Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Big Bash League 2020-21, Today Match Prediction 29 Jan 2021

brh vs ads Match Prediction & Analysis

The BB 10 Finals are now confirmed and Brisbane Heat who finished 4th on the table will be clashing with 5th placed Adelaide Strikers in the Eliminator. The winner of this contest will move to play the Knockout with SydneyThunder on the 31st of January while the loser will be eliminated. Both Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers had a similar sort of a season with 7 wins and 7 losses each. However, Brisbane is coming off two back-to-back wins and would be playing home while Adelaide has just suffered a huge defeat. But Adelaide came out victorious in both the matches they played against Brisbane this season. We will hence have an evenly-fought contest.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Brisbane Heat Preview

After losing two back-to-back matches last week, Brisbane Heat came raging back to form with two consecutive wins – against Melbourne Renegades by 26 runs and against Perth Scorchers by 6 runs – to end their league stage on a high and make it to the final round. In both the wins, captain Chris Lynn played a pivotal role by smashing two fifties in a row. Lynn is the leading run-getter for Brisbane with 420 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 157 and would be the main man to watch out for the team.

The return of Marnus Labuschagne has also been a big boost to the side and he looks like a solid presence in the middle-order. The other batsmen to look out for would be Max Bryant (302 runs) and Jimmy Peirson (219 runs) who could play an important part down the order.

Brisbane’s bowling has been ably led throughout the season by Mark Steketee who now has 22 wickets. However, he has been on the expensive side and that’s something he would have to keep in check. Xavier Bartlett (12 wickets) and Jack Wildermuth (13 wickets) have been the other impact bowlers. Marnus Labuschagne’s spin has been quite handy and he keeps picking up wickets. He could well be Brisbane’s ace in the game.

Brisbane Heat Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Jack Wildermuth/ Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin

Brisbane Heat Actual Playing XI:

Marnus Labuschagne, Sam Heazlett, Ben Laughlin, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Joe Burns, Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory

Adelaide Strikers Preview

Adelaide Strikers have not been the most consistent team this season of the BBL and in their last 5 matches, they have won 3 games while losing 2. They are coming off a 9-wicket loss against Sydney Thunder in a match that was reduced to 14 overs per side due to rain. Adelaide posted 115-4 off 14 overs but Sydney chased it down with ease in just 12.1 overs. 

Adelaide’s batting has largely been dependent on Alex Carey (412 runs) and Jake Weatherald (401 runs). Weatherald is in good form and struck a terrific 80 off 47 balls in the last game. Carey too smashed a 101 just last week. Philip Salt and Jonathan Wells have also made vital contributions in the middle-order and could prove useful in this game.

Adelaide’s bowling is a little brittle without Rashid Khan and has suffered in recent times. Wes Agar, with 21 wickets in the season, has bowled beautifully and would again be the main bowler. The experience of Peter Siddle would be crucial too in such a game. Adelaide will, however, miss having an in-form spinner controlling things in the middle.
 

Adelaide Strikers Predicted Playing XI:

Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Travis Head (c), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Michael Neser, Daniel Worrall, Wes Agar, Liam O Connor, Peter Siddle

Adelaide Strikers Actual Playing XI:

Michael Neser, Phil Salt, Matt Renshaw, Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald, Danny Briggs, Liam O'Connor, Peter Siddle, Daniel Worrall, TM Head

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Gabba in Brisbane is a pretty even surface. It is pretty good for batting but does offer something to the bowlers always. Spinners have done well here and seam bowlers would get good purchase at the start of the innings.

A few showers are expected at Brisbane on the day of the game and we could have another rain-curtailed encounter. 
 

Venue Details

The average score batting first at the Gabba this year has been 169. It has remained in that range for the past few years and the highest total on the venue this season has been 175-5 by Brisbane Heat. Thus, the team batting first in this knockout game should look to target a total in the range of 170-180 runs. 

Toss: To Bat

Teams batting second have had a better record at the Gabba. However, in a knockout game, it’s always better to win the toss and put some healthy runs on the board.