Sydney Sixers are up against Brisbane Heat in the BBL 12 Challenger match at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. The winner of this match will be facing the Perth Scorchers in the final at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday.
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Sydney Sixers lost their last match against the Scorchers, but they got an extra opportunity because of finishing in the top 2 places. This side is full of some experienced campaigners, but Steve Smith is a huge miss. Sean Abbott will again lead the bowling of the side.
Brisbane Heat are also missing some of their top players in this very match. The bowling of the Brisbane Heat is excellent, but the batting department is not looking that solid without the likes of Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw.
Why is Steve Smith not playing today’s BBL 12 Challenger
Steve Smith is not playing the Challenger match, and this is certainly a big blow for the Sydney Sixers. The Australian superstar played in 5 innings for the Sixers, and he was sensational in the campaign. He scored 346 runs at an average of 86.50 with the help of 2 centuries and 1 half-century.
The readers must note that Smith will not play any further part in the BBL campaign even if Sydney Sixers reach the final of the tournament. Smith is a part of Australia’s Border-Gavaskar 2023 trophy, and the Australian team has reached India to prepare for the same. Smith was playing in the BBL after a long time, and he made his presence known.
Apart from Sydney Sixers, the Brisbane Heat are also missing the players who are part of the Australian test squad. Daniel Hughes is back in the side for the Sdyney Sixers, and he is certainly an able player at the top-order for the Sydney Sixers. All the players who are part of the Australian test team will not play the final too.
