The second match of BBL 06 sees the Adelaide Strikers face off against the Brisbane Heat at the Adelaide Oval.
The second match of the 2016/17 edition of the KFC Big Bash League will see last year’s regular season winners, the Adelaide Strikers go toe to toe with the Brisbane Heat.
Can Chris Lynn inspire the Heat to victory or will Brad Hodge and the Strikers make home ground advantage count? Let’s check it out:
Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat | Wed. 20 December | Adelaide Oval | 10:40
To Win Match
Strikers 82/100 | Tie 35/1 | Heat 1/1
Strikers 82/100 | Tie 35/1 | Heat 1/1
Adelaide Strikers
The Strikers enjoyed an excellent regular season last time out, finishing the fifth edition of Big Bash on top of the standings before going down by eight wickets in the semi-final against the Thunder. Looking through their squad this season, there’s no reason why they won’t be able to make the play-offs again.
Hodge will captain the side while Travis Head, Kieron Pollard, Chris Jordan, Ben Laughlin, Adil Rashid and Ben Dunk are all likely to play key roles in a season where Jason Gillespie will be desperate to see his charges lift the trophy.
The Strikers are going to need big performances from their bowlers if they want to keep a dangerous Heat line-up quiet. Chris Jordan, Kane Richardson, Hodge and Pollard are all good on their day; but can be punished by the likes of Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum and Joe Burns if they fail to bowl the right line and length.
All in all, the Strikers are correctly priced up as favourites here. They’re a difficult side to beat and at the best of times and I think they’ve got the right sort of squad balance to do well this season. It’ll be interesting to see how they get on against a side who tend to blow white hot or frigidly cold.
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat had a 2015/16 season to forget. That said, they’ve managed to make a couple of shrewd signings and should be more competitive than last year. McCullum and Lynn round off what looks like it could be one of the more dangerous top orders in the competition.
Lynn was absolutely devastating last season for the Heat. The Queensland native finished top of the run scoring charts despite playing fewer games than a lot of the players below him who partook in semi-finals as well as the final. His 378 runs came at an astonishing strike rate of 173.39 and an average of 54.
While more of the same will be expected this year, Lynn will be hoping for a bit more from his supporting cast. Nathan Reardon, Jimmy Peirson and Ben Cutting will all need to chip in with a few more runs this time around.
While the Heat look stronger than they did this time last season, I’m not sure they’ll be able to measure up to the threat that the Strikers pose. Far too much responsibility will fall at the feet of McCullum and Lynn. If these two do not fire, the Heat simply won’t come off.
Verdict: Adelaide Strikers 82/100
While I think the Heat are in with a shout here, the Strikers possess a more well-rounded squad. It’s early days in the competition so get on the Adelaide side at 82/100 and play it safe.
Value Bet: Chris Lynn to top score for the Heat at 9/4
Heat fans will be hoping that Chris Lynn will picks up where he left off last season. He’s in pretty good touch at the minute having had an excellent CPL campaign with the Amazon Warriors while also grabbing some runs for Australia A against South Africa A. He looks a good bet to top score at 9/4 – get on!
Written by Jason Dewey for @Hollywoodbets.