The new year begins with a double header of action in the Big Bash League and it gets underway in Hobart as the Hobart Hurricanes host the Brisbane Heat in what is another big match for both sides in the competition.
Hobart have put in a spurt of form at the back end of 2021 and they will start the second half of their season in third place in the table and looking up while the Heat are in what looks like a three way battle for the last of the playoff spots.
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes started the season off very slowly with three defeats in their opening four matches but as I have often said in these previews they were all against the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers so they probably weren’t the most accurate form guide known to man. Since then their schedule has got easier and they have won three matches on the trot. I certainly don’t think that is a coincidence.
One concern I have over the Hurricanes is that Ben McDermott seems to be scoring all their runs at the minute. While having a batter in fantastic form is certainly not a bad thing, you’d like one or two to be going well in reserve in case McDermott gets out early. They don’t lack for depth with the bat which is a good thing. They have been ok with the ball without standing out, but they are getting the job done at the key times which is the main thing.
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat look nothing like the side who almost made the final of this competition last season. They had good plans in place last season but this term they look all over the place. One game they bat very well and then the next they are a shambles and they are starting to switch players into different positions which is always the first sign that a team is beginning to panic and when that sets in it rarely ends well.
The Heat have won just two of their seven matches so far this season and they have both come against two of the three sides below them in the table so they really need a standout display to get themselves back into this competition. Their bowlers need to stand up to the plate while their batters are struggling for consistency but the trouble is they are a bit hit or miss. There are enough big players in this side to be doing better than they are.
Special Offer
Open up an account with BetVictor and bet £10 on any sport over this Christmas and New Year period to get £50 in free bets PLUS 100 FREE SPINS! Click the image below for this fantastic offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 odds of 2.00+, no cashout. Get a £10 Sports Free Bet, 2x £10 Football Free Bets & 2x £10 Horse Racing Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. Plus 100 Free Spins on Christmas Big Bass Bonanza, no wagering. 7 day bonus expiry. Offer valid between 10:00GMT 23.12.2021 and 15:30GMT 03.01.2022. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.
Team News
It will be the same squad that Hobart Hurricanes will be picking from for this match as Scott Boland remains away with Australia and Joel Paris is still out with the injury he picked up earlier in the competition. The Hurricanes are likely to be unchanged.
The Brisbane Heat have added Liam Guthrie and Cameron Gannon to the squad they used in the defeat to the Sydney Sixers last time out. Fakhar Zaman has been signed to replace Tom Abell but he hasn’t arrived with the squad yet.
Betting
Given that this is a day game I like the boundaries in this one. I say that because this is always a decent batting wicket and the outfield here is never slow. We are likely to have a short boundary given that the Test match has been rescheduled here in a week or so and the preparation for that will be underway which means that this match is likely to take place on one of the wickets on the edge of the square, offering up a shorter half of the ground.
I would have taken the sixes here but I’ve been let down on them in the past and actually a couple of the Hobart players who have offered some form outside of McDermott are hitting fours rather than sixes. The same can be said of a couple of the Brisbane Heat form batters so I think the boundaries is the better bet here rather than the sixes. The line is 37.5 and with the batters we have on show here coupled with what is usually a good wicket to bat on I expect the over to land here.
Tips
Back Over 37.5 boundaries for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
