SCO VS STA MATCH 1

It is that time of the year again and with a huge part of the globe enjoying the winters and the holiday season, mid-December also marks the proper start of the Aussie summer and with that comes the fan-favorite Big Bash League. Yes, finally the 2024-25 edition of the tournament is here and we kick things off with a clash between five-time champions Perth Scorchers and the always star-studded Melbourne Stars at the Perth Stadium. The Scorchers surrendered their title defense last season with a defeat in the Play-off game against Adelaide Strikers whereas the Stars managed to end a topsy-turvy season with 6th place on the points table. Both teams generally like to retain their core from the previous season and that's worked especially well for Scorchers for a number of years now. Ashton Turner will yet again lead the side that features some big local and foreign names and the spin duo of veteran Ashton Agar and rising star Cooper Connolly will be crucial for them. The pace attack has always been their main strength and all the usual suspects like Jason Behrendorff, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson and even Lance Morris are a part of the Scorchers squad. They have added Kiwi opener Finn Allen to give them those fast starts up top with Aaron Hardie being their main all-rounder. Moving on to Melbourne Stars now and they will be relying a lot on their two fabled international superstars in the form of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis but will need to play better as a team to make it out of the group stage this time around. They have some seasoned campaigners in their squad and the likes of Peter Siddle and Scott Boland provide the experience. All eyes however will be on Beau Webster who is knocking on the door of the national side and they have added Adam Milne who will give them that searing pace up top with the ball. All in all, this game is beautifully set up for the seasoned opener but given the Scorchers' history at home, the Stars will need to be at their best to start things off with a win. Who are you backing to win the curtain raiser of the 2024-25 season?