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Perth pitch tricky to cal
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Stoinis back
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Coulter-Nile and Wood underrated
Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars
Thursday 29 December, 10:15
TV: Live on BT Sports
Team news
The champions are going very nicely, thank you. They have three wins from four and are joint top with Strikers who have played a game more.
They won a narrow victory over Strikers on Boxing Day with their bowling once again proving to be their strongest suit. The batting needs work and Adam Lyth is under pressure in the opening berth from Steve Eskinazi.
Possible XI: Du Plessis, Eskinazi, Hobson, Inglis, Hardie, Turner, A Agar, J Richardson, Tye, Behrendorff, Hatzoglou
Stars have been exposed in their last two matches against Sixers and Scorchers repsectively. Heavy defeats suggest a gulf between them and the rest. They have one win in four.
The batting is a worry. If Joe Clarke doesn't get runs they appear to fold. They're averaging just 7.7 an over at the moment. Nathan Coulter-Nile has returned to the squad and presumably Marcus Stoinis will return to the XI after being 'rested'.
Possible XI: Clarke, Seymour, Stoinis, Webster, Larkin, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Wood, Hatcher, Boult, Zampa
Pitch report
Six of the last 13 at Perth Stadium have seen first-innings scores of 170 or more. But Perth restricting Strikers to 133 last time out means confidence that this is a flat one is diminishing. It could pay to go under Stars runs batting first at 160 for even money or 165 at 2.1011/10.
How to play
Perth are the first team to hit the 1.608/13 region this tournament and it looks justified against a Stars team struggling for confidence and method with the bat.
The Scorchers bowling attack is so hot that they should relish a line-up which doesn't know wehther to stick or twist.
Tops value
Eskinazi is 4/1 for top Perth bat with Sportsbook. If he plays he should slot in to his preferred opener role. Du Plessis is boosted to 5/2. There's a chance that James Seymour could also get his preferred opener role for Stars, replacing Tom Rogers so 5/1 is of interest. Coulter-Nile is underrated at a whopping 90/1. Likewise Luke Wood at 60s. it is possible a quickfire 30 might win this wit Star's top order vulnerable.