Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat, BBL T20 2022, Today Match Prediction

syt vs brh Match Prediction & Analysis

After an eventful final day of the group stage, BBL fans finally found their teams to play the Eliminator. Sydney Thunder will host Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator at Sydney Showground Stadium on 27th January from 1:45 pm IST. While Sydney Thunder beat Melbourne Stars on the final day, Brisbane Heat made it to the Eliminator despite losing against the Hobart Hurricanes.

In a final game, Melbourne Stars set a target of just 120 runs for the Sydney Thunder. Usman Qadir took three wickets for 24 runs. The chase became difficult for the Sydney side as they lost half of their team for 60 runs in 12 overs. Daniel Sams then played a fiery inning of 28 runs in 18 deliveries to help Sydney Thunder win by 3 wickets in the 19th over of the game.

On the other hand, Brisbane Heat made it to the Eliminator after losing the game by 2 runs. Michael Nesser’s four for 35 restricted Hobart Hurricanes to 120 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. In return, Heat lost their 4 wickets for 30 runs. Sam Hain (26) and Jimmy Pearson (39) put up a partnership of 73 runs for the fifth wicket to keep the target to 10 runs in the final over. Hurricanes’ all-rounder Tim David gave just 7 runs to hand over a two-run defeat to the Brisbane Heat. 

Both the games played between the Thunder and the Heat were won by the Thunder. In the first game, Sydney Thunder chased the target of 122 runs without losing a wicket. Matthew Gikes and Alex Hales scored half-centuries to make the chase in just 12 overs. In the second game, Sydney Thunder defended the target of 183 runs. Despite Colin Munro’s 98 runs off 53 balls, Brisbane Heat lost the game by 11 runs.

With 4 wins in the last 4 games against Brisbane Heat, will Sydney Thunder have enough firepower to make it to the Challenger round?

TEAMS PREVIEW

Sydney Thunder Preview

Losing Alex Hales due to his commitment to the ILT20 has made it difficult for the Thunder in the last five games. Though David Warner has returned in place of Hales, he has scored 63 runs in the five games at a strike rate of 88.73. But his experience of over 340 games with 11143 runs can still provide a threat to the Heat side. Matthew Gikes will open the innings with Warner. Gikes have scored 279 runs so far at a strike rate of 114.34. 

Tactically, the leading run-scorer from the Thunder side, Oliver Davies, should come at number three. Davis has 333 runs at a strike rate of 133.73 and three half-centuries. Except for Alex Ross, Thunder doesn’t have someone who can stabilize the middle order. Ross has 256 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 131.95 without scoring a half-century. But he is out of form in the last 5 games with just 65 runs.

Daniel Sams will lead the bowling unit with Chris Green and Gurindar Sandhu. Sams is the leading wicket-taker from the Thunder bowling attack, with 17 wickets at an economy of 8.98 - the worst among all. Skipper Chris Green, who has taken 12 wickets, is the most economical with an economy of 6.07. Usman Qadir will be the player to watch from the Thunder side after his 3 for 24 in the last game.

Key Players: David Warner, Oliver Davies, Usman Qadir.

Sydney Thunder Predicted Playing XI:

Matthew Gilkes (wk), David Warner, Jason Sangha, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green (c), Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Qadir

Sydney Thunder Actual Playing XI:

Jason Sangha, Usman Qadir, Chris Green, Matthew Gilkes, Ross Pawson, Ben Cutting, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Oliver Davies, David Warner, Nathan McAndrew

Brisbane Heat Preview

Brisbane Heat is facing problems with their top order, as none of the top three have performed well in the last four games. On paper, they have big names like skipper Usman Khwaja & and the World's number one Test batter Marnus Labuschagne. But the duo has added just 96 runs each in the last 6 games. Just like Thunder losing Alex Hales, Heat are without Colin Munro, who scored 278 runs in the first 8 games at a strike rate of 150.27. 

In the middle order, Matt Renshaw, Sam Hain, and Jimmy Pearson will create some trouble for Sydney Thunder. Renshaw has 232 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 123.40. Hain and Pearson, who anchored the innings in the last two games, will play a big role in the eliminator. Pearson is the Heat’s leading run scorer with 323 runs at a strike rate of 118.75. 

Michael Neser’s form is a positive for the Heat side. Neser has picked 22 wickets this season at an economy of 8.60. Out of the 22, he has taken 11 in the last 4 games. He is our choice for the top bowler from the Heat. James Bazely and Matthew Kuhnemann will be the other two choices to finish the quota off 8 overs. The duo has taken 27 wickets so far at an economy of 7.75.

Key Players: Sam Hain, Jimmy Pearson, Micheal Nesser.

Brisbane Heat Predicted Playing XI:

Josh Brown, Usman Khawaja (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, Sam Hain, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Michael Neser, James Bazley, Spencer Johnson, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Kuhnemann

Brisbane Heat Actual Playing XI:

Michael Neser, Josh Brown, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Kuhnemann, Matt Renshaw, James Bazley, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Jimmy Peirson, Mitchell Swepson, Sam Hain

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather will be cloudy. Scattered Thunderstorms are expected throughout the day. The temperature will range between 21 and 25. The wind will be flowing from the south at 15-30 kmh. The pitch is considered good for pace in the first innings. For pacers, it offers a high bounce and swings at earlier stages. Out of 47 wickets fallen on this ground, 39 have been picked up by the pacers.

Venue Details

The Eliminator will be held at Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney, on 27th January from 1:45 pm IST. The venue holds a capacity of 20000 spectators and has hosted four BBL games this season so far. Sydney Thunder have registered the lowest score at this ground. They were bowled out for 15 runs in that game.

Toss: To Bowl

In the 4 games played at the Showground Stadium, teams have chased the target on 3 occasions. Typically it is a low-scoring ground. The highest score registered here is 139 runs. Surprisingly, only 14 wickets have fallen in the second innings played here. The team winning the toss should bowl first.