As is the tradition in the Big Bash League, the New Year’s Eve action comes from the Adelaide Oval where the Adelaide Strikers will go up against the Brisbane Heat for the second time in less than week after the pair met last Saturday.
Brisbane won that match by seven runs and are in a better position in the competition as a result but Adelaide can get back on track and move into the top four themselves if they can enjoy home comforts in this game.
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers go into this match with just the one win from their three outings but they could feel that their season hasn’t been able to gather any momentum with them only having played three games in the first 16 to take place in the competition. It does mean that as they head into 2026 the matches will come thick and fast so if they can pick up a win here they will hope it is a platform to catapult them into a consistent period of form and in turn send them soaring up the table.
The Strikers will probably want a little more from their bowling attack moving forward although it is never easy for that department when you consider the dimensions of the home ground that they play on. To be fair, they haven’t been taken to the cleaners in the tournament but one over here or there has cost them. There is definitely more to come from this team with the bat, especially when The Ashes has concluded and they potentially get two gun batters back.
Brisbane Heat
It has been a bit of a rollercoaster affair for the Brisbane Heat so far this season but they have come out of their opening four matches with two wins and two defeats. Their -0.479 net run rate will tell you that their wins have been much closer than their losses but at this stage of the season it is all about racking up the victories and if they do that then we are early enough in the campaign that their net run rate will take care of itself.
The Heat have been very good with the bat this season and that certainly bodes well for them, especially when they are without some key batters due to international duty or injury and when they return they will have even more firepower at their disposal. They have come up very short with the ball though so the last thing that they needed was their overseas star Shaheen Shah Afridi being ruled out of the remainder of the competition through injury.
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Key Players
Matt Short took 2-13 and blasted 63 from 39 in the last match against the Brisbane Heat for the Adelaide Strikers but it still wasn’t enough to take them to victory. The Strikers will be hoping for more of the same from their captain and others to perform around him.
Max Bryant hit at nearly 200 in the reverse meeting between this pair. His 63 came from just 32 balls and propelled the Brisbane Heat to a score which was just about high enough to get them over the line. He might get an elevation in the order as a result.
Betting
The Brisbane Heat are beginning to run out of players ahead of this trip to Adelaide and as such I think we have to take the Adelaide Strikers to overturn their seven run loss when these met as recently as Saturday. The Heat are without Shaheen Shah Afridi and Tom Alsop from the win over the Strikers last time out and although neither had a massive contribution it still means inferior players coming in from the cold which can’t be that ideal.
The Adelaide Strikers were probably a batter short of winning that match at the weekend and they have added Alex Ross to their ranks for this match which certainly bodes well for them. They have bowled better than the Heat in this competition anyway and there is no reason why that won’t continue here and when you throw in home advantage and the tradition of the last game of the year and the party that goes with it, I think the Strikers get the job done here.
Tips
Back Adelaide Strikers to beat Brisbane Heat for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Spreadex
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