THE GAME
Tuesday 8 January 2019, 6.15pm (Qld time) at Spotless Stadium in Perth
BROADCAST
Watch the action live on Channel 7 or Fox Cricket or stream online with a Kayo subscription.
FORM
Brisbane lifted appreciably in their win over the Scorchers and will be keen to continue to build momentum rather than have a one-off win. Improved batting form seems just around the corner while the bowling attack has been disciplined and largely held firm against the opposition. The Thunder have also got into the groove after a slowish start although lost on the weekend to the Melbourne Stars in their one-off clash at Metricon Stadium.
SQUADS
Brisbane Heat:
Sydney Thunder:
Shane Watson (c)
Fawad Ahmed
Jos Buttler
Jono Cook
Callum Ferguson
Chris Green
Nathan McAndrew
Arjun Nair
Joe Root
Sam Rainbird
Daniel Sams
Gurinder Sandhu
Jason Sangha
LAST TIME THEY MET
A Gabba thriller in a rain-affected clash in Brisbane in BBL|07 when Joe Burns and a power hitting Alex Ross got the Heat with a ball to spare. The last time the two sides met at Spotless in BBL|06, the Heat got a win too.
FORM AT SPOTLESS STADIUM
Results have been shared between the two sides at Spotless, but the Heat previously has had the upper hand over the Thunder. The drop-in wickets at the venue have proven challenging for visiting teams in the past so the Heat will need to be adaptable.
KEY PLAYERS
Fawad Ahmed v Heat top order
The cunning leggie is still a formidable proposition in the BBL and the Heat’s ability to score from he and the rest of the spin-heavy Thunder attack without losing wickets will be key. Players such as Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and possibly Marnus Labuschagne will be central to getting a positive result from this battle.
James Pattinson v Jos Buttler
The big Heat quick is warming nicely into the tournament with his pace and variation giving opposition batting line-ups some challenges to overcome. It is the last game of the tournament for Buttler, with the English trump showing his class to be the leading runs-scorer for far in the competition with 268 runs at 44.6.
IT'S A BIG NIGHT FOR
Brendon McCullum. The hard-hitting Kiwi has been bouncing around the field like one of his well-bred two-year old thoroughbreds of late. Insiders are waiting with bated breath to see him peel off a trademark knock after threatening to unleash in the last game in Perth.
