Brisbane Heat vs. Melbourne Stars – Big Bash League, January 7, 2021

Team Green snapped an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak by securing a ten-run victory over the Hurricanes last time out. Next up, the Stars face a resurgent Heat side.

The Queenslanders have won three of their last four matches, with captain and talisman Chris Lynn returning from injury to help his team beat the Thunder on Monday.

Without further ado, let’s get stuck into my Brisbane Heat vs. Melbourne Stars prediction and betting pick.

Despite Brisbane’s recent revival, the leading online sportsbooks are still favoring the Stars (1.66) to come away with the points on Thursday.

But with the Heat (2.10) welcoming back Joe Burns and the team looking in good shape, I can see the high price for the Heat win attracting plenty of attention.

When the Thunder finished with the competitive score of 174/8 on Monday, Darren Lehmman’s men knew they had a job on their hands. Thankfully, the Heat’s batsmen rose to the challenge.

Chris Lynn smashed 30 runs off 16 balls on his return from injury, Englishman Joe Denly notched up a half-century, while Joe Burns returned from Australia’s Test bubble to score an impressive 52.

Brisbane’s bowlers have also been in fine form this season. Mujeeb Ur Rahman finished with figures of 5/15 against the Hurricanes last week, while only one man has taken more BBL 10 wickets than Mark Steketee.

After losing their opening three games this season, the Heat head into their eighth match, having won three of their previous four. Can they continue to build momentum against the Stars?

Well, let’s not forget that Team Green claimed a comfortable six-wicket victory over the Queenslanders back on the opening day. 

97no from 55 balls for Marcus Stoinis ?

That was heaps of fun to watch #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/EqGuS1LXbR

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 4, 2021

It’s fair to say that the Stars have endured somewhat of a rollercoaster campaign up to now. The Melbourne franchise won their first two matches, and after their third game was rained off, they went on to suffer three straight losses.

Marcus Stoinis – last season’s top run-scorer – had been relatively quiet until his previous performance. But the big-hitter smashed 97* off 55 balls to get his team over the line against the Hurricanes on Monday.

It is also worth mentioning that Andre Fletcher claimed two outstanding catches in the field, with the West Indian dismissing danger-men Ben McDermott and Colin Ingram.

Monday’s win saw David Hussey’s side move three points ahead of the Heat in the standings. The Queenslanders actually boast a better net run rate than the Stars, although the Victorians could easily change that on Thursday.

The Heat have managed to turn their season around with a number of positive results lately. But when I look at these two teams, the Stars’ firepower is very difficult to ignore.

Along with Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran have the ability to win games singlehandedly. Ultimately, I think the Stars’ batting line-up will be too strong for the Heat’s bowling attack on Thursday.