Strikers vs Heat BBL tips, best odds & value bets – Dec 23, 2021

Both the Adelaide Strikers and the Brisbane Heat are stuck on one win after four games each in BBL11, but something has to give when they clash in the South Australian capital on Thursday night.

Despite their 1-3-0 record, Adelaide sit fourth on the Big Bash League ladder due to their penchant for picking up bonus points, and a win over the Heat would push them past the Sydney Thunder into third place.

With Alex Carey and Travis Head both representing Australia in the Ashes, the Strikers are short on batting firepower; since scoring 151 in their opening loss to the Melbourne Renegades, Jason Gillespie’s charges have failed to break 150 in an innings.

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It is a similar story for the Brisbane Heat; their top innings score this season is also 151, which came in a loss to the Perth Scorchers, and they have not made it out of the 140s in any other game.

The Brisbane batters are yet to post a single half-century between them in BBL11, while Sam Heazlett and Xavier Bartlett – who averages 8.25 with the bat in domestic one-day cricket – are the only two players to surpass 100 runs for the campaign.

The Heat needed only 141 to get past the cellar-dwelling Renegades and thus notch their first win of the season, but they came crashing back to earth with a comprehensive 53-run defeat to the Thunder last Sunday.

Strikers vs Heat predictions & best bets

Brisbane Heat top runscorer: Xavier Bartlett

For years, Chris Lynn was a lock in this market week after week after week, but he – like much of the Heat’s batting order – has endured an ordinary start to the campaign. Luckily for Brisbane, Bartlett has spared them a few blushes with a series of superb contributions down the order. The Queensland seamer has hit 26, 34 and 42 – all unbeaten – in his three digs in BBL11, so at $26 odds, there might be some value in chucking a few bucks on him to top score for the Heat in this one.

Match result: Adelaide Strikers

While the Strikers have only one win for the season, their bonus points and relatively strong net run rate (-0.125) show that they’ve been more competitive than most of the teams below them. They weren’t that far off beating the Sydney Sixers last time out, forcing the two-time defending champions to chase into the final over, and their superior bowling lineup should prove the difference against a Heat outfit that looks to be miles off the pace.