Confident Brisbane Heat strive to close in on final berth

Confident Brisbane Heat strive to close in on final berth

The last time both Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers took the field against each other was when the former won the contest by nine wickets at the Western Australia Cricket Ground (WACA) in Perth on January 5. In a battle of the evens where both were vying for the top spot in the points table, Heat were powered by a scintillating 49-ball 98 by Chris Lynn to chase down 174 to win, in what fizzled out to be a lopsided contest.

Heat, who sit pretty at the top of the points table with four wins and just one loss, will look to put it across the Scorchers again, in their last meeting, on Wednesday (January 11). The biggest positive for the Heat is the stellar form of Lynn, who has hit three fifties in the tournament so far, with 17 fours and 26 sixes. His unbeaten 98 in the previous outing didn't just lend to a victory but also brought a sense of invincibility about their side in this edition of the Big Bash. However, Lynn's call-up to the One-Day International (ODI) squad would mean that his side loses a bit of its heat going into their next clash.

While Brendon McCullum has chipped in with a couple of fifties to bolster their batting, the bowling duties have been equitably shared by Mark Steketee and Mitchell Swepson, both of who have bagged seven wickets apiece, whereas Jack Wildermuth and Ben Cutting have picked up six wickets each. The McCullum-led side seems well oiled and look favourites yet again going into their next encounter.

On the other hand, Scorchers will be keen to avenge their previous defeat and upstage their opponents from the perch of the points tally. A Scorchers win would leave three sides on the same number of points from an equal number of games, intensifying the standings in the tournament. While Mitchell Marsh top scored with a well-made 70 to lift Scorchers to a competitive total in the last game, their bowling looked toothless in its defense. Much like the Heat, the Scorchers would also miss the services of their star performer from the last outing as Marsh too has earned a recall to the ODI outfit.

Although Scorchers boast of the presence of Mitchell Johnson in the attack, along side, Andrew Tye and David Willey, they failed to handle the heat of Lynn's carnage. However, a lot of their fortunes would still revolve around their bowling attack. That said, Ian Bell and Michael Klinger would need more runs under their belt to fire the ambition of their side, especially in the absence of Marsh now. So far, the three of them had only one fifty apiece to their credit and would need to crank up more runs in order to tighten the loose ends. One of the biggest disappointments of the tournament for them has been the lacklustre show of Shaun Marsh, who has accumulated only 51 runs thus far, and would need a quick turnaround to hold onto his place in the side.

Despite last week's nine-wicket hammering, the Scorchers maintain a 4-3 record against the Heat.

When: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, 23rd Match, January 11, at 07:40 PM Local

Where: The Gabba, Brisbane

Team News:

Brisbane Heat: Hamstring and thumb injuries have ruled out Adam Voges and James Muirhead respectively. They have also included Sam Heazlett to replace Lynn.

Perth Scorchers: Tymal Mills will come into the squad to replace the injured West Indian spinner Samuel Badree, who too misses out due to a hamstring injury. Marnus Labuschagne has also been included for the first time in the squad this season.

Squads:

Brisbane Heat: Brendon McCullum (c), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Tymal Mills, Jimmy Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.

Perth Scorchers: Michael Klinger (c), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Hilton Cartwright, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Cameron Valente, Sam Whiteman.