Big Bash League 2021-22, Match 7: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder - Probable XIs, Match prediction, Weather Forecast, Pitch Report and Live Streaming Details

The Melbourne Stars take on the Sydney Thunder in Match 7 of the BBL at the MCG, on December 10.

The Melbourne Stars lost their tournament-opener to the defending champions Sydney Sixers by a whopping 152 runs. Skipper Glenn Maxwell will have to address a number of issues as his side seem to lack what is needed to compete on such a big stage.

While other bowlers leaked runs, Brody Couch claimed two scalps, Maxwell and Sam Rainbird claimed one wicket each but failed to stem the flow of runs. None of the batters rose to the occasion as the stars were bundled out for 61 while chasing a mammoth 214-run target.

The Thunder have had a rather desirable start to their tournament as they went on to beat a quality Brisbane Heat side in their tournament-opener. Bowling first, the Thunder bowling line-up restricted an explosive Heat batting order to a modest 140-run total.

Daniel Sams (3/22), Gurinder Sandhu (2/17) and Nathan McAndrew (2/33) were the pick of the bowlers. They ensured that the Heat innings failed to gather any sort of momentum.

Having lost early wickets, Sam Billings and Alex Ross ensured that the Thunder remained on track to chase down the target. Billings scored a brisk 36-ball 45 and Ross scored 46-ball 61 ensuring that the Thunder chased down the target in 17.1 overs. Matthew Gilles played an important cameo, scoring a 10-ball 20.

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Match Details

Match: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, Match 07 BBL 2021-22

Date & Time: 10th December 2021, 2:05 PM IST

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Pitch Report

The surface at the MCG is a good cricketing surface. The track is expected to offer equal assistance to the batters as well as the bowlers. The batters need to choose their shots wisely at first and can play freely once they are set.

The bowlers need to hit the right lengths to extract the help on offer from this surface. The team that wins the toss will look to chase on this surface.

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Weather Report

Partly cloudy skies are expected to greet both sides at the MCG. Temperatures are expected to range between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius. No rain interruptions are expected over the course of this contest.

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Probable XIs

Melbourne Stars: Joe Clarke, Peter Nevill (wk), Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Sam Elliot, Sam Rainbird, Adam Zampa, Brody Couch, Syed Faridoun

Sydney Thunder: Alex Hales, Sam Whiteman, Matthew Gilkes, Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha, Gurinder Sandhu

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Match Prediction

The Sydney Thunder are a balanced side. Having beaten the Brisbane Heat, they are riding high on confidence. The Sydney Thunder are favorites to finish on top in this encounter. The Stars bowling unit must put their best foot forward if they are to beat the Thunder.

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Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder TV and Live Streaming Details

TV: Sony Sports Network

Live Streaming: Sony LIV