The ladder leading Heat host the fifth placed Hurricanes in a crucial clash as the Canes look to jump into the top four with a third straight victory. Jack Tobin has you covered with his best bets for Sunday night’s action!
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BBL13 Betting Tips
Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes
Gabba, Sunday 7th January, 7:15pm AEDT
Brisbane Heat
Predicted XI: Colin Munro, Josh Brown, Matthew Renshaw, Sam Billings, Nathan McSweeney, Paul Walter, Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Swepson, Matt Kuhnemann
The weather gods were smiling on the Brisbane Heat as a Paul Walter boundary on the final ball before the rain stopped the game taking the Heat above the target score on DLS, to secure a three win run and keep their unbeaten season intact. The Heat put together an excellent performance with the ball to restrict the Sixers to 8-141, led by Matt Kuhnemann (2/19) and Paul Walter (2/23).
Michael Nesser who has had an uncharacteristically poor start to the tournament, set the tone for the Heat with an economical start to the innings of 0/10, restricting the normally dominant pairing of Josh Phillipe and James Vince. The Heat have conceded 662 runs from the 94.3 overs they’ve bowled this season at an average economy rate of 7.02, which is the best of any team in the competition.
Josh Brown (43 off 31) broke the back of the chase, as the Heat’s trend of a variety of run scorers continued. The Heat have had four different leading run scorers from their five games this season, and have four players with over 100 runs this season with Colin Munro (166), Nathan McSweeney (133), Josh Brown (110) and Sam Billings (105). Although Colin Munro leads the Heat run scorers, he only has scores of 12, 0 and 9 from his last three games.
Hobart Hurricanes
Predicted XI: Matthew Wade, Ben McDermott (wk), Mac Wright, Sam Hain, Corey Anderson, Tim David, Nikhil Chaudhary, Chris Jordan, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis (c), Riley Meredith
The Hurricanes will have a tough decision to make if Matthew Wade is fit to play, with the decision likely to come down between either Caleb Jewell and Mac Wright who have both been excellent for the Canes this season. Jewell (143 runs at an average of 23.83) and Wright (138 at 34.50) are the Hurricanes top two run scorers, however with two of their imports in Sam Hain and Corey Anderson occupying the middle order alongside Tim David, it’s hard to see the Hurricanes changing the structure of their batting lineup to keep both Jewell and Wright in the side.
The Hurricanes six wicket win was built on the back of a remarkable bowling performance at Marvel Stadium. The Hurricanes restricted the Renegades to 3/60 from the first thirteen overs, with the Renegades going under a run a ball for the first fifteen overs of their innings. It proved to be the difference as the Hurricanes chased a well under par 147 with eight balls to spare.
A big positive of the Hurricanes win was the performance of Englishman Sam Hain, who’s man of the match performance guided the Hurricanes across the line. Hain had scores of 3, 0, 14 and 11 before his knock of 51 on Thursday night. If the Hurricanes are going to make the top four, they’ll need more big performances from Hain in the final games of the season.
Match Prediction
The Hurricanes have gotten their season back on track with three wins from their last four games, however it’s important to note that those three wins have come against two of the bottom three sides in the Renegades and Thunder. The challenge against an inform Brisbane Heat side looms as a much greater task, and it’s hard to have much confidence in the Canes given their track record this season.
The Heat have been a formidable outfit at home, winning six of their last seven games at the Gabba. With the way the Heat have bowled this season, it’s difficult to see the Hurricanes producing a winning score given, and with the Heat still having room for improvement in their batting stocks, there’s plenty of upside even for an undefeated outfit.
Brisbane Heat
$1.67 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Riley Meredith To Take a Wicket: Meredith bowled outstandingly in his opening spell against the Renegades on Thursday night, looking back to his best in what has been a quiet campaign by the speedster’s standards. Meredith has an outstanding record against the Heat with 13 wickets at an average of 16.77, and has taken a wicket in each of his last eight games against the Heat.
Xavier Bartlett To Take a Wicket: Xavier Bartlett has been on fire in BBL13, leading the Heat attack to top spot on the table. Bartlett is ranked second in the competition for wickets, with 10 wickets at an average of 12.70, and has taken a wicket in every game he’s played this season.
Nathan McSweeney 20+ Runs: McSweeney has been a rock for the Heat this season, and produced a crucial 22 not out against the Sixers. McSweeney has scored above 20 in three of his four innings this season, with his 133 runs this season coming at an average of 44.33.
