It’s a top of the table clash between the Sixers and Heat to kick off a Wednesday BBL double header. With the short boundaries in Coffs Harbour, this should be a high scoring thriller! We've got you covered with our full preview and best bets below!
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BBL13 Betting Tips
Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat
Coffs International Stadium, Wednesday 3rd January, 6:15pm AEDT
Sydney Sixers
Predicted XI: Josh Philippe, James Vince, Kurtis Patterson, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jackson Bird, Todd Murphy
It’s been a frustrating week for the Sixers, with a loss and two consecutive washouts from their last three games holting a promising start to the season. The three time champions are still in second place at the time of writing, and will be desperate to regain some much needed momentum.
The Sixers bowling attack did an outstanding job in the most recent time on the field, restricting the Thunder to 7/151 in what looked like a certain victory. However rain falling after the fourth over the Sixers chase meant that even though they had achieved the DLS target score, because five overs hadn’t been bowled, a match couldn’t be constituted. Jack Edwards (3/24) and Jackson Bird (2/28) were the stars with the ball, and will play a big role on Wednesday night.
The Sixers bowling attack has been the key to their strong start to the season, having conceded only 611 runs from their 79.3 overs this season, an economy rate of 7.7. Jackson Bird is ranked third in the competition for wickets, with 8 wickets at an average of 18.20. Jack Edwards is ranked sixth with 7 wickets at 19, with an economy rate of 7.82.
Brisbane Heat
Predicted XI: Josh Brown, Colin Munro, Nathan McSweeney, Matthew Renshaw, Sam Billings, Paul Walter, Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Swepson, Matt Kuhnemann
The Brisbane Heat sit atop the BBL ladder with four wins and two washouts from their six games this season. The Heat’s last completed game was a fifteen run win over the Thunder on the 27th of December, thanks to a disciplined performance from their bowling attack to restrict the Thunder to 9/157.
The Heat’s improvement with the ball has been the catalyst to their unbeaten run in BBL12, possessing three of the top ten leading wicket takers in the competition in Xavier Bartlett (9 wickets), Mitch Swepson (7) and Paul Walter (6). Matthew Kuhnemann is also ranked in the top 20 with five wickets, highlighting the depth in a Brisbane Heat attack that has relied solely on Michael Nesser for a long time.
It’s a similar story with the bat for the Heat this season, with the load of runs being spread across multiple players Colin Munro has made 157 runs at 52.33, Nathan McSweeney has 111 runs at 37, Sam Billings has 104 runs at 26 and Matthew Renshaw has 86 runs at 43.
Match Prediction
The Sixers have won two of their three completed games in Coffs Harbour and given the short square boundaries at the venue there’s likely to be an abundance of runs on Wednesday night. Given the strength of both bowling attacks this season, the game will likely come down to which bowling attack can hold up better. The Sixers' experience on the ground will come in handy on how to defend the ground, which the Heat won’t have in their arsenal.
The Sixers have a 13-5 head to head record against the Heat, and will be desperate to put in a big performance with three straight games without a win. The Heat have been excellent with the ball all season but they haven’t fired with the bat since their opening game of the season, having produced scores of 7/151, 4/163 (18 overs) and 172. The Sixers have a deeper and more star studded batting unit, so if they fire, it’s an area of the game they should get an advantage in.
Sydney Sixers
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
Josh Phillipe 20+ Runs: Josh Phillipe has flourished with the small boundaries at Coffs Harbour, scoring 116 runs at an average of 58 in his three games at the venue. The three games have seen scores of 83 not out, 1 and 32 for Phillipe who has reached double figures in every game this season without turning it into a big score.
Nathan McSweeney 15+ Runs: McSweeney has taken his strong form from the Sheffield Shield into the Big Bash season, with scores of 29, 9 and 73, with the latest knock of man of the match performance against the Thunder in the Heat’s last outing.
Jackson Bird To Take a Wicket: The veteran seamer is having an outstanding campaign for the Sixers, sitting third in the BBL for wickets. Bird has taken a wicket in every game this season, and has taken two wickets in each of his last three games.
