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Sixers eyes on the skies with rain forecast for BBL final

BBL Final hosts hoping to avoid 'lottery' of rain-shortened match but will train for five-over game scenarios with bleak forecast for showpiece event

The Sydney Sixers are preparing for the possibility of a shortened KFC BBL Final with weather forecasts predicting heavy downpours in Sydney on Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a 90 per cent chance of any rain to fall, and up to 25mm of possible rainfall over the Sydney Cricket Ground on the day of the BBL|09 decider.

If Saturday's match is washed out, the Sixers will take home the title as the host of the Grand Final, regardless of which team wins Thursday night's Challenger final between the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder.

However, the final can be reduced to a five-overs per side contest in order to see some play in front of an expected sold out SCG which will also host the Bushfire Cricket Bash charity game.

Sixers fast bowler Josh Hazlewood described five-over matches as a "lottery" and would rather see Saturday's final washed out than play a shortened game.

"If you've got five overs, a batter hits a couple of balls out of the ground it's game over just about or one bowler bowls a good over it's the same result," Hazlewood told reporters today in Sydney.

"It is a bit of a lottery but that's what it comes down to sometimes.

"The one thing we're worried about is getting one of those five, six, seven-over games.

"We either probably want it completely washed out or get the full game in.

"I think second place would be more worried than us."

Hazlewood says he would like to see the minimum number of overs for a T20 match be doubled from five to 10 overs.

"Anything less than 10 is a bit of a lottery," said Hazlewood.

"I think 10 overs would be great. It's obviously not much longer and sometimes the Big Bash are afternoon games and we can hang around for it to stop raining."

With the prospect of a reduced match, Hazlewood said the Sixers might look to play match scenarios at training to prepare for wet weather on the weekend.

"With that threat of rain we'll probably practice a few of those, not super overs, but pretend you've only got one over in the game," he said.

"Batting again is the same, pretending you've only got 10 or 12 balls to face."