In this article, we preview Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, match 46 of the Big Bash League Season 10 at the Adelaide Oval on 21 January. Adelaide Strikers are currently in 4th place on the points table with five wins in 10 matches played, while Brisbane Heat are two rungs below them, with four wins in nine games.
Match Preview: What to Expect
Adelaide Strikers’ recent form has been encouraging. At Adelaide on 11 January, Strikers faced Melbourne Stars. Batting first, Stars scored 149/7, and Strikers chased down the target with five wickets and an over to spare. Wes Agar was the pick of the Strikers’ bowlers, snaring 2/19, while Daniel Worrell (2/28), Harry Conway (1/29) and Rashid Khan (2/29) shared the other wickets. Among their batsmen, Phil Salt (31), Alex Carey (21), Jonathan Wells (36), Jake Weatherald (19) and Ryan Gibson (22 not out) contributed to the chase.
On 14 January, Brisbane Heat played against Melbourne Renegades at Canberra. Batting first, Renegades were restricted to 149/6. Replying, Heat got to the target in 18.4 overs with five wickets to spare. Skipper Chris Lynn top scored with 50 off 40 balls and gave his side a good start with an opening stand of 46 with Max Bryant (23). Joe Denly and Joe Burns scored 31 runs each to help Heat to their 5th win in 10 games. Mark Steketee (2/24) was Heat’s most successful bowler, while Xavier Bartlett (1/2), Jack Wildermuth (1/520 and Matthew Kuhnemann (1/15) were the other wicket takers.
In the last game between Strikers and Heat on December 23, at Brisbane, Strikers won by a narrow margin of two runs. Batting first, Strikers scored 150/6 before restricting Heat to 148/9 in their allotted overs. Salt, Renshaw, Wells and Nielsen made useful contributions with the bat for Strikers, while Danny Briggs (3/20) was their most impressive bowler on the day. Daniel Worall, Peter Siddle, and Rashid Khan were also among the wickets. For Heat, skipper Jimmy Pearson’s valiant unbeaten knock of 69 off 36 balls went in vain as he did not get adequate support from any other batsman. Xavier Bartlett (3/24) was the best Heat bowler on display and Jack Wildermuth and Mark Steketee chipped in with useful wickets.
Summaryp>Strikers have a narrow 7-5 advantage over Heat in the head to head comparison. We expect an extremely tight contest on 21 January, a match that would probably be won by which team’s key players stand up to be counted. Strikers will depend on Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald to hold up their batting, while looking to Wes Agar and Rashid Khan for fireworks with the ball. Heat, as ever, will expect Chris Lynn to shine at the top of the batting order with support from Max Bryant. Apart from Mark Steketee, Mujeeb ur Rahman could add a spark to heat’s bowling effort on the big day.
