BBL12: Hales-Gilkes' 124-run unbeaten stand helps Sydney Thunder thump Heat
PAK vs AUS | After Glenn Maxwell, Micheal Neser ruled out of Pakistan Test tour
BBL 11 | Saqib Mahmood demolishes Heat on Big Bash debut
BBL10 | Challenger: Bruised Scorchers take on hostile Heat for a spot in the final
Brisbane Heat has been one hell of a story in this year’s Big Bash League as whenever people counted them out, they made a comeback. From shutting critics’ mouth to struggling to find their rhythm to being rejuvenated when a bundle of energy called Marnus Labuschagne joined them to make it to the second biggest match of the season, the Brisbane side has weaved a fairytale whose ideal ending should be a BBL title. But in front of the Heat in the Challenger stands a team which has had only two extreme moods, the losing mood and the winning mood and the latter has been ‘on’ since quite a long time as they won eight of their last nine games to make it to the BBL Finals this season. No doubt that momentum would be with Heat with five wins in their last seven games and four of them coming on a trot. They also beat Scorchers in their last game. But Scorchers are by no means to be taken lightly as they have a fantastic lineup which if clicks, could be the most dangerous. With Mark Steketee, in the kind of form that he is having picked up 24 wickets in 15 innings, it is never going to be an easy pass for the Scorchers' batsmen. Skipper Chris Lynn is due a big knock much like Labuschagne and Heat will be hoping he gets it on the biggest stage. Heat look to build on the momentum The Men in Aqua have found their ‘mojo’ which is to take early wickets and restrict the opposition to a low score. This they do with the help of a brilliant Xavier Bartlett opening over, followed by some great wicket-taking spin from Mitchell Swepson and Labuschagne, get Morne Morkel as X-Factor to bowl at the death and then get a hero in the batting set up who along with Jimmy Peirson would take them home. Since they have cracked the code, and they are going with the momentum, it would be very difficult to get them derailed. Labuschange, who has been doing great with the ball, having picked up 10 wickets in just five games, would like to showcase the might of his batting prowess as well, as he hasn’t really been up to the mark as per the expectations from him. This game might just be the one for him. Scorchers finding their lost shine The two main men for Scorchers this season have been Jhe Richardson and Colin Munro with ball and bat respectively. However, both of them haven’t really been up to the mark in the last few three games that the Scorchers have played against the Melbourne Stars, Heat and the Sixers. While Richardson has taken just two wickets in these three games, Munro too hasn’t been on the money in the last four games having scored just 88 runs in total in them. Thus along with Josh Inglis, who has carried on his great form, these two need to get going as well, if Perth is to make sure that Heat sweat it out on the pitch. These two back in form can solve a lot of problems for the Ashton Turner’s men as Richardson will get quick wickets for the likes of Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Hardie to bowl freely in the mid-innings. Munro getting runs at the top would once again give an opportunity for the middle order to take it easy as they would have a set platform to launch from. Scorchers vs Heat: Match Details Match: Challenger Date and Time: Feb 4, 2021, 2:10:00 PM IST, 07:40 PM Local, 08:35 AM GMT Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra Broadcast & Live Stream: Sony SIX and Sony LIV Pitch Report The game was scheduled to be held at the Optus in Perth, but due to the covid-19 restrictions, it has been rescheduled to take place at Manuka Oval itself, where the last two games took place as well. In the last two games, it was pretty evident that dew plays a heavy role on this ground. It has something to offer to the bowlers in the first innings, especially spinners. In the second innings, the pacers have some help early on till the time dew hasn’t settled down. Weather and Bat Flip It is expected that at the time of the game, there will be almost 100% cloud cover and hence humidity too shall be increased. In the case of cloud cover, the dew might not come in as heavy as it might have had earlier, but its impact cannot be negated. Thus the skipper winning the bat flip would most likely go for a chase. Scorchers Strongest XI Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (c), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed Heat Strongest XI Sam Heazlett, Chris Lynn (c), Joe Denly, Marnus Labuschagne, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Joe Burns, Lewis Gregory, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin, Morne Morkel
Ten BBL players who could turn out to be best buys in IPL mini-auction
With Indian Premier League sides announcing their retained players’ list, the market of speculations is high as to which team would go for which players in the mini IPL which is scheduled to take place in February this year. One league which has literally provided cricketers in bulk for the IPL has been the Australian Big Bash League. Be it last season’s products like Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, or the great Aussie limited-overs stars of today, David Warner and Aaron Finch, all of them have had a good time in the IPL which has helped them get to where they are today. Keeping with the same practice, this year’s BBL, which is the 10th edition of the tournament, has also given some wonderful stars who could turn out to be great buys for the IPL teams. Jhye Richardson The Perth bowling all-rounder is in the form of his life in this BBL picking up 25 wickets in 13 innings in BBL 2020-21. Among these 25 wickets are his two four-wicket hauls as well. Jhye went unsold in the last two IPL auctions that he was part of, but this time around his bid for a place is strongest as he showed that he is no mug with the bat either. With his ability to make quick runs in the late overs, he could be a real asset for the teams going forward. In his year’s BBL, he has played two such innings, one against the Hurricanes, when the team had reduced to 108/6, he hit precious 36 runs to get the team up to 180 alongside Josh Inglis. In total, he is the perfect package for a team like Kings XI Punjab who have released Jimmy Neesham and are looking for a bowling all-rounder. But RCB’s coach Simon Katich’s eye would also be on him as he is a product of Western Australia, which was Katich’s home as well. Ben McDermott A genuine big hitter, Hurricanes’ Ben McDermott has shown to the world how dangerous he could be when on song as he has won matches single-handedly for his team. In 10 innings of BBL 2020-21 so far, McDermott, 26, hs hit 297 runs with an average of 44 and a strike rate that goes beyond 150 when he finds his feet on the crease. McDermott can keep and open the innings too, hence can be one of the great options for teams looking for such adoption and one such team is the Chennai Super Kings which released its opening options in Shane Watson and Murali Vijay, all at once. Alex Carey Another wicketkeeper-batsman, this time from Adelaide though is in the fray to attract a big sum from the auction after being released by the Delhi Capitals during the retention process. Carey has 381 runs in the 12 innings that he has played in BBL 2020-21. The biggest achievement of his has been the hundred that he hit in a must-win game for his team against the heat. Since has not been tried in India, teams can take a shot at him in the auction without any doubt. Riley Meredith If pure pace and accuracy were to be defined, nothing gets better than Riley Meredith of the Hurricanes. He clocks in the 140s regularly and touches the 150 mark more often than anyone else does. His economy in the BBL 10 is 7.48 and although he has only taken 12 wickets in 11 games that he has played so far, the fear that he generates in the yes of the batsmen, just with his sheer pace is something to marvel at. Teams like Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, who are looking for out and out fast bowlers might be interested in him, even for that matter, RCB and Mumbai can go for him as well. Mumbai mainly because they now don’t have a back up for Trent Boult after Lasith Malinga left. Dawid Malan This 33-year-old South Africa born England player has gained the most in the T20 arena and him not being in the IPL’s 2020 edition was a big surprise. Now, the World Number one T20 batsmen has his eyes set on the biggest T20 league in the Wolrd and franchises too would have set their eyes on him. Although he hasn’t really had a big BBL, with just 220 runs in 8 innings at an average of 27 and a strike rate well below the expectations from him- 116. But the few innings that he has shone in, he showcased the range of shots that he has to offer. The World Number one T20 batsman is therefore a hot property and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he turns out to be the biggest buy-in this edition. Tanveer Sangha The teenager from Thunder has impressed one and all with his leg-spinning abilities this season. Getting big wickets is the most dangerous nack that he has developed. With 20 wickets in 12 innings at a brilliant average of 16.05 and an economy rate of less than eight (7.92), he is one of those players who could turn out to be lethal on Indian pitches, especially with his deceiving wrong-uns which he has used brilliantly so far. He is just 19 and has a lot to achieve, the franchises like CSK and Mumbai who invest in the talent can take him just for the fact that he could be useful in the future as a leg spinner has always been in the IPL. Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman The Afghan youngster is not new to the IPL scenes although success has eluded him so far. This time around he is coming on the back of a successful BBL and has done well even in the Caribbean Premier League this season. While in BBL, he picked up 14 wickets from 8 innings at an astonishing average of 13.42 and a brilliant economy of 6.26. In CPL, he picked up 16 wickets in 11 games and his average was 13.56 while the economy went even below six. With just 17 wickets from 18 IPL games he hasn’t really had the success he would like, but with a few good games and the mojo back with him, he can do wonders for whichever team that he plays. Alex Hales This England star has been in and out of IPL many times. But with the form that he is in as seen during the BBL 2020-21, he is sure to get another crack at the jack called IPL. He might not be one of the expensive buys in this year’s auction but can be an effective one on the base price as he can hit a long ball on flat tracks and looks like a perfect replacement for Aaron Finch for the RCB. The 32-year-old has 462 runs in 12 innings in the BBL10 with an average of 38.59 and a damaging strike rate of more than 165. He has hit a scintillating hundred in one of the toughest games of the season the ‘Sydney Smash’ and has two fifties to boast of as well. Wes Agar If a team wants a bowler who can ball heavy balls, great bouncers, and yorkers at will, the team has to look for nothing beyond the gigantic Wes Agar from the Adelaide Strikers. Agar has 21 wickets in 12 games with 4/27 as his best and with an average of 17.14 and an economy of below eight. What is fascinating about him is his pace. He bowls real quick and effort balls generally fetch him a wicket. In the limited opportunities that he got in the previous BBL, even then he was among wickets, and thus he could be a real cheat deal at the base price for teams looking for heavy fast bowlers. RCB, KXIP, and CSK can have shot at him. Mark Steketee Another fast bowler in the reckoning is Mark Steketee of the Brisbane Heat. Steketee, 27 has got loads of experience behind his back apart from a good BBL form with 22 wickets from 12 games. In 49 T20s that he has played so far, he has picked up 64 wickets in them clearly giving signs that he is a wicket-taking bowler. With two fifties in the first class, he has the ability to handle the willow as well. Thus he is one of those who could be given their first shot at the world’s biggest stage of T20 cricket.
BBL 10 | Heat vs Strikers: Adelaide hold nerve in a humdinger
It turned out to be one of the most classic BBL matches and in the end, it was the Adelaide Strikers who scraped through and ended up winning the 13th match of the tournament by just 2 runs. Stand-in skipper for the Brisbane Heat, Jimmy Peirson played a stellar knock and almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The Strikers after being put in to bat made a good recovery to post 152 on the board. The target looked way too much for the Heat after losing 8 wickets for just 68 runs but Peirson and Mujeeb brought them back into the game but couldn’t quite get them over the line in the end. Earlier in the day, it was Brisbane Heat designated skipper Chris Lynn who went for the toss and opted to field. However, he suffered a hamstring injury just minutes before the match and Jimmy Pierson was handed over the captaincy in his absence. The Strikers lost Jack Weatherald in the very first over and the Brisbane Heat bowlers never really allowed the batters to get under their skin in the first 5 overs. Philip Salt survived a few close shaves and went onto make 25 but the innings was scratchy and didn’t allow the Strikers to get after the bowlers. A partnership of 60 runs with Matt Renshaw meant that the Strikers had a launching pad for the final stretch of the innings but both Renshaw and Salt was dismissed in back to back deliveries by Mark Steketee which put the Strikers on the backfoot. Two new batsmen in and the pressure as well and truly on the Strikers but they did manage to eke out a few crucial partnerships which eventually helped them go past the 150 mark, Jonathan Wells looked in good touch and made good use of the power surge which the Strikers took in the 17th over. Two overs yielded 25 runs and it did help them gain some sort of momentum. Harry Neilsen also chipped in with a vital knock of 28 of 20 deliveries and struck some crisp boundaries during the course of his innings. However the Brisbane Heat bowlers never really allowed the Strikers to get away with the game and restricted them to 152. The pick of the bowlers for the Brisbane Heat was Xavier Bartlett who bowled good lines and bagged 3 wickets while Mark Steketee chipped in with a couple. The Brisbane Heat needed to get off to a good start and the Strikers needed some early wickets. Yet again the bowling department didn’t disappoint as the Strikers struck twice in the first 8 deliveries and things looked very difficult for the Heats from thereon. Daniel Worral and Danny Briggs bagged the two early wickets to put the Heats on the backfoot. After a brief partnership of 23 runs between Max Bryant and Daniel Lawrence, it was Rashid Khan who spun a web around the Heat batters and turned the game on its head. He bagged the wicket of Max Bryant in the very first delivery of his spell and followed it up with one more in the form of Lawrence in his very next over. From there on it was a mountain too steep to climb for the Heat. They kept losing wickets and it was the Strikers who looked like running away with the match. They were reduced to 68/8 and it looked all over for the Heat. Yet again there was an umpiring howler when Tom Cooper was adjudged LBW despite a clear under edge onto his pads. This has raised the debate yet again that whether DRS should be a part of every big tournament. However, what transpired next was something which no one would have predicted. No 10 Mujeeb ur Rahman suddenly turned the complexion of the game with some exceptional hitting in the 15th over of his fellow countryman Rashid Khan. The 20 runs over gave them some momentum to work with and skipper Jimmy Peirson grabbed that with both hands. He simply launched into the Strikers’ bowlers and kept plundering them for boundaries after boundaries. It was quite heartening to see the fact that the duo was still fighting from a hopeless situation. 51 runs came in just 14 deliveries and the match had turned on its head. However, the wickets column was the only bother for the Brisbane Heat. With 23 required of the last 3, Peter Siddle took the onus on himself and produced a magical over where he got the wicket of Mujeeb to again push the Brisbane Heat on the backfoot. Ben Laughlin played out a few overs and with Peirson on strike for the final over with 13 runs required the scales were slightly tilted in favour of the Heat especially due to the way he had batted in the last few overs. Eventually, his valiant effort wasn’t enough as the Heat fell short by just 2 runs