The Sydney Sixers will recall batter Daniel Hughes for his first Big Bash game in a month when they meet the Brisbane Heat in their grand final qualifier.
As they determine Steve Smith's replacement at the top of the order for Thursday's contest Sydney are likely to preference Hughes or Kurtis Patterson over Hayden Kerr, who opened the batting and saved the day for the Sixers in the corresponding fixture last summer.
Hughes was a staple for the Sixers on their run to the final last year but has been the odd man out this time around.
Englishman James Vince, Patterson and Smith have been favoured as Josh Philippe's partner at the top, with Hughes coming in at first drop in the three games he has played.
But with Vince long since departed for the UAE T20 League and Smith on Test duty, club sources told AAP Hughes would be brought into a batting order that underwhelmed in last week's qualifying final loss to the Perth Scorchers.
Smith knocked two centuries from five games in his BBL cameo but batter Jordan Silk said the Sixers had faith Hughes was up to the task of replacing him in the XI.
"We've played ten games without Steve and had a few wins along the way so we're familiar with this group," he told reporters.
"(Hughes) has trained well, he's been great around the group all year. He's probably one of the more unlucky players in the competition to not be playing.
"He's been a reliable performer for us at the Sixers for a number of years."
Allrounder Kerr found himself promoted to the top of the order in last year's challenger and was the hero, batting the Sixers home with an unbeaten 98 runs.
This summer, he has yet to open the batting, most often coming in at seven as the Sixers' last line of defence before the specialist bowlers.
Hughes and Patterson, who opened the batting for the Scorchers in their title win last year, loom as more experienced options at the top despite Kerr's stellar knock last year.
The Sixers won't confirm the order of their final team until game day.
"(Kerr) is a vital piece for us down in that middle to lower order," Silk said.
"Whether we'd see his value at the top in a game like this, I'm not sure what'll happen there.
"He's almost been probably too good at the role down that he's played at six to warrant moving him."
The Sixers received a boost in the lead-up to the game with news Silk had signed a new three-year contract.
"Coming and watching games of Test cricket at the SCG, it was always a boyhood dream to eventually play at this ground," Silk said.
"I'm glad that that's able to continue."
