We find out who the Sydney Sixers will take on in the final of the Big Bash League on Saturday when the Challenger takes place on Thursday as the Perth Scorchers host the Brisbane Heat at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
The Scorchers have been denied the chance to stage this match in Perth because of Covid-19 but they will be determined to make it through for a shot at a fourth title. The Heat have caught fire recently and go in search of a place in the final and a shot at a second BBL crown.
Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers have already had one chance at making it through to the final and while you would say they made a mess of it, given the emphatic nature that the Sydney Sixers dealt with them in the Qualifier, you should also point out that the conditions did them absolutely no favours at all and in a fairer fight they would at least have expected to give the Sixers a better game of it if not see them off and book home advantage in the final.
Ultimately it was the first 10 overs when the ball was doing plenty which cost the Scorchers in that match, but if they go back to the game before they were carted around the park by this very Brisbane Heat side and their run chase then never got going until it was too late, so there is an onus on the Scorchers openers to get them off to a better start here, even if that means taking one or two risks to do it.
Brisbane Heat
When you consider that their final regular season game against the Perth Scorchers was effectively a knockout match for the Brisbane Heat, they have gone on the road in three straight matches and won the lot. If they can repeat that for a fourth time they will be in the final with a shot at winning the title for the first time since BBL02. There have been times in this run where the Heat have looked nervy and others when they have looked convincing.
To be fair, their win over the Sydney Thunder in the Knockout match was about as convincing as they have been in the entire competition. What will give them even more confidence and belief heading into that is that they have won their two official knockout games with Chris Lynn barely scoring a run. If he catches fire then the Scorchers might well be in danger. The Heat bowling is starting to really come to the party too which is definitely no bad thing.
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Team News
The Perth Scorchers are going in with an unchanged squad for this match which is no surprise to anyone considering they have been fairly settled throughout the competition. There is no reason to change anything despite their defeat last time out.
It remains to be seen whether the Brisbane Heat bring Max Bryant in to get their innings off to a good start. All eyes will be on their X-Factor selections where Morne Morkel seems to be a lock only to replace Xavier Bartlett each time.
Betting
I’m tempted to take the Brisbane Heat here but I don’t really like backing the match winner on this ground without knowing the result of the toss because the team who is chasing has a massive advantage, as we have seen in the two matches in the postseason here so far. Both chasing teams haven’t just won but they have cruised to victory with an awful lot in hand, and similar can’t be ruled out here. I’ll instead head to the sixes for a bet in this one.
The line here is 11.5 which feels way on the low side to me I have to say. When Perth batted here the other night the first half of the innings was near enough a write off with the ball doing all sorts due to the rain in the days leading up to that game. They still clouted seven sixes and for 10 overs of their run chase against the Sydney Thunder on Sunday the Brisbane Heat were going nowhere yet in a modest sized chase they too managed to wallop seven sixes. That shows the possibility for sixes on this ground and that was on a pitch on the middle of the square. If the pitch gets moved there will be a really short boundary to target which will make six hitting easier. The over looks a penalty kick here.
Tips
WON – Back Over 11.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with BetVictor
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