STA VS SCO MATCH 1

1 run.

Short of a good length on the pad. Thomas Rogers turns it to short fine leg.

Pitched full, on off. Thomas Rogers drives it to mid-off.

Jhye Richardson will share the attack for the Scorchers.

Maiden from Jason Behrendorff to start. Short of a good length slanting away. Joe Clarke shoulders arms to it.

Pitched full, at the stumps. Joe Clarke drives it back at the bowler.

Keeps it on a length, just outside off. Left alone by Joe Clarke.

Beaten! Lands it on a length and shapes away, around off. Joe Clarke has a poke at it and gets beaten.

Full and angled across the batter. Joe Clarke drives away from the body but fails to connect.

Jason Behrendorff starts with a good length delivery around off. Joe Clarke pushes it toward mid-off.

All in readiness now as the teams and the umpires make their way out to the ground. Thomas Rogers and Joe Clarke stride out to open the batting for the Melbourne Stars. It will be Jason Behrendorff to begin with the ball for the Perth Scorchers. The atmosphere is electric and we are moments away from the live action.

Perth Scorchers (Playing XI) - Keaton Jennings, Finn Allen, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Hurst(WK), Ashton Turner(C), Nick Hobson, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris.

Melbourne Stars (Playing XI) - Thomas Rogers, Joe Clarke, Sam Harper(WK), Marcus Stoinis(C), Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Tom Curran, Hamish McKenzie, Adam Milne, Brody Couch, Peter Siddle.

Toss Update - Melbourne Stars have won the bat flip and opted to BAT first in the season opener.

On the other hand, the Melbourne Stars have shaken up their leadership group, with Marcus Stoinis taking over as full-time captain in place of Glenn Maxwell. The experienced trio of Beau Webster, Hilton Cartwright, and Sam Harper will provide stability, while the likes of Tom Curran, Usama Mir, Joe Clarke, and Adam Milne bring a wealth of experience. Tom Rogers and Hamish McKenzie are the ones to keep an eye on this season. The Stars will be hoping their senior players step up and end the trophy drought in the 2024-25 season. So, who are you backing to come out on top in this opening encounter? We shall find out soon. Toss and team news in a bit. Stay tuned!

The Perth Scorchers, led by the ever-reliable Ashton Turner, have built a formidable squad. Key players such as Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, and Ashton Agar form the core of the team. In addition, new faces like Finn Allen, Matthew Hurst, and Keaton Jennings will add depth to the batting lineup. Young talents like Cooper Connolly, Mahli Beardman, and Lance Morris have been impressive and will be the ones to watch this season. With a solid and balanced squad, the Scorchers will be strong contenders for another title. 

Hello and a warm welcome to our coverage for the opening game of Big Bash League, 2024-25. The five-time champions, Perth Scorchers are hosting the star-studded Melbourne Stars at the Perth Stadium in Perth. The Scorchers finished third in the league last season, only to fall short in the Knockout match against the Strikers, while the Stars secured the sixth spot. Both teams will be looking to bounce back and improve on their performances this year with an eye on the ultimate prize. 

...MATCH DAY...

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?