Brisbane Heat vs. Adelaide Strikers – Big Bash League, December 23, 2020

The Heat will be aiming to move off the bottom of the Big Bash table when they come up against the Strikers on Wednesday, December 23.

Brisbane has only managed to pick up one point from their opening two matches, while Adelaide has five points from three games.

After checking out the bookies’ odds, I give my Brisbane Heat vs. Adelaide Strikers prediction and betting pick.

The best online betting sites have given us pretty tight odds for every BBL 10 game so far, and this matchup isn’t any different. However, Adelaide (1.73) is the slight favorite to win on Wednesday.

Brisbane (2.10) has only played two matches this season, so it is difficult to gauge exactly how Darren Lehmann’s men will fare against the Strikers.

It’s safe to say that Brisbane’s BBL 10 campaign has not gotten off to the best of starts. The Heat sits rock bottom of the standings following back-to-back losses, with a solitary bonus point to their name.

After losing to the Stars by six wickets, the Queenslanders were beaten by the Thunder last time out. Brisbane won the toss and decided to bat, with captain Chris Lynn (69) top scoring and Jack Wildermuth smashing 31 off just 11 deliveries.

But the Heat’s bowlers really let the team down. Ben Laughlin conceded 56 runs from 23 balls, while Matthew Kuhnemann and Mark Steketee were also wasteful. With seven balls to spare, the Thunder eventually won by four wickets.

Despite only featuring in two games, Lynn is the currently fifth-highest run-scorer in the competition. If Brisbane’s bowlers can match the batsmen’s efforts, Darren Lehmann’s side should start to pick up more points.

That's some spell by Daniel Worrall.

2-12 from his four overs… including 18 dot balls! #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/Dnf7ZO2U1a

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 20, 2020

The Strikers must have thought they were heading for two straight wins on Sunday. The South Australians limited the Sixers to 58/3 after 11 overs, yet Dan Christian inspired a remarkable comeback – scoring the second-fastest 50 in BBL history.

Openers Phil Salt and Jake Weatherald got the run chase off to a flying start, but single-figure scores for Matt Renshaw and Alex Carey saw Adelaide fall behind the required run rate. Some pin-point bowling from the Sixers, along with some poor batting from the Strikers, handed the win to the Sydneysiders.

Jason Gillespie’s men ended up losing by 38 runs, despite only conceding seven wickets. It goes without saying that Adelaide will need to plan their matches better, going forward.

Still, the Strikers can take confidence from the fact that they got the better of Hobart last week. The in-form Hurricanes are looking like the team to beat at the moment, and Gillespie’s side managed to edge them by five wickets.

I think the Strikers’ bowling attack to win them this game. Veteran Peter Siddle and youngster Wes Agar have both bowled really well so far this term, while Rashid Khan has the X factor.

It looks like the Heat is already relying heavily on Chris Lynn this season. If the big-hitter fails to deliver on Wednesday, Brisbane will almost certainly struggle to compete.