BBL: Buoyant Heat look to halt the Thunder express at Gabba
Brisbane Heat after a thrilling victory over the Sydney Sixers would look to halt another winning express, the across town neighbours of the Sixers, the Thunder. Thunder have looked supreme in the tournament so far, especially after the early defeat to Stars. But Heat are boxed to after a thrilling finish to their last fixture against the then table-toppers Sixers and would not mind beating another table topper.
However, beating Thunder is anything but easy, especially with that long batting lineup consisting of some very diverse players who raise their hand at the time of trouble. The bowling line up is equally impressive with the likes of Chris Green and Daniel Sams leading a young but competitive attack.
Boosted by Lynn's return, Heat would go for the kill
The Brisbane franchise would finally have their captain in the mix as Chriss Lynn has now been allowed to play after he was disallowed to play the next three games, after the Heat’s second BBL 10 fixture against the Thunder. He was reprimanded for breaching the movement protocol and interacting with a member of the crowd.
An already strong looking batting lineup which has the likes of Joe Denly, Joe Burns and Lewis Gregory along Jimmy Peirson would get a much needed quick scoring pro at the start of the innings. In his last match, Lynn, 30, had scored 69 and he would love to continue from where he had left against the Thunder at Manuka Oval.
Along with Lynn the good form of Gregory, both with the bat and ball and that of Mujeeb too would be a pivotal factor in favour of the Heat ahead of this important contest. A victory here and the team from the land of the deserts would be up and running for the race to the Playoffs.
Thunder would back batsmen to strike
In all the games won, it has always been the batters who have worked extensively well for a Thunder victory, right from game two onwards. Be it by making huge totals or by standing tall in the face of tough challenges. The main aspect of batting is that it isn’t dependent on a single person.
Be it the skipper Callum Ferguson, openers Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja or the new entrant Sam Billings. All of them have risen to the occasion as and when required. This time around too, they would be hoping that someone or the other takes up the responsibility.
Ben Cutting would be in the line of course since it is his home ground where the match would be taking place and he himself would be itching to have a crack at the game. He could well turn out to be a game-changer for the Thunder.
Heat vs Thunder: Match Details
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Date and Time: January 4, 01:45 AM IST, 06:15 PM Local, 08:15 AM GMT
Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV
Pitch Report
Although on a slower side in previous games, prior to the last one, the Gabba pitch finally showed it’s true colour in the match between Heat and Sixers. A pitch that had something for everyone gave the audiences a great time in the game, which resulted in a last-over thriller. A similar wicket would be expected in this game too.
Weather and Bat Flip
Considering that there would be 87% cloud cover and 25% chance of a shower and also the last four matches, where Heat have chased, in this match too, teh team winning the toss would look to field first and chase down a target as the wicket gets a bit better to bat on.
Heat Strongest XI
Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Chris Lynn (c), Joe Denly, Jack Wildermuth, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson (wk), James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman,
Thunder Strongest XI
Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Oliver Davies, Sam Billings (wk), Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Tremain, Tanveer Sangha
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