Big Bash League 2019 Match 25, Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Sydney Thunder will host Brisbane Heat for Match 25 of the Big Bash League 2019-20 on January 6, 2020.

Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat are expected to have a neck-to-neck fight, hugely due to their rankings. The Thunder (7) are at fourth place followed by the Heat (4) at fifth. A win in this fixture can be significant for both teams.

Sydney Thunder began the league with two back to back wins. But then after one abandoned match against Adelaide Strikers seems to have hampered their flow. They failed to win against Sydney Sixers in a Super Over, managed a close win by three runs against the Strikers, and then were defeated by Melbourne Stars in the previous fixture. A top-order collapse saw the Thunder managing 142/7 against the Stars. The bowlers could not defend it in front of a gutsy partnership of Nick Larkin and Marcus Stoinis. Daniel Sams led bowling unit tried their best at the end but it was too late by then. Good showcase from the batting order again and the Thunder will have an upper hand in the game.

Brisbane Heat had a bad start but they came back strongly and went on to win two high scoring matches of the tournament. On both occasions, their batsmen put targets above 200 and made things easy for the bowlers. Chris Lynn led the middle order in both games. On the other hand, they were defeated in three games and every time they failed to chase down. The bowling department has not been dependable so far and the onus will be on batting even in this much important fixture. The Heat already faced the Thunder once in the league and would like to take revenge this time. A win in this game and Brisbane Heat will be able to decrease the gap on the points table as well.

Sydney Thunder are favourites, especially at home. Brisbane Heat have to be careful and work as a team in case of chasing.

Key players

Callum Ferguson(Sydney Thunder)– Callum Ferguson has scored 248 runs at an average of 62 so far and is the second-best batsman of the tournament currently. His failure in the last game proved to be a key factor for the Thunder’s loss. Ferguson’s good showing will be important for Sydney Thunder.

Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat)– Chris Lynn with 211 runs at an average above 52 is enjoying the fourth place in the top ten batting list of the tournament. The skipper is leading the batting of the team which is a great asset for Brisbane Heat. Lynn’s performance will be a key for the Heat to win this match.

Likely XIs

Sydney Thunder: Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Alex Ross, Chris Green, Chris Morris, Matthew Gilkes (wk), Daniel Sams, Arjun Nair, Nathan McAndrew, Jonathan Cook.

Brisbane Heat: Tom Banton, Max Bryant, Chris Lynn (c), Matt Renshaw, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Ben Cutting, Mark Steketee, Josh Lalor, Ben Laughlin, Zahir Khan.

Prediction

Brisbane Heat to win.