Brisbane fired the first shot of the WBBL finals series, eliminating Hobart with ease at Karen Rolton Oval on Wednesday night.
On Thursday they will face a sterner test, facing off against regular season runners-up Adelaide Strikers in The Challenger Final.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free WBBL preview and cricket betting tips below.
Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, Thursday November 24th, 7:10pm (AEDT)
Squads
Adelaide Strikers: Tahlia McGrath, Gemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Meagan Dixon, Deandra Dottin, Katie Mack, Tegan McPharlin, Anesu Mushangwe, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson, Laura Wolvaardt
Brisbane Heat: Jess Jonassen, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Charlie Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Grace Sippel, Pooja Vastrakar, Georgia Voll, Danni Wyatt, Laura Harris
Match Preview
And then there were three – Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers are the only teams that remain in the hunt for WBBL 08 supremacy.
The winner of this game will travel to face Sydney in the Final on Saturday night, while for the loser it’s season over.
Adelaide have had a fantastic campaign so far, thanks to consistent contributions across the squad.
The Strikers have scored the least runs of the top four teams; however, Laura Wolvaardt and Katie Mack have been reliable performers with 341 and 317 runs, respectively.
On the bowling front, Schutt and Wellington have both topped 20 wickets while Barsby has the third-best economy rate in the league.
Despite Adelaide’s prowess, Brisbane are a frightening opponent for this game. The Heat eased past Hobart by 44 runs last night, displaying their talents with both ball and bat.
Dani Wyatt (52 off 38) and Laura Harris (44 off 14) dispatched the Hurricanes bowling to all parts, especially Harris who was on target to plunder the quickest 50 in WBBL history.
Despite a promising start, Hobart quickly lost their way chasing 179. Left-arm tweaker Jess Jonassen was the main destroyer with four wickets, while Courtney Sippel and Amelia Kerr were also impressive.
So, who wins this one?
The teams have split the head-to-head fixtures 1-1 this season, Brisbane winning the most recent encounter which was impacted by rain.
Both teams have plenty of firepower, and both are in good form, which makes them difficult to separate on paper.
Adelaide will be fresh off a break and have hometown support, but Brisbane will have intimate knowledge of the conditions having played last night.
As such, I’m backing the visitors to continue their momentum through to the Final.
Brisbane Heat to win
$1.82
Prop Bets
The Heat slammed seven maximums last night in their demolition of Hobart, with Laura Harris and Danni Wyatt in scintillating form. Both will be confident of clearing the boundary again tonight, and Brisbane has performed better than Adelaide with the bat this season.
Most Sixes – Brisbane Heat $2.05 (Betr)
This bet follows similar logic to the previous one, with Brisbane the better batting side on paper. Both Harris and Wyatt cleared 40 on Wednesday, and all the Brisbane batters will be acclimatised to the Karen Rolton Oval surface.
Team of Top Run Scorer – Brisbane Heat $1.95 (Betr)
