The Big Bash League season continues on Thursday when two of the middle of the road sides battle it out at the Adelaide Oval when the Adelaide Strikers take on the Brisbane Heat in the final pre-Christmas assignment for both teams.
Both teams have a win and three defeats from their opening four matches, with the Strikers much better off than the Heat because they have won the Bash Boost point in every game they have played this season, as opposed to the one which Brisbane have picked up.
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers have lost their last two matches, the latest of which came against the Sydney Sixers earlier in the week. Once again they didn’t put up much of a score but like they so often do they almost defended it with the quality of their bowling attack, but were probably 10 runs light. However to come so close to beating the team which has won this tournament for the past two seasons is no mean feat.
That batting is a real issue though. It was an issue the day that Alex Carey was called up to the Test squad and it remains so. The problem is there doesn’t look like there is a way to solve it other than hope that their bowlers can restrict a team to a low total and then they scramble enough runs together to get over the line. The other option would be to send someone up the order to try and get them ahead of the rate but I’m not sure they have anyone who fits the bill.
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat are having the same problem as the Adelaide Strikers this season. They haven’t put up nearly enough runs this term and have paid the price. The only time they have won this term is when they restricted the Melbourne Renegades to 140/6 and chased the score down. Their other three matches they have scored 140/8, 151 and 143. The difference between the Heat and the Strikers is that Brisbane don’t have the excuse of missing players.
The other similarity between these two sides is that Brisbane have a good bowling attack, although it is an attack which got taken to the cleaners by the Sydney Thunder, although any set of bowlers can go round the park at The Gabba. You sense this is a pretty big match for Brisbane. If they lose here they’ll be at least four points behind fourth place and already looking at perhaps just fifth spot being available if they are going to extend their season.
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Team News
The Adelaide Strikers have added Harry Conway and Daniel Drew to their extended squad for this match to give them more options with regards to conditions. Unless there is a late issue they might well be unchanged though.
The Brisbane Heat have been forced into a couple of changes for this match. Mitchell Swepson is away with the Test squad while Tom Abell will be out with the injury he picked up in the loss to the Sydney Thunder the other night. Jack Wildermuth, Nathan McSweeney and Matt Kuhnemann have been added to the squad.
Betting
I’ll take a couple of bets for this match with the first of them being under 308.5 runs. These two sides do not tend to go particularly well with the bat, or haven’t done this season, and to say that the bowling department is the strength of these teams is an understatement. The Afghan spinners for either side are as good as you see in the competition while both teams have seamers who can be relied on for wickets and keeping the flow of runs down. We’ve just had a Test match here so I’m not convinced the pitch will be in the best of situations for batting so when we consider that in eight innings between them this season these two haven’t gone beyond 151, albeit the Heat would have done in the match they won, the under looks good here.
I’ll also make a play for Xavier Bartlett being the leading scorer for the Brisbane Heat at 40/1. He has just top scored for the Heat in the loss to the Sydney Thunder and the match before that his 34* was enough to share the top score against the Perth Scorchers. In three knocks this season he has 26*, 34* and 42* so he’s in decent form with the bat and with Adelaide having bowlers up front who can expose an out of form batting unit there is a chance he will come in with the top score within range. At 40/1 I’ll pay to find out.
Tips
Back Under 308.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back X.Bartlett Top Brisbane Heat Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with Coral
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