The Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat will travel to Canberra on Tuesday night, both intent on hitting their stride as BBL13 hits full swing.
The Heat aced their first assignment, destroying the Melbourne Stars, but the Thunder will be confident after bettering Brisbane head-to-head last season.
Josh Nevett provides his full match preview and BBL betting tips below!
BBL13 Betting Tips
Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat Betting Tips
Manuka Oval, Tuesday 12th December, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Sydney Thunder
The Thunder have played finals in each of the past four seasons, and they have the squad to manage that feat again.
Cameron Bancroft has signed on from Perth, although his availability may be restricted by impending test selection, which is highly likely.
David Warner’s name will also be a rare sight on the team sheet until late in the season, but with those two available the Thunder should produce improved batting performances.
The ongoing development and improvement of Nathan McAndrew and Tanveer Sangha also strengthens the green side of Sydney.
With that said, Tuesday’s line-up looks bowler heavy, with McAndrew a chance to bat at seven.
Predicted XI: Gilkes, Hales, J. Sangha, Davies, Ross, Sams, McAndrew, Green, Sandhu, Khan, T. Sangha
Brisbane Heat
Brisbane were clinical in the season opener, dismantling the Stars by 103 runs on home soil.
Colin Munro was the hero, blasting 99* off 61 balls including five maximums to propel his team to 3/214, assisted by test stars Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.
With those two set to depart for international duty, Munro becomes the main man for the foreseeable future.
Defending an enviable total, the Heat were always in control as Mitch Swepson (3/29) and Xavier Bartlett (2/8) went to work. Fortunately for Brisbane, their bowling unit should remain intact throughout the summer, bolstering their chances to succeed in BBL13.
In terms of batting replacements for this contest, I expect Josh Brown to open up and Nathan McSweeney to slot in at number three, while Jimmy Pierson and Matt Renshaw may also be available pending test selections.
Predicted XI: Brown, Munro, McSweeney, Billings, Bryant, Walter, Neser, Bartlett, Johnson, Swepson, Kuhnemann
Match Prediction
These teams are quite similar on paper – both have strong bowling attacks and weak batting groups – so this is a tough result to pick.
The Thunder came out on top in both clashes between the sides in BBL12, despite Munro tallying 141 runs across the two games.
If Sydney can contain the hard-hitting left-hander, then they should win this one with ease, but it’s a question that’s not easily answered.
Nevertheless, Brisbane are a less intimidating proposition away from the Gabba, so I’m siding with the Thunder here.
Sydney Thunder to Win
$1.88 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Ollie Davies is one of the rising stars of Australian cricket, having topped the Thunder run scoring charts in BBL12 with 333 runs at an average of 28. He should continue to improve, and a pre-season finger injury is the only reason to doubt a strong first up performance.
McAndrew took four wickets in one of the Thunder’s wins over Brisbane last season, and he has been starring in the Sheffield Shield, leading to a Prime Minister’s XI callup.
Johnson took one wicket in the season opener, and he will be the main strike bowler for the Heat this season. Time in the international setup has undoubtedly boosted Johnson’s confidence, and his pace remains electrifying.
Player to Score 15+ Runs – Ollie Davies
To Take a Wicket – Nathan McAndrew
To Take a Wicket – Spencer Johnson
