The Brisbane Heat return to the Gabba on December 27 for a Saturday night showdown against the Adelaide Strikers. Both teams find themselves in the bottom half of the table early in BBL|15, making this a pivotal “momentum” game. The Heat are coming off a disappointing loss to the Sydney Thunder, while the Strikers are looking to bounce back after being outclassed by the Melbourne Stars.
The biggest subplot of the evening is Chris Lynn‘s return to the Gabba. The former Heat superstar and all-time BBL leading run-scorer now spearheads the Strikers’ top order. The Brisbane faithful will be hoping their new-look attack, led by the fiery Shaheen Afridi, can silence the local legend early.
Brisbane is also dealing with a leadership change; with regular captain Nathan McSweeney sidelined by an ankle injury, Xavier Bartlett continues as stand-in captain. He will be leaning heavily on the experience of Colin Munro and the red-hot form of Matt Renshaw, who has been striking the ball at nearly 200 this season.
BH vs AS, BBL|15: Match details
- Date and Time: December 27; 1:45 pm IST / 8:15 am GMT / 6:15 pm Local
- Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Head-to-Head Record in BBL
Matches played: 21 | Brisbane Heat won: 11 | Adelaide Strikers won: 10 | No result/Tied: 0
Gabba Pitch Report
The Gabba is traditionally one of the fastest and bounciest surfaces in Australia. Fast bowlers will find plenty of joy early on. The ball carries through to the keeper at a good height, rewarding those who hit the deck hard. While the new ball zips, the Gabba is known for being a high-scoring ground once the initial movement subsides. Spinners generally struggle for wickets here, averaging over 33 compared to the quicks’ 23.
Also WATCH: Tom Curran knocks over Jason Sangha’s stumps with an absolute ripper in BBL|15
Squads:
Brisbane Heat: Colin Munro, Jack Wildermuth, Matt Renshaw, Hugh Weibgen, Tom Alsop, Max Bryant, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Xavier Bartlett (c), Shaheen Afridi, Liam Haskett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Thomas Balkin, Lachlan Hearne, Ollie Patterson
Adelaide Strikers: Matthew Short (c), Chris Lynn, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Jamie Overton, Harry Nielsen (wk), Jerrssis Wadia, Luke Wood, Henry Thornton, Hasan Ali, Lloyd Pope, Mackenzie Harvey, Harry Manenti
BH vs AS, BBL|15: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Brisbane Heat wins the toss and bowls first
- Adelaide Strikers’ powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
- Adelaide Strikers’ total score: 150-160
Case 2:
- Adelaide Strikers wins the toss and bowls first
- Brisbane Heat’ powerplay score: 55-65 (6 overs)
- Brisbane Heat’ total score: 170-180
Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest
