BBL10 Match Preview: Heat look to continue momentum against rhythm-searching Stars

Two teams that have found momentum late in the 10th edition of the BBL are Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers. While one of it continued that by beating the table-topper Sydney Sixers in their last game, the Chris Lynn-led side too would be looking to take it forward when they face Glenn Maxwell-led Melbourne Stars at the Carrara Oval.

Stars though, on the other hand, have found a little bit of a rhythm winning against Hurricanes, having lost three games in a row. Few things went right for them in that game which included the form of their star campaigners Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa along with Hilton Cartwright and the two blinders from the 'Spiceman' Andre Fletcher.

The Joe Factor

In their last game, it was Joe Burns, who joined the Heat team after getting released from the Australian Test squad due to poor form. The opener struggled in the game against the Sixers. However, he kind of found his ‘hands’ against the Thunder and the Heat unit would hope that the form continues. Along with him is the overseas signing Joe Denly who has been terrific in the two games that he has played so far, scoring a fifty in the last game.

The two Joes would give enough confidence to skipper Lynn, along with late order hitters in Lewis Gregory and Jimmy Pierson. With Mark Steketee and Mujeeb in the kind of form that they are in, it shouldn’t really be a big deal for the Heat to give the toughest of the fights to the Stars.

Stoinis Could be the Shining 'Star'

Stars are looking to find momentum and one win in the kitty would have done a tremendous amount of good for the team, especially in the way that victory came about. The usual suspects Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran did not fire and it was Stoinis and Cartwright that came to the rescue. Similarly, in the bowling, even after being without Nathan Coulter-Nile, an unknown gun in Sam Rainbird delivered.

It is these performances that would lift the spirits of the team. Among them, Stoinis finding form and hitting a brilliant 97 not out has been the biggest play and the Stars team would like him to continue with this form and also contribute with a few overs in bowling to take the team balance a notch above.

Heat vs Stars: Match Details

Date and Time: January 7, 2021, 8:20 PM local, 3:50 PM IST, 10:20 AM GMT

Venue: Carrara Oval, Brisbane

Broadcasters: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV

Pitch Report

The pitch at Carrara Oval has been generally good in this BBL season, offering pace and bounce. Good pace and bounce in Australia make pitches batting friendly. However, that doesn't mean flat decks either as bowlers, if they try, can get purchase off the surface if they hit the right lengths. It is expected to behave the same in this game as well.

Weather and Bat Flip

The weather has been a big let-down in matches at the Carrara Oval with rain intervals halting games. For this match, the forecast is that rain would disturb the proceedings this time as well. With 55% chance of rain in the night and 78% cloud cover, captains could do nothing but win the toss and field first.

Heat Strongest XI

Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Joe Denly, Jack Wildermuth, Jimmy Peirson (C &Wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Stars Strongest XI

Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Hilton Cartwright, Nicholas Pooran, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell (C), Seb Gotch (Wk), Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Sam Rainbird, Billy Stanlake

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Daily Round Up | Jan 6: Navdeep Saini set to make Test debut for India

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Inside out | Australia series is Rohit Sharma's moment of reckoning in unfulfilled Test career

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On the next overseas tour to New Zealand, Rohit could score one fifty in four innings but was again guilty of throwing away his starts but his partners in Kohli and Rahane notched up centuries to never stay out of the contention. His rising stocks in the early part of career started tanking by the tour of England in 2014, but when India gave up the idea of playing Stuart Binny as the fifth bowler, Rohit was inducted back as the sixth frontline batsman in the line up in Southampton, but the match turned out to be an infuriating one for both Rohit and the team management. He was persisted with the team on the tour of Australia that followed the same year, but runs did not come and whenever he got off to a good start, he was guilty of throwing it away in signs of not being a batsman who was willing to wait for his time. Meanwhile, he kept on performing in Tests played in India, but his away numbers never improved. 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When the BCCI announced the replacement for Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami before the third Test at the SCG, Rohit’s name was suffixed with the vice-captain tag, which in many ways was a massive revelation about the place of Rohit in this team set up. Before Rohit’s arrival, it was Pujara who was the deputy to Ajinkya Rahane who was leading the team in absence of Virat Kohli. This long thread of vice-captains shows nothing but the standings of players among the Indian team management, and it now shows that Rohit is rated very highly, in fact maybe more than Cheteshwar Pujara who has been one of the mainstays of the Indian batting line up, and it was more than certain that he would walk back into the Test team for the SCG Test. The remaining two Tests will be followed by nine Test matches against England at home and away and he would be itching to make his mark in the upcoming two Tests to silence the critics and stake a full and final claim on one of the opener’s positions in the batting order. Rohit would know that these two Tests will serve as a litmus test of his batting in overseas conditions and that the four Tests against England back home is a kind of territory he has already dominated against South Africa. If he wants to seal a spot for himself on the tour of England in the summer later this year, the time to put his head down and pile on the runs is now, when the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood is all in readiness to test all aspects of his batting with the new ball.

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Sourav Ganguly wants to stay back for one more day: Hospital

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