Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars big bash tips: Stars underrated for opener

• Wicket could be full of runs in first dig

• Hales boosted to 11/4 for top Thudner bat

• Stars bowling may be key factor

Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars
Tuesday 13 December, 08:15
TV: Live on BT Sports

Team news

Thunder should be at their most dangerous in the first half of the tournament before they lose players. Alex Hales, Faz Farooqi and Rilee Rossouw depart for the UAE and South Africa respectively.

Jason Sangha will lead a strong group. Leggie Tanveer Sangha is struggling to be ready in time following a stress fracture of the back.

Possible XI: Sangha, Hales, Rossouw, Cutting, Ross, Sams, Green, Sandhu, Doggett, Usman Qadir, Farooqi

The Stars are without Glenn Maxwell, who has a broken leg. As discussed in our outright preview, we'd be betting them if he was fit.

But they look solid and could well make the top two because of an excellent bowling group. Trent Boult is available until the UAE league starts on January 13.

Possible XI: Stoinis, Kellaway, Larkin, Clarke, Cartwright, Webster, Coulter-Nile, Wood, Boult, Couch, Zampa

Pitch report

The Manuka Oval is a good batting track. Seven of the last 16 first-innings totals have seen 170 or more busted. Don't go mad, though. That sequence convers to only six for both teams busting 160 which is 7/5 with Sportsbook. The par line should settle around the mid 160s and is an overs, though. Thunder notched 219 against Stars on this ground two years ago.

How to play

Thunder are 1.814/5 favourites with Stars 2.1011/10. That might be a little on the skinny side so early on in the tournament, particularly against a crack bowling unit. Stars have also won six of the last seven on the head-to-head. It's hardly a mug wager to reckon the outsiders are worth a follow here. They can at least trade at odds-on. There's a fifty-fifty split on the toss in the last 16. No rain is forecast.

Tops value

Hales and Stoinis have both been boosted to 11/4 for top team bat respectively with Sportsbook. There's a spot of value, though. Jason Sangha, who notched a fifty in that solitary win mentioned earlier in a monster Thunder total v Stars, should open and is 4s. Youngster Campbel Kellaway is an opener by trade and is 13/2 for Stars.

*Read the Big Bash team-by-team guide here