Sixth-placed Brisbane Heat faces the table-toppers, Sydney Thunder for the second time in the Big Bash League.
Sydney had defeated Brisbane by four wickets in their first clash. Brisbane defeated Sydney Sixers by six wickets in their last match. Sydney won by 7 runs against Melbourne Renegades in a rain-curtailed encounter.
Head to Head
Matches Played- 11, Heat- 8, Thunder-3
Team News
Chasing a competitive total of 166, Brisbane successfully chased it with Max Bryant's knock of 40 and Lewis Gregory's 31 runs. Mark Steketee was impressive the ball taking four wickets. Jack Wildermuth gave away only 10 runs in his three overs.
Sydney was well served by Usman Khawaja's 48 and Alex Hales's quickfire knock of 45 as they comfortably overcame Melbourne's bowlers to chase down the revised target. Nathan McAndrew was the pick of the bowlers taking 3-41.
Pitch and Conditions
Out of 7 matches played in Hobart in this year's BBL, the team batting first has won 5 times. Even scores in the range of 160-170 can be successfully defended by the bowlers if they deliver consistently. The ball comes on nicely to the bat in the death overs. The weather for the game is expected to be partly cloudy without any chance of rain.
Probable Playing XI
Brisbane Heat (BRH): Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Joe Denly, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Peirson (c & wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Sydney Thunder (SYT): Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings, Oliver Davies, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Tremain, Tanveer Sangha
Key Battles
Joe Denly (BRH) vs Nathan McAndrew (SYT)
Playing his first match this season, Denly hit 19 runs. He is an attacking middle-order batsman who has taken part in several T20 leagues around the world. He can struggle a bit on grassy surfaces where the ball moves.
McAndrew took three wickets for 41 runs in the previous game after coming into the side replacing the experienced Adam Milne. He has been an integral part of Sydney since he made his first appearance in the BBL-05 season. The right-arm pacer can control the run flow by making the breakthroughs regularly. His economy rate is a bit on a higher side.
Mark Steketee (BRH) vs Sam Billings (SYT)
Billings scored 10 runs in the last game. He has the uncanny ability to dominate the bowling attack from the word go. The shortest format of the game is ideal for the big-hitter. He has good finishing skills and possesses 360-degree strokeplay. He is a great player of spin and uses his feet smartly.
Steketee was declared the man of the match for taking four wickets for 33 runs in the previous match. He is the third-highest wicket-taker for Brisbane in the history of the BBL. Being a utility player, he can bowl at any stage of the innings.
Prediction
A win for Brisbane could lift them to the fifth spot in the points table. Sydney will look to retain their top spot in the table with a victory. It is a direct shootout between Sydney's deep batting line-up and Brisbane's balanced bowling attack.
Cricwizz predicts Sydney Thunder to win the match
