BBL LIVE: The Sixers take on the Thunder for Sydney Smash Challenger Final

Wicket: Warner grabs a beauty

How about that?! Nathan McAndrew gets Jack Edwards out with the first wicket of the day and it’s all thanks to a diving David Warner who takes a lovely catch at mid off. Great start for the Thunder.

Sixers 1-15 (after three overs)

Wes Agar making a strong start

A really nice over from Wes Agar, bowling really efficiently with just one run coming from his second over.

The Thunder captain David Warner will be delighted with that start from his bowler. If his team can bottle the energy he’s transmitting to his team with his instructions, they are in with a decent chance.

Sixers 0-9 (after 2 overs)

First ball

Nathan McAndrew takes up the ball and it’s Kurtis Patterson on strike at the SCG.

First ball: Sharp single taken by Patterson

Second ball: Jack Edwards whips the ball off the bats for one

Third ball: Patterson dispatches that for the first four of the game with a perfectly timed square drive.

Fourth ball: Patterson misses the ball and it touches its thigh pad, but no harm done.

Fifth ball: Patterson doesn’t make a great connection and doesn’t make it past the keeper

Sixth ball: Patterson clips it through midwicket for two. Nice start

Josh Philippe of the Sixers looks during the warm -up ahead of the BBL The Challenger match between Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder at Sydney Cricket GroundCredit: Getty Images

Crowd filling in

I don’t think we will get a sell-out, but it’s looking like a fairly healthy turnout at the SCG, the ticket office told me they reckon around 80% of seats have been sold.

A reminder of the teams below, Jack Edwards has confirmed that he is opening for the Sixers, speaking to Fox Cricket Thunder captain David Warner explained his reasoning for bowling first.

“We feel like this wicket is going to get better at night so we’re happy to send them in and try and restrict.”

First ball up very soon.

Sydney Sixers XI: Kurtis Patterson, Jack Edwards, Josh Philippe (wk), Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Lachlan Shaw, Ben Dwarshuis, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Mitch Perry, Jaffer Chohan

Sydney Thunder XI: David Warner (c), Hugh Weibgen, Matthew Gilkes, Sam Billings (wk), Jason Sangha, Chris Green, George Garton, Nathan McAndrew, Tom Andrews, Wes Agar, Tanveer Sangha

A swirling wind

The wind is absolutely pumping around the SCG, with the Sixers’ Jordan Silk admitting that he probably would have gone for a bowl if he’d won the bat flip.

It could be a difficult time for the fielders out there, but the wind will gradually die down. On Fox Cricket Mark Waugh reckons that this wicket is not a bad track at all for batting.

The Sixers know that they need to make a bright start out here against a Thunder team dying to write a new chapter against their crosstown rivals.

Supporters have autographs signed by Jack Edwards of the Sixers before the BBL The Challenger match between Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder at Sydney Cricket GroundCredit: Getty Images

How the teams are lining out tonight

Who have you got tonight?

Potential rule changes in next year’s BBL

Cricket officials are discussing the introduction of major rule changes and innovations for next season’s Big Bash that could entice Australia’s Test stars and international T20 guns for hire to participate more in the tournament.

High-level discussions have taken place in Cricket Australia about significant rule changes for BBL15, including a left-field proposal for double play run-outs, where two batsmen could be dismissed in the same delivery.

Welcome to the SCG: Sixers win the bat flip and go for a bowl

By Jonathan Drennan

Good evening and welcome to the SCG on a beautiful Friday night.

We’ve got the perfect evening of entertainment laid out, with the Sixers taking on the Thunder in the Sydney Smash Challenger Final.

Dads and Mums are bowling at their kids in bucket hats outside the ground and Chris Green is getting mobbed by Sixers fans. Where else would you want to be?

The winner will go through to face the Hobart Hurricanes in the big dance, so it’s all to play for tonight.

The Thunder are desperate for local bragging rights, you have to go all the way back to January 2021 for their last victory against their neighbours in Adelaide. They will be looking to change that record tonight.

The Sydney Thunder have won the bat flip and will bowl first.