Preview
Brisbane Heat head into a massive clash against the table-toppers, Hobart Hurricanes for this important fixture in the Big Bash League. After three matches in the season, the Heat are yet to get off the mark and have zero wins and just a solitary point from the Bash Boost. They will have to play out of their skins to win this one.
The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have had a terrific season so far with some exemplary batting and bowling talent at their disposal. They have three wins in four three matches so far and are at the top of the points table. While it’s too early in the season to call shots or make wild guesses, it is hard to see the Hurricanes not go until the finals.
Team news
The Hurricanes have perhaps the most spectacular batting line-up in the competition this season. D’Arcy Short opening with Will Jacks followed by Colin Ingram, Tim David, Ben McDermott and Peter Handscomb make them a terrific batting side. They have no reasons to meddle with their combinations, especially as the bowling unit is also in sync.
The Heat are having a tough season with their big all-rounder Ben Cutting leaving. The batting lacks a solid anchor, a job that Matt Renshaw, who left prior to this season did a decent job at. Jimmy Pierson’s magic let them into the last game against the Strikers but they still ended up losing. It’s hard to see the Heat challenge the Hurricanes unless there’s a stellar individual performance.
Overall squads
Hobart Hurricanes: Scott Boland, Johan Botha, Tim David, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Colin Ingram, Will Jacks, Caleb Jewell, Sandeep Lamichhane, Dawid Malan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, David Moody, Mitch Owen, Tim Paine, Wil Parker, Keemo Paul, D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Nick Winter, Mac Wright
Brisbane Heat: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Tom Cooper, Lewis Gregory, Sam Heazlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Laughlin, Dan Lawrence, Chris Lynn, Simon Milenko, Morne Morkel, Jimmy Peirson, Lachlan Pfeffer, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mark Steketee, Connor Sully, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Matthew Willans, Jack Wood
Probable XI
Brisbane Heat: Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Daniel Lawrence, Tom Cooper, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Simon Milenko, Jack Wood, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Laughlin, Matthew Kuhnemann
Hobart Hurricanes: D Arcy Short, Will Jacks, Ben McDermott (wk), Peter Handscomb (c), Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, Tim David, James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith
Key players
Chris Lynn: Much of Brisbane Heat’s season will depend on how Chris Lynn goes. He’s had a mixed season so far, but the Australian is truly capable of single-handedly demolishing opponents. That’s exactly what the Heat will aim for in this big fixture. They’ll need Lynn up and running against a strong Hurricanes bowling unit.
D’Arcy Short: What he does in the BBL is simple and straightforward: score plenty of runs at a decent rate. It’s the dream job for a T20 batsman, opening the batting and setting the tempo, and Short has kind of set the template in the Big Bash League for batsmen of his kind. The Hurricanes have benefited big-time from his consistency.