The Hobart Hurricanes will host the Brisbane Heat in the first match of Saturday’s BBL11 double header. The action kicks off at 4:00pm AEDT at Blundstone Arena. It’s going to be a hot weekend and our BBL11 tips have been on fire this season, so we hope to keep things going strong with our Hurricanes vs Heat preview below.
Remember to check out our BBL11 Betting Tips page for regular updates throughout the season! We are previewing every single game this year so stay tuned.
BBL11 Hurricanes vs Heat Betting Tips
Blundstone Arena, Saturday 1st January, 4.00pm (AEDT)
Hobart Hurricanes
Likely XI: Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short, Harry Brook, Peter Handscomb, Tim David, Jordan Thompson, Nathan Ellis, Tom Rogers, Riley Meredith, Sandeep Lamichanne
The Hurricanes are sitting pretty in 3rd place on the BBL11 ladder with four wins and three losses in their first seven matches. Those losses were against the top two teams, so they have proven themselves against the lower teams so far this season, and now have a cushy run home into a certain finals berth.
However it might not be as rosy as it looks as the Cane Train has been single-handedly pulled along in recent games by Ben McDermott with back-to-back centuries. His hundred against the Strikers was sublime, and then somehow, he was even better against the Renegades on Wednesday night. The Canes were in trouble early after losing quick wickets, but McDermott was steady before unleashing late to amass 127 from just 65 balls in one of the best BBL innings of all time. It helped the Canes to 207 and a comfortable win against the bottom team.
Despite the big score, there are concerns with the batting. D’Arcy Short looks a shadow of his former self, while Harry Brook hasn’t given a whimper in yet another poor recruiting attempt from the Canes. They will need to lift their output if the guns fail to fire. Fortunately Tim David has been strong late in the innings with some power hitting. Caleb Jewell looms as a possible replacement if the Canes lose patience with Brook.
Test hero Scott Boland remains with the Test squad, so no changes are expected to the XI, with Riley Meredith starting to warm nicely into the season after early injury. It’s a well-balanced attack with Tom Rogers proving effective, Nathan Ellis slippery as ever, and Sandeep Lamichanne picking up a bag of wickets last match.
Brisbane Heat
Likely XI: Chris Lynn, Jimmy Pierson, Tom Cooper, Ben Duckett, Sam Heazlett, Max Bryant, Jack Wildermuth, Xavier Barlett, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
They’ll be up against the hold and cold Brisbane Heat who are capable of anything, and usually deliver a touch of everything, just to infuriate their supporters. They were rolled for a paltry 105 against the Sydney Sixers, before having their opponents 7-35 in the run chase. They should’ve won it from there, however in typical Heat fashion, they let the Sixers off the hook and slipped to a miserable 2-5 record from their seven games. It seems like we have six contenders for the five finals spots, so the Heat will want to give a good account for themselves in this match.
Chris Lynn hasn’t got going at all this season. We hate to say he’s due, but he’s due! Max Bryant has already been shuffled down the order, while his replacement Jimmy Pierson lollied up a soft catch to be dismissed for a duck last match. Pretty sure Bryant could’ve done that! Ben Duckett and Sam Heazlett really have held the Heat batting together this season, along with some lower order contributions from Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee and Jack Wildermuth.
Bartlett was recalled to the side after the disastrous record-breaking efforts of Liam Guthrie who conceded a staggering 70 runs against the Stars. That innings highlighted how the Heat lack depth of options in the bowling department, with no real sixth bowler available. Perhaps Tom Cooper is the only one who could roll the arm over in an emergency, but they seem reluctant to break the glass on that one.
Prediction
The odds aren’t anything special but it’s hard to go against the Hurricanes at home in this one. If the Heat put it all together, they are very dangerous, but the Hurricanes have more options with both the bat and ball, and are on the back of arguably the best T20 batsman in the country at the moment in Ben McDermott! Expect the Cane Train to roll on!
Same Game Multi
Using Before You Bet's very own BBL11 data tools, we have come up with a same game multi that we think is great value for the % chance that each player has for achieving their specific feat.
McDermott 1+ Six
McDermott 20+ Runs
Wade 10+ Runs
HUR vs HEA Same Game Multi
$2.25
