The biggest rivalry in Big Bash League history returns.
The Perth Scorchers will host the Sydney Sixers in tonight’s Qualifier, with the victory earning immediate qualification for next weekend’s Final. However, the loser will not be automatically knocked out, getting a second chance in Thursday’s Challenger.
The Sixers have won the bat flip and elected to bat first, with the opening delivery scheduled for 7.15pm AEDT.
MATCH CENTRE: Scorchers vs Sixers teams, scorecard, videos, updates
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The Scorchers will be without pace duo Matt Kelly and Jhye Richardson, who are nursing injuries, while spinner Ashton Agar is also unavailable for selection as he prepares for the upcoming Test tour of India.
To make matters worse for the men in orange, England paceman David Payne has been struck down with the flu. Uncapped seamer Charlie Stobo was pulled out of club cricket and rushed into the Scorchers squad ahead of tonight’s clash.
However, Payne was named in the starting XI at the bat flip.
“Matt has been progressing through the concussion return to play protocols and is doing well overall. He will not be ready for tomorrow, but we are expecting him back to full training shortly after,” WA Cricket State Medical Officer Dr Tom Hill said in a statement.
“Jhye is still working through his hamstring rehabilitation and will not be available tomorrow.”
The Scorchers are famously difficult to defeat at Perth Stadium, and the Sixers will be relying on run-scoring machine Steve Smith to continue his purple patch on the western coast.
“I’ve never seen him bat like this in any white-ball cricket, just so consistently,” Sixers captain Moises Henriques told NCA NewsWire on Friday.
“I mean, the amount of times he’s clearing the boundary; having probably been known as a bit more of a gap hitter rather than an actual six hitter, it’s unprecedented, this sort of batting.
“It’s probably the best T20 batting we’ve ever witnessed in the Big Bash, to be honest.
“The last couple of wickets that everyone else has really struggled to bat on, he has seemed to find a way to make it look like an absolute road.
“So I guess I’m assuming there’d be a lot of bowlers in their camp a little bit worried about that.”
Australian Test spinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy also won’t feature in the must-win fixture.
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Scorchers XI
Cameron Bancroft, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Cooper Connolly, Andrew Tye, David Payne, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris
Sixers XI
Josh Philippe (wk), Steve Smith, Kurtis Patterson, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Hayden Kerr, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Stephen O’Keefe, Izharulhaq Naveed