Thunder coach Shane Bond is confident his out-of-form side can recalibrate their Big Bash finals charge in Friday's Sydney derby, despite the loss of key man Daniel Sams to injury.
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Sams suffered bone and ligament damage after he fell awkwardly in Monday's loss to Hobart and has subsequently been ruled out for at least the next three matches.
The timing couldn't be worse for Bond's side which has lost four of its last five matches ahead of Friday's crunch clash in Adelaide against a Sixers team which has cleared out atop the BBL standings.
"He'll miss the next three games, but remember, I've always spoken about the depth of our squad," Bond said.
"It's a real shame for Dan - he's been playing outstanding cricket."
Bond must now rejig his bowling line up to cover the loss of Sams. He has right-arm quick Brendan Doggett waiting in the wings - he claimed four wickets in his only Big Bash start this season.
Or he may opt for another spin option with Arjun Nair and Jono Cook also waiting eagerly for another opportunity.
"From the bowlers' perspective [we need] a little more accuracy," Bond said.
"We've offered up a few too many free hits for my liking.
"We can tidy that up. We're scoring good runs and getting scores that are winnable. If we're bowling well, we'll make it harder for a team to either set a big score or to chase us down."
Finger spinner Chris Green said his side had traveled with a clear head to Adelaide.
"I wouldn't call it a hole or a slump or anything, it's just about turning the page on that," Green said.
"It's about not carrying any baggage into Adelaide with us.
"You've just got to focus on where your feet are, and be present and put in a good performance and be in a good mental state for the match tomorrow."
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Meanwhile, the Sixers expect Sean Abbott and Moises Henriques to face the Thunder with the pair racing to get a negative COVID-19 test result back in time.
Abbott and Henriques flew into Adelaide from Melbourne on Thursday afternoon, in the last part of a congested process out of Australia's Test squad.
Despite already passing a COVID test in Victoria and being cleared to fly to South Australia, they were tested again on Thursday as per the state's border exemption rules.
Provided they receive a negative result by Friday evening, they will be released from quarantine in time to join the Sixers squad and face the Thunder.
Both will be crucial additions to the table-topping Sixers, following Nathan Lyon's decision to withdraw from the rest of the tournament.
Mitchell Starc also remains in significant doubt, awaiting results for a scan on his hamstring and potentially facing border challenges after flying home to Sydney.
With AAP
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
