The second Big Bash League match on Sunday comes from The Gabba as the Brisbane Heat host the Melbourne Renegades in a clash which has a lot more on it for the home side than it does the defending champions.
Brisbane Heat go into the match outside the playoff places so they need to win to regain their position in that slot. The Melbourne Renegades know their title defence is over from a competitive viewpoint but they will want to spoil the party here.
Brisbane Heat
The Heat go into this match off the back of a couple of very one sided matches against the Adelaide Strikers, one which they eased over the line in and the other which they got absolutely battered in. If they are going to reach the playoffs you would think they are going to need to find some consistency to their game and in order to do that, they need to make sure their batting delivers the goods throughout the innings.
I’ve actually been quite impressed with the Brisbane Heat with the ball this season. That sounds daft when they didn’t take a wicket in their last match, but they were defending absolutely nothing so I’m prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for that and excuse them. It is no good having the power in the batting that the Heat have if nobody is prepared to use their brain and ensure it is utilised properly.
Melbourne Renegades
It took them 10 goes but the Melbourne Renegades finally have a chalk on the board and they will be out to double their tally in this match. It was one of the rare occasions in the tournament that the Renegades have finished off their batting innings against the Sydney Thunder, and they got their rewards for it. They put up a daunting score and gave their bowlers something to defend, and they responded how you would expect a champion side to.
The key now is to continue to play for the full 20 overs with the bat because there is enough in their bowling ranks to get the job done. You could argue that they were helped by the rain against the Thunder, but the Renegades would have won anyway for my money. The addition of Mohammad Nabi might have come too late for the current champions to retain their crown but it has certainly made them more competitive.
Sign up for an 888sport account before the big Sunday game to get 6/1 on Liverpool to win OR 50/1 on Man Utd to win. Click the image above to bet. Use code 888ODDS. New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware
Team News
Brisbane Heat have only made one change to their squad after their humbling in Adelaide last time out. That sees Sam Heazlett coming back into the ranks with Max Bryant the man who has made way for the home side.
It probably comes as no surprise after their first win of the season that the Melbourne Renegades are unchanged for this match. They will go with the same squad and after a decent team effort they are likely to name the same XI too.
Betting
We haven’t really seen one of those high scoring games that the Gabba is famous for in this tournament yet but I fancy it might come here, purely because of the freedom that the Melbourne Renegades are playing with. In many ways this one is all about the Melbourne Renegades. If they play well then they will bring the best out of the Brisbane Heat at the very least and that should make for a good game.
The boundaries line for this contest is only 34.5 which seems pretty low to me. The Renegades have made more than 165 in three of their last four matches so they are beginning to bat well while Brisbane are loaded with boundary hitters and should tuck into this Melbourne attack. I fancy this will become a bit of shootout so I’m happy to ride the back of the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Lynn, Shaun Marsh et al and let them combine for at least 35 boundaries.
Tips
Back Over 34.5 boundaries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
