STR vs SCO Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match? BBL 2020-21, Match 21

Perth Scorchers have had a horrendous run in the ongoing edition of the BBL. Having lost three games out of four, winning none, the team are languishing right down the bottom of the points table with two points. Their net run rate of -1.805 hasn’t helped their cause by any means.

Their next match is against the Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve on Thursday, at the iconic Adelaide Oval. Interestingly, at the same venue, a couple of days ago, the Ashton Turner-captained Scorchers went down to the Strikers by 71 runs.

The Strikers, on the other hand, are sitting pretty at the third spot in the table. Winning their last two matches, Alex Carey and Co are slowly, but surely, climbing the ladder. Ahead of the match on December 31, both teams have announced unchanged squads.

Pitch and Conditions

The pitch in Adelaide has been a decent one for batting over the time period. Batting first should be the way forward for both teams as the track might slow down in the second half.

The playing conditions will be mostly clear with the sun around. The temperature will be around 24 degrees Celsius throughout the duration of the match. The humidity will mostly be in the high-30s.

Average first-innings score

165 (1 unaffected match in BBL 2020-21)

Record of the chasing teams

Won – 0; Lost – 1

Playing Combinations for STR vs SCO

Adelaide Strikers

Phillip Salt, Jake Weatherald, Alex Carey (C and WK), Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Matthew Short, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Peter Siddle, Wes Agar

Bench– Harry Nielsen, Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Liam O’Connor, Spencer Johnson, Liam Scott, Cameron Valente

Perth Scorchers

Josh Inglis (C and WK), Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Liam Livingstone, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (C), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed

Bench– Cameron Bancroft, Kurtis Patterson, Joel Paris, Matthew Kelly, Corey Rocchiccioli, Sam Whiteman, Liam Guthrie

Probable Top Performers for STR vs SCO

Phillip Salt– Adelaide Strikers

Phillip Salt has given the Strikers fast starts on a number of instances. In five matches, the opening batsman has notched 118 runs at an average and strike-rate of 23.60 and 137.20 respectively.

The half-century he got against the Scorchers in the last game at the same venue should be keeping him in good stead. Salt is known for his power-hitting and he will be keen to replicate something similar.

Jason Roy– Perth Scorchers

Jason Roy prefers to take the opposition bowling by the scruff of its neck with his wide array to stroke-play. In his first appearance against the Strikers, the England batter started off in a blistering fashion, scoring 21 runs off only 11 balls at a strike-rate of 190.90.

He fell prey to Daniel Worrall after which the Scorchers’ innings collapse. He will be looking to get a substantial score under his belt.

Broadcast Details

Match timings – 06:15 PM local time, 01:15 PM IST

TV – Sony Ten Network

Live Streaming – Sony LIV

The prediction is for Adelaide Strikers to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.