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Sydney Sixers hope to maintain winning momentum

by Sandeep Shivam Friday 23 December 2016

All eyes will be on Stuart Broad as he is set make his debut in BBL

©REUTERS MEDIA EXPRESS

Fourth Match, Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes
23rd December, Sydney, 07:10 GMT

Sydney Sixers had a perfect start to their campaign with a convincing win over Sydney Thunder in the opening game. The bowlers did extremely well to keep down Sydney Thunder to 159 following which Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques slammed unbeaten half centuries to complete a nine-wicket win.

Not to forget Jason Roy at the top of the order who set the chase with a 18-ball 27 runs and will be key to their fortunes, if they are to maintain the momentum as the tournament progresses.

On the other hand, Hobart Hurricanes will be playing their first game of the season and all focus will be on England speedster Stuart Broad's debut in the tournament.

After a gruelling India tour, Broad had to deal with a foot injury too which forced him to miss two Tests and now he is eyeing to revive his limited overs career for England through a strong performance in the Big Bash League.

The batting will depend a lot on skipper George Bailey and foreign recruit Kumar Sangakkara, who did not have a great season last year though. Bowling looks formidable for the Tasmanian team with Shaun Tait and Broad lining up along with Daniel Christian.

Face to Face:

In their only encounter last year, Brad Haddin scored a blistering 72 off just 45 balls to take Sydney Sixers to 186 for seven in the 20 overs following which Hobart Hurricanes were bowled out for 91 despite an unbeaten 62 from Bailey.

Players to Watch:

Jason Roy:

He has been instrumental in England's resurgence in the limited overs format. With a strike-rate of close to 150 in T20 and an average close to 30, he is one of the most dangerous player at the top in this format. He showed a glimpse of his destruction skill in the first game and the Sixers will be hoping him to carry on for longer period of time.

Stuart Broad:

The Nottinghamshire seamer said he wants to use BBL platform to help him regain a spot in the Champions Trophy tournament to be held in England. He is coming from 0-4 Test series thrashing in India and also a foot injury to deal with and will be interesting to see what he can offer for the Hobart Hurricanes.

Squads from:

Sydney Sixers:

Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Sam Billings, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha, Harry Conway, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Daniel Hughes, Joe Mennie, Stephen O'Keefe, Jason Roy, Jordan Silk

Hobart Hurricanes:

Tim Paine (c), Darcy Short, Kumar Sangakkara, Dominic Michael, George Bailey, Dan Christian, Hamish Kingston, Shaun Tait, Cameron Boyce, Stuart Broad, Clive Rose, Beau Webster, Jon Wells