We have a double header of action in the Big Bash League on Saturday and it gets underway with the bottom two in the table meeting at The Gabba when the Brisbane Heat welcome the Sydney Thunder for a key clash for the home side.
The Heat still have every chance of extending their season but those hopes have vanished for the Thunder so they will be looking to play the role of spoiler and hope that they can build something for next season.
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat are at the bottom end of the six teams who are separated by two points heading into the final stage of the competition but with two key players back for this match and another one to follow next week they will still be feeling good about the position they are in. Three wins from their last three matches wouldn’t guarantee them a place in the top four because they have an inferior net run rate but it would give them every chance, especially if they can do some damage in one of those wins that sorts their run rate out.
You would imagine that this will be the best chance for that because the Thunder are clearly bottom of the table and the Heat have two international batters on their way back. If they are going to sort their net run rate out then they are going to need to be on it with the ball. It hasn’t been the easiest season for them in that department with the unexpected withdrawal of Shaheen Shah Afridi when he got injured but there is enough in their attack to get that job done.
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder made the final of this competition last season but they won’t be repeating that feat this time around and with just one win from their first seven matches their campaign is now done from a competitive standpoint. All they have left to do is play the role of party spoilers and some of their players will be playing for a contract for next season but that aside, it is all about pride now for the Thunder. They will hope that with the competitive pressure off them that they can show all their skills.
The big problem for the Thunder has been their bowling. It just hasn’t got going at any stage of the competition and it has put pressure on a batting order which always looked a batter light with the amount of all-rounders that they utilise. That is all well and good but when none of the main bowling options get the job done for them it leaves them very vulnerable and we have seen that. At least now there is no consequence should their batters try and deliver something big and fail to do so.
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Key Players
Marnus Labuschagne probably didn’t have The Ashes that he would have wanted but at domestic level he remains a class act and the Brisbane Heat will be looking for a strong showing from their returning star.
David Willey has joined up with the Sydney Thunder for what is now an uncompetitive stint for the men in green but it does give him a chance to put himself in the shop window for other franchise gigs so expect him to go well here.
Betting
The Gabba has been full of runs and boundaries this season and with two international superstar batters back in the home ranks I don’t see a reason why the same won’t be the case this time around either. Both of these teams just look a lot stronger with the bat than they do with the ball and when you consider that there is absolutely no pressure on the Sydney Thunder batters now I fail to see why on what has been a brilliant batting square all summer, why the boundaries won’t continue to flow here.
The boundaries line is 42.5 which feels a little on the high side for a competition which only has eight overs of powerplay across the two innings but when you look at the matches played here so far I don’t think it is. We’ve had three matches here. The first one ended with a bonkers 66 boundaries while the latest one had 55. The one in the middle only had 38 but that included an Adelaide Strikers side who have a better bowling attack than any of the two on show here. Add in the appearance of Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja and I think we get to 43 boundaries quite comfortably here.
Tips
Back Over 42.5 boundaries for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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