The Heat come into the fixture after a crucial victory against the Hurricanes in Hobart where their batting line up gave the competition another glimpse of how good they can be. The Thunder are coming off a thrilling loss against the Stars where their in-form batting line up failed to fire for the first time this season as Alex Hales (0), Usman Khawaja (1) and Callum Ferguson (19) only combined for 20 runs. The battle between the two captains will loom large in deciding the result, with Callum Ferguson (248 runs, ranked 2nd) and Chris Lynn (211 runs, ranked 6th) leading from the front for their respective teams. The Heat hold an impressive 7-2 head to head record over the Thunder, can the Heat get consecutive wins for the first time this season? Or will the Thunder cement their spot in the top 4?
The Thunder bring in experienced campaigner Gurinder Sandhu as well as young left arm chinaman Liam Bowe, who burst onto the scene back in BBL06 with the Melbourne Stars. Johnathan Cook and Nathan McAndrew come out of the side that lost to the Stars last Thursday. It’s mixed news at the selection table for the Heat as they welcome back Mitch Swepson who has been released from test squad, replacing Matt Kuhnemann from the squad that beat the Hurricanes in their last outing. However Sam Heazlett hasn’t recovered from the illness that saw him be a late withdrawal from their clash with the Hurricanes.
Sydney Thunder Squad (13): Callum Ferguson (C), Liam Bowe, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Chris Morris, Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Chris Tremain
Brisbane Heat Squad (13): Chris Lynn (C), Tom Banton, Max Bryant, Ben Cutting, Cameron Gannon, Josh Lalor, Ben Laughlin, Jimmy Peirson, Jack Prestwidge, Matt Renshaw, Mark Stekete, Mitch Swepson, Zahir Khan
Thunder vs Heat Betting Tips
Thunder
The Thunder come into the fixture after a losing a match which was heading towards a comprehensive defeat, before a spirited fightback had them nearly snatch a miraculous victory, although the put in an ordinary performance with the bat they showed plenty of fight in the loss. The Thunder will need to get more out of their star trio of Callum Ferguson (248 runs, ranked 2nd in the BBL), Usman Khawaja (168 runs, ranked 12th) and Alex Hales (122 runs, ranked 20th). Without strong contributions from the top three, the Thunder’s batting line up looked very shallow and they’ll be looking to get on top of one of the weaker bowling attacks in the BBL.
Usman Khawaja has put together a solid campaign without really tearing apart the competition, scoring 168 runs at an average of 28 with a strike rate of 133.33. He has scores of 22, 66, 0, 16, 63 and 1, he hasn’t put it all together this season, but he has shown in previous seasons that he can be a dominant force, with 1160 career BBL runs at an average of 44.62. Khawaja showed signs of a big score against the Thunder made a quickfire 22 against the Heat in the season opener at the Gabba before skying a catch to deep backward square. Against a bowling attack that only has one bowler with an economy rate of under seven, Khawaja will like his chances of getting a big score.
Khawaja Top SYD Batsman
$3.00
Heat
The Heat bounced back in fine fashion against the Hurricanes, with a dominant batting performance led by 88 not out from Chris Lynn and 65 from Max Bryant as they piled on a franchise record 3/212. As we have seen in their two wins this season, when at their best the Heat have the most damaging batting line up in the competition however in their three losses the Heat’s batting has been diabolical. The Sydney Showground Stadium will provide the Heat’s aggressive batsmen with some challenges on a low skidding pitch, can the bashing types of Chris Lynn and Max Bryant adapt their game for the surface they will be batting on?
The one consistent performer for the Heat this season has been Matthew Renshaw who has scored 156 runs at an average of 39, great production from a number four batsmen. His 30 from 17 balls to keep the momentum going through the Heat’s innings against the Hurricanes, highlights the major improvements Renshaw has made in his T20 game as he holds a strike rate of 136.84. On what will be a low, skidding surface, Renshaw is the most well equipped Heat batsmen to produce a big performance at the Sydney Showground Stadium. As seen by some of the Thunder batsmen in their last match, the big bashers of the ball will be vulnerable on this wicket, Renshaw has the all-round game to put together a big score.
Renshaw Top BRI Batsman
$5.00
Prediction
A crucial game between two teams that are trying to cement their places in the top five, both teams possessing some star talent with the bat, both teams with a lack of depth with the ball. The conditions will play a massive factor in this game, on a surface that will skid and keep lower than other surfaces, the Heat’s big hitters will have their techniques challenge. Given the Heat’s inconsistent form with the bat, it’s hard to see the likes of Max Bryant, Tom Banton and Chris Lynn changing their ways which will be a dangerous way to go about their batting. Expect the class of Khawaja, Hales and Ferguson to bounce back after a poor performance. With the spin depth of Arjun Nair, Chris Green and potentially Liam Bowe, the Thunder will be too much to handle for the Heat and further cement their spot in the top 5.
