Big Bash tips & player specials for Thunder vs. Strikers

IT is not often a team scores 180 and loses in T20 cricket.

Yet that is exactly what happened to the Sydney Thunder earlier this week.

They seemed to have the Hobart Hurricanes covered as Jos Buttler put on another slogging masterclass.

But he fell for 81 with plenty still to do and the Green Machine’s hopes of victory went with him.

Another loss would put the Thunder at 2-4 and leave them well back in the race for Big Bash League finals.

The Adelaide Strikers have only just remembered what defeat feels like.

It was the resurgent Hurricanes who dealt Jason Gillespie’s charges their first loss of BBL07 on Thursday night.

The Strikers failed to contain the explosive D’Arcy Short and came up eight runs shy of the required 184.

On the plus side, Travis Head (44) and Colin Ingram (66) put in their best batting shifts of the season so far.

Adelaide will want to make the most of their skipper before he leaves for Australia’s ODI series against England.

It was also an excellent night for Rashid Khan, who finished with two wickets at a 4.5 economy rate.

The teenage leg-spinner now has eight wickets in BBL07 and is yet to concede more than 22 runs in a match.

Shane Watson odds and betting tips

Man of the match	+700	–	+600
Top Thunder runscorer	+275	+240	+275
To score 50	+275	–	–
Top Thunder wicket-taker	+550	+600	+1200

It is understandable that Buttler has hogged all the plaudits for the Thunder this week.

However, Shane Watson is the one who has led by example from the opening night of BBL07.

The former Test and ODI star has only one score below 36 in five hits this season.

That kind of consistency is solid gold in Twenty20 cricket.

He also taken a couple of wickets, but that is not where the money is.

Expect another big batting display from the Thunder captain.

Best bets for Thunder vs. Strikers

• Adelaide to win – -136.99 at Ladbrokes
• Rashid Khan top bowler – +225

This is an important game for both teams.

The Thunder need to keep touch with the top four or risk sliding out of finals contention altogether.

Meanwhile, the Strikers have to show they can learn from their losses and bounce back stronger.

The batting lineups are hard to split in a man-for-man comparison, but Adelaide’s bowling unit is one of the best in the competition.

Get on the Strikers and back in the ultra-consistent Rashid for another top show with the ball.

Big Bash bonus offers

Several leading cricket bookmakers have Big Bash bet specials and bonus deals in play this week.

For all games up to and including Sunday’s clash, Sportsbet.com.au will pay you for the win if your top team batsman pick scores 50 or more.

Back the Thunder or the Strikers at William Hill and reclaim up to $25 in rewards points if your team scores 170 or more and loses.

If you back the winner, CrownBet.com.au will give you a $5 bonus for every six your team hits.

That bookie will also grant you a $50 refund bonus if your top runscorer pick scores 30 runs and loses.