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BBL07: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades preview and prediction

Chris Lynn of the Heat in action during the Big Bash League. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Roar Guru
26th January, 2018
0

The Melbourne Renegades will be looking to lock up their finals spot when they take on the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba tonight. Here is my full preview as well as the Prophet’s pick.

Brisbane Heat (4-5) vs Melbourne Renegades (5-4) at the Gabba
Head to head: Melbourne Renegades 6, Brisbane Heat 2
Last five: Melbourne Renegades 5, Brisbane Heat 0

Brisbane Heat 13-man squad
Brendon McCullum (c), Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Matt Renshaw, Yasir Shah, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee and Mitchell Swepson.

Melbourne Renegades 13-man squad
Dwayne Bravo (WI), Tom Cooper, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, Jon Holland, Tim Ludeman+, Keiron Pollard, Kane Richardson, Matthew Short, Jack Wildermuth, Mckenzie Harvey, Chris Tremain and Beau Webster.

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Both the Renegades and Heat will be looking to secure the last position in the finals when they lock horn at the Gabba in the regular season finale tonight. The Renegades sit a game ahead of the Heat at 5-4 after a tense victory over the Thunder in Canberra on Tuesday night. The Heat have had nine days to stew on their pathetic performance against the Sydney Sixers, where they imploded to be all out for 74. They need a huge victory here over the Renegades to elevate them in the net run rate.

Big batting battle: Chris Lynn vs Marcus Harris
Chris Lynn is back for the Heat and he needs a huge score here in quick time to try and rescue his team’s finals chances. Lynn has managed just four games this season for the Heat, with injuries frustrating his attempts to gather momentum after being the BBL player of the season in the previous two years.

Marcus Harris will be the key man for the Renegades at the top of the order in the absence of Aaron Finch and Cameron White. Harris responded well against the Thunder, top scoring with 64 to help set up a crucial win for his side.

(AAP Image/Darren England)

Big bowling battle: Mitchell Swepson vs Dwayne Bravo
Mitchell Swepson will be looking for some wickets in potentially his final BBL game of the season after picking up only four this season. Swepson has not bowled badly, going for just 7.16 runs per over, but has just four wickets at an average over 54 as teams have nullified his threat.

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Bravo has been outstanding for the Renegades this season, being their leading wicket-taker and the fifth best wicket-taker in the competition, with 14 scalps at an average of 20 and going for 8.31 runs per over.

Ground dynamic: the Gabba
The Gabba remains the best place to bat in the competition. The Heat have scored over 180 in two games here and it’s clear McCullum lets his side go hard throughout, unlike some teams, which like to build an innings. The spinners will need to bowl flatter and a touch shorter here to avoid being driven down the ground towards the short straight boundaries.

The Prophet’s pick (21-17): Brisbane Heat
“The Heat have been typically hot and cold, but I expect them to go out with a bang.”

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