BBL12 Stars vs Heat Preview & Betting Tips
MCG, Monday 16th January, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Melbourne Stars
Predicted XI: Joe Clarke, Thomas Rogers, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, James Seymour, Campbell Kellaway, Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa
Nathan Coulter-Nile was rested for Saturday night’s clash and is expected to come back into the eleven against the Heat. Brody will likely be the unlucky man to miss out again, the youngster has played just one game this season after being the Stars leading wicket taker in BBL12. Given the horror show from the Stars middle order, there is a chance that they look at bringing Campbell Kellaway back into the line up.
The Stars were on their way to a convincing victory against their crosstown rivals on Saturday night, requiring 21 off the last 24 deliveries with six wickets in hand. However the Stars were held to 3/14 from the last four overs, to fall six runs short in what was a remarkable collapse that has all but ended their season. The most remarkable stat from the defeat was that were eleven dot balls in the final four overs, an unheard of amount late in a 20/20 fixture.
A win against the Renegades would have seen them only one game outside of the top five, with a genuine chance to sneak into the finals. There will be a lot of soul searching for the Stars over the final four games of the season, in what has been another wasted campaign for the perennial underperformers of the competition.
Brisbane Heat
Predicted XI: Usman Khawaja, Josh Brown, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Sam Hain, Jimmy Peirson, James Bazley, Michael Neser, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Swepson, Matt Kuhnemann
An excellent knock from Marnus Labuschagne and a spirited bowling performance kept the Heat’s finals aspirations alive, in a seventeen run win over the Strikers on Saturday. Labuschagne’s 43 held the Heat innings together as they were dismissed for 153 which looked under par.
The Heat bowling attack produced their best performance of the season, restricting the Strikers to 9/137. James Bazley (3/30) and Matt Kuhenmann (2/26) lead the way for the Heat, as all five Heat bowlers conceded 7.5 runs per over or fewer. It was the lowest score the Heat have restricted an opposing side to in BBL12, and it’s kept them within a game and a half of the top five. The Heat will need their bowling attack to bring these types of performances throughout the remainder of the season, which has been an issue for them
The Heat are going to need to be near perfect if they’re to finish inside the top five, but with their last four games coming up against the Stars and Hurricanes, they’re well and truly a chance. Their net run rate requires a big improvement, so expect the Heat to play some aggressive cricket with the bat.
Match Prediction
A game between the bottom two sides in the competition is always going to be a difficult one to predict. The Stars will be desperate to bounce back after an embarrassing defeat on Saturday, however with nothing to gain from the last four games of the season, it’s going to be difficult for them to get themselves up for this game from an emotional level.
Although it hasn’t come together in the last two games, having Khawaja, Labuschagne and Renshaw in the batting stocks gives the Heat a big advantage over Stars. If the Heat’s bowling attack can produce a similar output to what they did on Saturday, it’s difficult to see a struggling Stars side producing a winning score.
Brisbane Heat
$1.67 (1 Unit)
Same Game Multi
Usman Khawaja has been one of the strongest performers in the history of the BBL, and the Test opener has an excellent record at the MCG. Khawaja has scored 30+ runs in five of his last seven Big Bash innings at the ‘G. Khawaja has scored 350 runs at an average of 38 with a strike rate of 138 against the Stars.
Tom Rogers is beginning to find some form for the Stars in the second half of the season, despite the Stars’ struggles. Rogers has hit the 15+ run mark in three of his last four games with scores of 48, 2, 51 and 27.
To finish the multi, through our BBL Data Tools, we’ve found a massive value play for punters in this clash. Liam Hatcher has been outstanding upon his return to the Stars lineup, and has taken at least two wickets in four consecutive matches. This is providing outstanding value at $2.80, and we’re continuing the back the hot hand of Hatcher.
Usman Khawaja 20+ Runs
Tom Rogers 15+ Runs
Liam Hatcher 2+ Wickets
