BBL 12 Final: Turner keeps his calm as Scorchers win fifth BBL title
Brisbane Heat gets a major boost ahead of the clash against Renegades.
BBL 12: Numbers that matter
Match Report: Heat continue streak, beat Stars in rain marred, thrilling encounter
Brisbane Heat continued their newly found winning streak at home as they beat Melbourne Stars by 18 runs (D/L Method) at the Carrara Oval to claim their third victory in a row. With this win, the Heat have now reached the fifth p[osition, just one point shy of the fourth spot, currently occupied by the Adelaide Strikers with 17 points. For Stars, it was another day of 'couldn't have won but didn’t' as they came in a touching distance with the help of some insane hitting by Nick Larkin at the end of the innings. With this loss, they have now moved to 6th place in the points table. The brilliant last over Prior to the last over, Larkin had 23 of a Lewis Gregory over and in this too, teh team Stars required 23 and Larkin got onto the strike with 22 needed off five balls. But credit must go to Xavier Bartlett who did not alter his line and outfoxed the batter. If not outfoxed, at least bowled in the areas where the bowl could not travel past the fielder and gave away just five runs. Although Larkin and Seb Gotch Larkin’s partner would think that they missed out on at least three sixes as three bowls were perfectly in the slot for being hit out of the ground. But in a match, there are always could haves and should-haves. The Larkinsanity After the loss of Glenn Maxwell’s wicket and that of Marcus Stoinis, it was assumed that the match was done and dusted. But Larkin, 30, held onto what is commonly described as hope and kept on smoking boundaries to keep his team in the hunt even till the last over. The New South Wales born hit 35 off 16 with two sixes and four boundaries in his account. Had he had a little bit of support from those who went out ahead of him, a different result might have been on the cards. Fielding level- Heat The Brisbane team saved at least 20 runs in the field apart from taking two sensational catches and presenting to the BBL, probably the save of the tournament so far by Max Bryant, who saved a certain six off the bowling of Gregory. Apart from that, another certain six was saved when Sp[iceman Fletcher hit a ball straight as an arrow of Mujeeb but that intercepted just ahead of the boundary by Xavier Bartlett and him along with his fast bowling partner Mark Steketee teamed up to not only save the six but also in also getting Spiceman out. Englishman Gregory pulled off a brilliantly judged catch of Nicholas Pooran near the boundary ropes. Lynnsanity at display Earlier in the day, Stars after winning the toss, invited to Heat to bat first and the response that Heat gave was like a fresh shower of rain washing up all the disappointment that might have crept up into the Heat fans due to the rain which halted the start of play and converted the game into a 17 over a team at first. By the time the second wave of rainfall started, Heat were 68-2 in just the sixth over, The two wickets also fell in quick succession as both Bryant and Joe Denly were cleaned up by Zampa off successive deliveries. Lynn after coming back from the break hit Maxwell for three consecutive boundaries. Just after that, another passing shower stopped the proceedings. The match was reduced to 10 overs before it began again from the eighth over and Maxwell got the opposition captain out with the first ball after the resumption. But before getting out, the 30-year-old Lynn had smoked 48 off just 23 deliveries including three fours and four sixes. Those who came after him i.e. Joe Burns and Lewis Gregory too continued from where he had left, taking the total to 115 in 10 overs, which was then increased to 130 due to the Duckworth Lewis system. While Burns made 22 off 11, Gregory made nine of three. What's Next? Heat, on a roll, would aim to continue it when they face the Sixers on Monday, where the Sixers would be looking to exact revenge for the last game’s loss. On the other hand, Stars would take on Strikers on Monday in what could be an exciting battle of the mid-table.
BBL 2020 Team Preview: Brisbane look to Heat up their performance in season 10
Brisbane Heat is an underachieving team in the short history of Big Bash League. They won the title in the 2012/13 season but since then, have made it to the finals series just once, in 2016/17 season. Last year, they came a cropper once again and ended up at the second-last position. This time, the team would be without some of their most important players from the ninth edition. South African genius AB de Villiers is not in the team, nor is the impressive Matt Renshwaw. On the bowling front, James Pattinson, who bowled well in the latter part of the previous season, is not part of the squad too. To make matters worse, Tom Banton, who enjoyed some success last year, opening the innings, had to withdraw from the league due to mental stress caused by living in bio-bubbles. Another overseas players, rising spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman from Afghanistan has contracted COVID infection. This has thrown the team balance and equation into some flux. Replacing these players isn't easy. Certainly, de Villiers is irreplacable. But there is some compensation for the Queensland-based side. Morne Morkel has been picked up in the squad, though, as a local player. The former South Africa pacer, after retiring from international cricket, has settled down in Australia with his wife and, after gaining rights for permanent residence, now is qualified to be selected as a local player, not overseas. This is a huge gain for the former champions. Morkel has proven himself across the world as a top-class performer. Even in T20 leagues, he has managed to produce impressive results. With his height, he is well endowed to utilise the extra bounce available in Australia. He also knows the best length to deliver on such pitches. Batting Strength Brisbane's batting capabilities are severely compromised due to the presence of their players in the Australian Test squad for the series against India. Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne are going to be away. In their absence, Chris Lynn becomes the leading batsman in the side. Lynn has become a leading T20 batsman around the world. Unfortunately, his form isn't looking all that good either. In Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he didn't produce enough runs and spent most of his time in Indian Premier League on the benches for the eventual champions Mumbai Indians. With Banton having withdrawan from the league, focus shifts to his replacement. Luckily for Heat, they have signed on a highly talented youngster in England's Dan Lawrence. He has been getting runs across formats in English domestic cricket, including in the T20 Blast. To add to his credentials, he has knowledge of Australian conditions thanks to a tour with England Lions where he plundered nearly 500 runs. Coach of Heat, Darren Lehmann expressed his happiness with the signing of Lawrence. "Dan is a really exciting pick-up for us and has a good reputation as a young player who can influence results with his skills and experience. He caught the eye during the Lions tour with the way he adapted so successfully to local conditions and that is something we think will help at the start of the tournament when we are playing in Canberra and at the Gabba and Metricon Stadium," Lehmann said. Lawrence himself is thrilled with his opportunity. "The BBL is a bit of a staple diet for us at home during our winter and it will be enormous to be a part of the League out there this summer. The Lions tour was a rewarding one for a lot of the squad and we certainly enjoyed the competitive cricket we got. We were able to play in some excellent venues during the tour. We didn’t get to play at the Gabba but we had a match at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast which was great." Two other talented batsmen in the team are Sam Heazlett and Max Bryant. Heazlett got one fifty in the last season but has been, otherwise, without any success in T20 cricket. This season, with vacancies opening up in the batting line-up, the 25-year old should get ample opportunity to show his talent. He has already made his international debut, in an ODI against New Zealand earlier this year. A good return in BBL would bring him back in contention for a spot in Australian national team. Bryant opened the innings on several occassions last season. But he turned out to be a big disappointment, averaging just 14.50 in 10 matches. Eventually, he lost his opening spot to Chris Lynn who moved up the order. But that isn't the whole story as far as this young batsman is concerned. When one looks at his overall BBL record, it is a little more convincing. In 24 matches, he has scored 480 runs, including two half-centuries, at an average of 21.82. His strike rate of 148.15 is eye catching. In fact, in the eighth season of BBL, he and Ben Cutting combined to score 94 in the six overs of Power Play, in a match against Melbourne Renegades. Tom Cooper has been a veteran in BBL and has played every season since the inception of the league. After spending the past nine editions with Melbourne Renegades, he has now come over to Heat. A former Netherlands international, Cooper has 75 BBL matches under his belt. Experience is also an asset with the wicketkeeper batsman Jimmy Peirson. He has been in a BBL match 60 times and has managed an average of 19. This may look ordinary but unlike wicketkeepers who prefer batting in the top order, Peirson is in the old mould, providing boost lower in the order, thanks to a strike rate of 123.12. In conclusion, it can be said that the batting stocks of Brisbane Heat have diminished considerably since last season. The mammoth hole in their line-up left by AB de Villiers cannot be fully filled up. It will require a big return to form from Lynn to provide weight of runs to his side. Heat would also be hoping that players such as Lawrence, Heazlett, and Bryant step up to score more runs they have so far. Bowling Prowess The Test series between Australia and India hasn't just affected the batting department of Heat. Among the players that would be on Australia duty is Mitchell Swepson. A highly useful leg-spinner, Swepson has been a long-time servant of Heat and has more wickets than any other tweaker for the Brisbane-based team. With him away with the Australian Test side, the player to take the load of spin bowling for the team would have been Afghan unorthodox off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman. Unfortunately, as stated above, Rehman's testing positive for COVID has ruled him out of the early part of the season. As a result, Heat would only have part time spinners to rely on in the begining of their season. Unless they opt for the relatively unheralded Matt Kuhnemann. A slow left-arm spinner, Kuhnemann is a largely unknown commodity in this league. When he does get ready to play, though, Mujeeb can be a very tricky bowler for Australian batsmen. A man with many variations in his bowling armoury, Mujeeb has managed to clamber up the T20I bowler rankings thanks to impressive performances last year. The success of his compatriot Rashid Khan in BBL would also motivate him to go further. The pace bowling department of Heat looks more assured. Morne Morkel's addition to the squad cannot be overstated. With his tonnes of experience, he could be the difference maker this season. He would also provide much needed guidance to other bowlers in the group. Among them is young Xavier Bartlett. Yet to play a BBL match, he has been with the team for some years. Now 21, with experience of 13 List A matches under his belt, he may finally be ready to get going on the big stage. At the other end of the age spectrum is 37-year old Ben Laughlin. With over 100 wickets in the league, he would have spearheaded his team's attack if it wasn't for the entry of Morkel. Still, his experience would be very useful. Last season did not go as well for him as expected. An economy rate of 8.77 and a strike rate just under 18 isn't very impressive. But that was the case with other bowlers in the team also. Another useful seamer in the squad is Mark Steketee. His stocks have risen in the last few days thanks to a brilliant performance against the Indian team in a practice match. He picked up a five-for in the second innings, which, though not necessarily a harbinger of success in an entirely different format, is a proof of his ability. Conclusion A depleted batting line-up and a temporarily deganged spin attack are not an auspicious sign for Heat at the begining of the season. But the experience in their pace attack and young talent in the batting department are things which captain Lynn and coach Lehmann would be hoping sees them through. One big positive for the side is the fact that they would play seven of their matches, that is half, at home. This enlarged home advantage has to be used by the former champions to buttress their chances of getting to the title a second time.