The Big Bash League is back at The Gabba on Wednesday for what is an away match for the team that is usually the home side as the Hobart Hurricanes host the Brisbane Heat in the reverse of the fixture from Sunday.
The Heat won that game on Sunday and will go in search of a quick double against the Hurricanes, but despite the defeat the Hurricanes still sit comfortably above their hosts in the standings and will look to move further clear here.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes were well beaten in the last game it has to be said. It was the first time in the tournament that their batting has let them down. It was also the first time that they have played away from home this season. Whether the two things are merely a coincidence or a trend which we might see playing out over the coming weeks remains to be seen but a strong performance with the willow will be welcomed here just in case there are some doubts with regards to that.
The other issue that the Hurricanes might have moving forward is the lack of a top class spinner. That probably didn’t hurt them as much in their home matches because the ball doesn’t really turn much at the Blundstone Arena, but as they go around the country it could be an issue so they will need to come up with a combination that negates that. Where they are strong though is in the seam department and those bowlers will be needed here.
Brisbane Heat
To suggest that the Brisbane Heat needed that win in the previous match will have been something of an understatement but to their credit they did get the victory. You’d have to say there wasn’t a whole lot that was convincing about their run chase but all it says on the scorecard is that you get one more run than the opposition not how you get them. It will be interesting to see if tasting victory brings out a more comprehensive performance from the Heat side.
To be fair to Brisbane, their bowling is coming on by the match. They are bringing more and more of their skills out and are looking much better for it. There are signs that their batting is beginning to come to the party as well but the big issue is that they just don’t seem to have a brain when it comes to pacing or planning an innings. Even when they were in complete control on Sunday they got out playing some ridiculous shots and weren’t far away from throwing the victory away. If they are going to go deep in this competition they need to box a lot smarter than they are doing.
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Team News
The Hobart Hurricanes will be without James Faulkner for this match. He went off with a hamstring injury during the last game and hasn’t recovered enough for this one. One of Keemo Paul or Johan Botha are likely to come in for him.
The Brisbane Heat will also be forced into a change after Dan Lawrence has left to join up with the England squad ahead of their series in Sri Lanka. Joe Denly has completed his quarantine period and is being whisked to Brisbane for this encounter in what would be a straight swap.
Betting
I like over 9.5 sixes in this match. I’m actually a little surprised that the line is so low given that there were 11 of them on Sunday, nine of them from the bat of the Brisbane Heat side with Lewis Gregory and Jimmy Peirson not hitting any of them. There were only two in the Hobart Hurricanes innings but we’ve seen in earlier matches in the tournament that they have no issue when it comes to clearing the ropes, and on bigger grounds than this one too.
When you think that the likes of D’Arcy Short, Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram and Tim David never hit a single six on Sunday there is so much six hitting potential still to be utilised in these two sides that I’m expecting the ball to be flying a fair bit over the course of the night. Over 9.5 sixes might be a short price at 8/11 but based on what we saw on Sunday I think it has more than a fair chance of coming in.
Tips
Back Over 9.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with William Hill
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