Guns set to ignite T20 Strike League in opener
A FIERCE derby featuring some of the rising stars of Australian cricket will open the T20 Strike League at Marrara.
The Cyclones and Blaze face off in the opening round at DXC Arena from 6pm (NT time) Sunday in the first of 13 matches in 13 days to be live streamed on News Corp websites.
After winning the one-day competition, the Blaze goes into the match as favourite.
The Cyclones will have to overcome a rival packed with rising stars, including NSW quick Chris Tremain, who picked up 10 wickets in the one-day competition, with spinners Hamish Martin and West Australian Corey Rocchiccioli adding another 21 between them.
Add to that the pace of allrounder Hayden Kerr and the consistent batting of Gold Coast product Hugo Burdon, whose unbeaten century in the one-day competition put him near the top of the batting averages, and the Blaze is looking tough to beat.
The Cyclones are not without weapons, though.
Chief among them is NSW allrounder Jack Edwards, who notched a century for a Cricket Australia XI in the recent Top End Series and has tons on the board at domestic one-day and Sheffield Shield level.