. The game will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In a way, this game may not have as much interest associated with it as the two other remaining games in the Big Bash League. The sole reason for that is that both teams, Sixers and Scorchers have already qualified for the semi-finals.
Why the teams will still want to win this one is because of the rules of the tournament that saw that the teams in the first and the second position at the end of the league stage will not only qualify for the semi-finals but also host their respective match.
As things stand, Perth are at the top of the table with 10 points and the Sixers are third with eight. A win for the Sixers will push them to 10 points and give them a chance to finish in the top two and thus host their semi-final.
The Scorchers, on the other hand, can still finish in the top two if they lose only by a small margin. However, with a run of five wins in a row, Perth will want to keep going and make it six victories – thereby taking the momentum into the last-four stage.
The Sixers will welcome captain Brad Haddin back into the side, which should allow Steven Smith to go back to concentrating on his batting and bowling. Haddin had played only one game earlier and was instrumental in Sixers’ opening win.
Perth will probably continue to miss Herschelle Gibbs as he rests his foot before the all-important semi-finals. The rest of the side should remain the same, especially given the week-long break that most of the players would have got. Marcus North will like to build on the momentum he had shown with his batting.
The Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers Big Bash League match will begin at 8.00 am GMT on January 18.
