Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat Big Bash Tips: Powerful home hitters to the fore

• Head and Carey in for Strikers

• Everything points to big runs

• Khawaja needs to fire

Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat
Saturday 14 January, 05:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Team news

Strikers can finally include Travis Head, their captain, and Alex Carey in the squad. It comes at just the right time after a desperately disappointing effort against Melbourne Stars. With Peter Siddle also fit, Strikers are at full strength and should really power on to a play-off spot. Chris Lynn remains available.

Probable XI: Short, Carey, Lynn, Head, Hose, de Grandhomme, Kelly, Manenti, Siddle, W Agar, Thornton

Heat are a batting team after Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw returned to the XI against Perth. Not that it did much good. They were stuffed by eight wickets. We're unsure that dropping Nathan McSweeney was a fair move. He's ccertainly a better hitter than Labuschagne and Renshaw in this format.

Probable XI: Khawaja, Brown, Labuschagne, Renshaw, Peirson, Bryant, Whiteley, Neser, Bartlett, Kuhnemann, Johnson

Team news

We're counting on big runs for Strikers here if they bat first. The planets are all coming into line. More than 180 has been busted four times in five, three of those 200 or more.

And a Heat bowling line-up against powerful home hitters could be in trouble. Heat have been leaking nine runs an over in this tournament. Betting Strikers for 170 or more and 180 or more are solid plays.

How to play

Strikers are 1.695/7 to put their horror show against the Stars behind them. And if they bat first they should be trading shorter at the break.

Heat's best hope, then, is to hit themselves. And here they are reliant on Khawaja and Josh brown getting them off to a fast start. Khawaja is in great touch and now he's had a knock to find his feet they are far from a shabby trade batting first at 2.427/5.

Tops value

Khawaja has been boosted to 11/4 to top score for Heat with Sportsbook. Carey is 11/4 for Strikers and he should open with Ryan Gibson dropped from the squad. Head is 7/2.