The Australian Big Bash League 2021 continues with the Sydney Thunder facing the Hobart Hurricanes. The match will take place on Monday January 18th, 2021 at 4:15am EST. It will be played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. The Hurricanes lead the head to head 8 matches to 6 and will be looking to extend that lead. Will the second placed Thunder have what it takes to get the victory? The pitch in Canberra traditionally favors batsmen and the bowlers have not had much success here of late. 

The Sydney Thunder are currently in second place in the Big Bash points table. However, they have been in poor form of late, losing their last two matches to the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers. They will be hoping to right the ship here against a team that has given them some problems in the past in the Hobart Hurricanes. Alex Hales has been in outstanding form for the Thunder with 323 runs thus far. They have generally struggled when he has failed with the bat so he will need to be at his best again for them to feel confident about winning here. Misfiring international player Usman Khawaja also needs to find form quickly as he has been struggling of late. They also welcome back star performer Daniel Sams which will strengthen them. 

The Hobart Hurricanes have had a similar season to their opponents, in that they started off well and have struggled lately, losing their last three matches in a item. Currently in seventh place they will be eager for a victory here to push them up the table and into contention to qualify. D’Arcy Short has been in fine form both bat and ball but the rest of the team has struggled, notably in the previous match where they only made 139 runs against the Scorchers. They will need to be better here to topple the Thunder. They seem to be badly missing the services of Matthew Wade who is currently on international duty. It will need to be a huge team effort for them to end their losing streak and get the win here. 

This match has potential to be a close one but I am going to give the edge to the Sydney Thunder here. The Hurricanes will be more desperate for the win as they seek to move up the table but the Thunder seem to have too much firepower here. Sydney Thunder to win.