Just two nights after they played in arguably the best game of BBL12, the Sixers take on the Heat once again, with the Sixers looking for redemption. The Sixers will be desperate to remain in the top three, while the Heat will be looking to get into the finals race!
Jack Tobin has you covered with a preview for Sixers vs Heat, and for tips on every game this season, head to our BBL Tips page. And if you're having a dabble, why not bet with Dabble?
BBL12 Sixers vs Heat Preview & Betting Tips
North Sydney Oval, Wednesday 4th December, 6:10pm (AEDT)
Sydney Sixers
Predicted XI: Josh Philippe, James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Dan Christian, Hayden Kerr, Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed
After playing just the one spinner in their last game despite their spinners having a big impact this season, it’s likely that Todd Murphy will return to the Sixers side to pair with Izharulhaq Naveed. The Sixers bowling attack looked slightly one dimensional with five seamers in their attack against the Heat, and they'll be looking to have some more flexibilty with their bowling. There’s not many occasions where a side scores 209 and loses, however that was the reality the Sixers faced on New Year's Day. The Sixers fell 15 runs short in pursuit of the Heat’s 5/224, despite a stunning knock from James Vince that had the Sixers ahead of the run rate during the first 6 overs.
The Sixers star studded bowling attack was on the end of a serious hiding from the Heat. Ben Dwarshuis (1/55), Jackson Bird (1/47), Sean Abbott (1/46), Hayden Kerr (1/30) and Izharulhaq Naveed (1/38) all went at economy rates of over 9.50. It's going to be a tough task bowling on the small dimensions at North Sydney Oval, which have seen some massive scores posted across the history of Australian domestic cricket.
The defeat brought an end to the Sixers three game winning streak to an end. The Sixers are in third place with a 4-3 record, and will be satisfied with their position after starting the season 0-2. This isn’t as a Sixers outfit performing as well as they have had in previous seasons, however they’ll still be around at the business end of the season.
Brisbane Heat
Predicted XI: Josh Brown, Colin Munro, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Billings, Jimmy Peirson, Ross Whiteley, Michael Neser, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Matt Kuhnemann, Mitch Swepson
After their upset win on Sunday night, it’s difficult to see the Heat making any changes to their eleven. A stunning cameo at the top order from second gamer Josh Brown, set the platform for a huge total from a Heat side in desperate need of a win. Brown’s 62 from 23 deliveries that included six 6’s and four 4’s catapulted the Heat out of the blocks en route to their highest score in franchise history of 5/224. Youngster Nathan McSweeney (84 off 51) paced his innings brilliantly to ensure the Heat capitalised on Brown’s incredible knock.
Of course in typical Heat fashion, they made defending 224 look incredibly difficult, with the Sixers launching out of the blocks to be 1/82 in the seventh over. However the spin of Matt Kuhnemann (2/31) and Mitch Swepson (0/21) proved the difference, conceding just seven runs an over in a game in which both sides scored over 200.
Despite the victory, the Heat are still anchored at the bottom of the BBL table with a 2-4 record. Despite the slow start, at the time of writing the Heat are only a game behind fourth place. There’s a massive logjam between the Strikers in 4th (3-4, six points) and the Heat in eighth. If the Heat can string some wins together, they could easily find themselves inside the top five.
Match Prediction
Monday night’s high scoring thriller was an uncharacteristic performance from the Sixers, and they will be desperate to bounce back and avoid falling into the logjam in the middle of the BBL table. The Heat are a side capable of producing outstanding one off performances, however they’ve never been an outfit that produces consistent performances.
This will likely be another high scoring encounter given the small boundaries at North Sydney, so this game is going to come down to which bowling attack can just do enough to stop the bleeding. Sixers have a 13-3 head to head advantage against the Heat, and will be desperate to bounce back after a disappointing loss on New Year's Day. Expect a professional performance from the Sixers to get across the line in this clash.
Sydney Sixers
$1.68 (1.5 units)
Same Game Multi
James Vince is in scintillating form at the moment, our BBL Data Tools show that Vince has hit the 15+ run mark in each of his last five games. Vince’s last five innings have produced scores of 41, 39, 26, 33 and 19.
Despite a low score on Sunday night, Colin Munro is in some serious form with knocks of 98 and 43 in his last three games. Munro has been one of the most consistent imports in the history of the BBL, averaging 30 across his BBL career.
To round out the multi, we’re going with Sean Abbott to take 2+ wickets. Abbott has taken ten wickets across his last six games, and has taken multiple wickets in three of those six matches.
James Vince 15+ runs
Colin Munro 15+ runs
Sean Abbott 2+ wickets
