Image Credit- Getty
Before Sydney Thunder’s BBL opener against Sydney,
spin bowler Tanveer Sangha has allayed worries over the recently sopped Manuka
Oval field due to rain.
The Prime Minister’s XI match between Australia and
Pakistan last week was abruptly called off after torrential rain hit on Friday
night and winds of up to 55 km/h tore the covering off the Manuka Oval pitch.
The game finished in a stalemate when it was decided
it was hazardous to play on the sodden ground on Saturday morning.
The Thunder take on Brisbane Heat at Manuka Oval, the
site of the western Sydney team’s customary opening home game of the BBL
summer, less than four days after the rain.
Since the rain on Friday night, Canberra has generally
experienced dry weather, and Tuesday’s game day is expected to bring more of
the same.
In preparation for Tuesday’s match, which will be held
on a wicket next to the one used for the disastrous PM’s XI match, Thunder have
been training at Manuka Oval. On the pitch, last-minute preparations were still
being made as of Monday afternoon.
Cameron Bancroft and Nathan McAndrew, Thunder’s
teammates who participated in the PM’s XI last week and had an opportunity to
examine the wicket that will be utilised, will be a valuable source of
information.
“It didn’t look too bad. It looked fine,”
Sangha said. “We expect a pretty true surface, a pretty nice wicket, but I
think all the boys said it’s a nice batting wicket.
“Red ball’s a completely different game from T20
Big Bash but I think it’ll turn out pretty good, Manuka’s usually a good
ground, has really good crowds. I’m really looking forward to playing
there.”
Sangha looked forward to welcoming English top-order
batter Alex Hales back for his fifth tournament at the Thunder.
“He’s huge for us,” Sangha said. “The
batting he brings, how dominating he is, how scared our opponents are to bowl
to him, I think that brings a lot of fear and brings us a lot of
confidence.”