The weather has been fairly mild this week, but things are about to heat up on Saturday with what should be one of the spiciest Sydney Smash derbies of all time after a couple of stinging sledges were exchanged in the lead-up to the clash between two of the BBL’s unbeaten teams.
The Sixers have dominated the rivalry for the past few years, with the men in magenta last tasting defeat in early 2021, which prompted skipper Moises Henriques to drop this bomb last week.
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“All the games have been circled, but December 21, that’s just an easy two points for us normally, so I haven’t paid that one too much attention yet,” he said, tongue firmly in cheek.
Rival skipper David Warner was told about the comment an hour later as Thunder and Sixers players swapped roles during their combined training and content day at Cricket Central.
“If they want to bring cockiness to it then they’ve got to back it up, don’t they?” he fired back.
The pre-game banter has set the tone for what should be a classic contest between two teams that have enjoyed thrilling run chases, with Henriques starring for the Sixers, while young gun Sam Konstas broke all sorts of records on debut for the Thunder.
It’s why this Sydney Smash could be even bigger than ones in recent years where Steve Smith smashed a century or when Warner flew in on a helicopter for the derby.
“It means a lot for us because a lot of our guys have trained together for the majority of the year, and (the games) give us a whole heap of bragging rights every time we get a win,” Henriques said.
“I do think they’ve got a good list. And to be fair to them, I think they’ve kept a bit of a core together for the last few years and I feel they’re improving, even if they didn’t get the success they wanted last year.
“I expect them to challenge for the finals a lot more than they did last year. That’s going to be a huge game for us. We play them twice, so being good in those two games for us is going to be a huge part of if we have success or not.”
Warner was out cheaply against the Strikers on Tuesday night but is calling on Thunder fans to turn their home ground into a fortress this weekend when Konstas and big-hitting Daniel Sams could send plenty of balls into the crowd.
“It’s a great opportunity for us and our fans to come out and see a great game. We know it’s a good contest. They’ve hit the upper edge a lot of the time, and they’re a well-structured and well-balanced team,” he said.
“On their home turf, they’re always a challenge. They always get the wickets they want and they always bowl well in their backyard. That’s what you need from your team – you’ve got to play well in your backyard and you need to make it your fortress.
“They’ve done that for a long time and Perth have done that for a long time, so it’s on us to do that as well at ENGIE Stadium.”
Last year’s game at the venue was washed out, with the Sixers winning the return fixture to continue their recent dominance over their cross-town rivals.
But Englishman Sam Billings predicts there could be a changing of the guard in Sydney after the Thunder claimed the wooden spoon last season while the Sixers made the final.
“I think the Sixers have had the better of the Thunder over the more recent past and probably historically, but it’s time for a change of the tide,” he said.
“People probably underestimate us or look at the Thunder and have certain perceptions, but there’s no reason why we can’t change that around.
“You’ll see a very different Thunder this year.”
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