Adelaide Strikers will take on Sydney Thunder in the 8th match of the Big Bash League 2023-24 on Tuesday (December 19) at the Adelaide Oval. It will be the second game of the season for both teams.

Strikers’ first game of the season against Brisbane Heat was abandoned without the toss due to rain. The Strikers concluded the previous season in 7th place, securing five victories in 14 games. Matthew Short has been appointed as the captain for the upcoming season. Notably, the team has undergone some changes, releasing players such as Ryan Gibson, Colin de Grandhomme, Harry Conway, Peter Siddle, and Jordan Buckingham. Unfortunately, Rashid Khan withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury, and David Payne was brought in as his replacement.

In the draft, the Strikers acquired international talents Jamie Overton and Adam Hose. Additionally, D’Arcy Short, who previously played for the Hobart Hurricanes since the 2016-17 season, has signed a two-year deal with the Strikers.

Thunder faced Brisbane Heat in their last game and elected to bowl after winning the toss. Heat scored 151 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Colin Munro scored 46 runs off 33 deliveries and was the highest scorer, including two fours and two sixes. Tanveer Sangha was the pick of the bowlers and took three wickets for 21 runs.

Thunder were bundled out for 131 runs and lost the match by 20 runs. Oliver Davies topped the run-scoring list and scored 35 runs off 30 deliveries. Chris Green also had a decent outing with the bat and made 30 runs off 20 deliveries.

Josh Kann has been signed as a local replacement player for Travis Head by the Adelaide Strikers. Jason Sangha sustained an injury in his wrist during training last week and has not been included in the squad by the Sydney Thunder.

The surface at the Adelaide Oval will likely provide a decent amount of support to the batters, and this might be a high-scoring match. The average first innings score in the last five matches has been 173 runs. The team winning the toss might look to bowl.