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BBL10 | Match Preview: Rejuvenated Renegades face desperate for points Heat
BBL10 | Match Report: Dan Christian wins a last ball thriller for Sixers against Heat
Sometimes, it’s just your day and today was the day of 37-year-old Sixers all-rounder Dan Christian who won a thriller of a game that went right down to the last ball. Courtesy of a huge six, two scare doubles, a dropped catch, and a full toss in the last over by Xavier Bartlett, Christian got the Sixers past the Heat score of 148 with three wickets remaining. With this win, the sixers now occupy the top position in the 10th edition of the Big Bash League. The phenomenon called Daniel Christian Joining his captain Daniel Hughes with a team score of 54 in the ninth over, the new south wales born Christian rebuilt the innings and took the Sixers to a position from where they could attack. He showed the first sign of aggression in the power surge where he hit Lewis Gregory for four right on the very first delivery. Although in the rest of the over, he couldn’t hit any more boundaries. But in the very next over he hit Mark Steketee for 20 runs and announced his arrival at the crease, at the same time ringing the warning bells for the Heat, who until then had controlled the game quite well. Apart from boundary hitting, what was impressive was his running, especially the two runs that he ran on the penultimate ball when the team needed three from two and he did not want to expose Jackson Bird to the last ball when two runs would have been required off it. He almost leaped from two yards away from the crease to complete the runs. At the age of 37, he was doing such acrobatics, putting his body on the line, which just goes to showcase his top-level commitment to the team. Power surge and the change in dynamics The power surge has proved vital in the entire tournament and once again it was the game-changer for the Sydney side. Taken in the 15th over when Sixers required 62 off the 36 deliveries, it eased the way ahead for the guests at the Carrara Oval. Gregory, the English all-rounder was hit for 17 runs in the first power surge over where Hughes hit him for three overs. In the second over, Steketee was hit for three huge sixes and conceded a total of 20 runs by Christian, easing out the run rate pressure to a bare minimum. Chris Lynn, having captained the Heat brilliantly, made just one mistake in the entire game and that was not saving one of Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman Over for the power surge, especially after the impressive record that he has had in the surge. The Bazely intervention With Hughes and Christian fully set at the crease having built a partnership of 72 runs in 46 balls, and Sixers needing just 23 runs off 22 balls, everything was going in the favour of the Pinks. But just then the Heat skipper Lynn had a last throw of the dice as he called in James Bazley for an over, who had given just seven runs in his previous over. Out of the blue, Bazley not only picked the wicket of Hughes but only conceded four runs. In the next over Steketee too just gave away only four runs while removing Carlos Brathwaite alongside. This took the target to 17 from 12 and Bazley was handed the ball once again. This time around, Bazley once again proved to be the right choice as he not only removed Steve OKeefe but gave away just six runs only. Among those six was a brilliantly struck six by Christian who converted a yorker into a half volley and dug it out past the sweeper cover for four. In the last over with one run required, Bartlett was hit for a massive six on the very first ball. The tall man Bartlett erred on only two deliveries in the last over, the first one being hit for six and teh last one where after getting eight close-in fielders to save a single, he bowled a full toss on the legs. And those two were enough for Christian and Sixers to take the game away from the Heat. Bash Boost drama and the brilliant bowling from Heat Being able to set only a small target of 149 against an accomplished batting lineup like that of the sixers, the Heat needed some extraordinary bowling and that is exactly what they got. Bartleet and Jack Wildermuth started the proceedings really well, giving nothing away to the Sixers opener. The tight bowling resulted in quick wickets as well, even as there were edges flying over slips and third man and few of the catches being dropped as well. The going was so smooth that Wildermuth was bowled out in his first spell itself. The 19-year-old Afghan, Mujeeb too joined the party as he picked crucial wickets of James Vince and Jordan Silk giving a huge setback to the Sixers and their chase. At one stage, it all came down to the Bash Boost point. Sixers had needed 7 from 12 to get the Boost but Mujeeb bowled a perfect over dismissing Silk and giving away just a single in that over. With Six required from six, Steketee was called upon. He bowled some brilliant deliveries. The equation came down to two from one and on the last ball, Hughes hawked the only wayward delivery. Over deep square and ran two runs to get the Bash Boost point. Heat batsmen did not apply themselves Earlier in the day, Heat after being asked to bat first by the Sydney team couldn’t just get going as they were unable to read the pitch and tried to score off every ball. This led to some suicidal shots being played by the Heat batsmen. Max Byant, Joe Denly, Wildermuth, and Jimmy Pierson, all got out by playing a shot which they should never have. Especially Widermuth needed to be there at the crease with Gregory who was hitting the balls real nice. Had the 27-year-old Queensdlader stayed there, the Heat could have added another 10-15 runs in their total which could have made all the difference. As a result, only Lynn got to a respectable score of 56 from 44 balls. And 149 was never going to be a challenging total, but courtesy of the Heat bowlers, this low-scoring thriller came out to be one of the best games of the tournament so far. Ordinary fielding Known for its high fielding standards, the BBL has been a mine that produces brilliant fieldsmen every year who set new trends. Jordan Silk and Max Bryant have been among the best of the fielder as well. But in this match, Bryant dropped a comparatively easy catch on the boundary lines. And all in all, there were too many dropped catches in the entire game. Lynn was dropped thrice while Christian had two chances one drop and one easy run out of him being missed as well. What's Next? Sixers will now play in the top of the table as well as the cross-city rivalry clash when they play second-placed Thunder at Sydney Showground Stadium on 13th January. The heat will face a re-energized Grenades at the Docklands on 14th.
BBL10 Match Preview: Heat look to continue momentum against rhythm-searching Stars
Two teams that have found momentum late in the 10th edition of the BBL are Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers. While one of it continued by beating the table-toppers Sydney Sixers in their last game, the Chris Lynn led side too would be looking to take it forward when they faced Glenn Maxwell led Melbourne Stars at the Carrara Oval. Stars though on the other hand have found a little bit of a rhythm winning against Hurricanes, having lost three games in a row. Few things went right for them in that game which included the form of their star campaigners Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa along with Hilton Cartwright and the two blinders from the Specimen Andre Fletcher. The Joe Factor In their last game, it was Joe Burns, who joined the Heat team after getting released from the Australian Test squad due to poor form. The opener struggled in the game against the Sixers, however, he kind of found his ‘hands’ against the Thunder and the Heat unit would hope that the form continues. Along with him is the overseas signing Joe Denly who has been terrific in the two games that he has played so far, scoring a fifty in the last game. The two Joes would give enough confidence to skipper Lynn along with late order hitters in Lewis Gregory and Jimmy Pierson. With Mark Steketee and Mujeeb in the kind of form that they are, it shouldn’t really be a matter for the Heat to give the toughest of the fights to the Stars. Stoinis could be the shining 'Star' Stars are looking to find momentum and one win in the kitty would have done a tremendous amount of good for the team, especially in the way that victory came about. The usual suspects Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran did not fire and it was Stoinis and Cartwright that came to the rescue. Similarly in the bowling, even after being without Nathan Coulter-Nile, an unknown gun in Sam Rainbird delivered. It is these performances that would lift the spirits of the team. Among them, Stoinis finding form and hitting a brilliant 97 not out has been the biggest plays and the Stars team would like him to continue with this form and also contribute with a few overs in bowling to take the team balance a notch above. Heat vs Stars: Match Details Match Number- 32 Date and Time: 07th January 2021, 08.20 pm local, 03.50 pm IST, 10.20 am GMT Venue: Carrara Oval, Brisbane Broadcast: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report The pitch at Carrara Oval has been generally good in this BBL season offering good pace and bounce. Good pace and bounce in Australia are actually batting friendly. However, that doesn't mean flat deck either as bowlers, if they try, can get purchase off the surface if they hit the right lengths. It is expected to behave the same in this game as well. Weather and Bat Flip The weather has been really put off in matches at the Carrara oval with rain intervals halting games. For this match, the forecast is that rain would disturb the proceedings this time as well. With 55% chances of rain in the night and 78% cloud cover, captains could do nothing but win the toss and field first. Heat Strongest XI Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Joe Denly, Jack Wildermuth, Jimmy Peirson (c & wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Stars Strongest XI Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Hilton Cartwright, Nicholas Pooran, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell (c), Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Sam Rainbird, Billy Stanlake
BBL 10 Match Report: Burns and Denly lead Heat to victory over Thunder
Despite a late wobble, Brisbane Heat were able to complete a rather clinical chase to gain an important victory over Sydney Thunder in their Big Bash League (BBL) match at Gabba on Monday. Joe Burns, recently dropped from the Test team for poor performances in the two Tests this summer against India, found his groove again and scored a brilliant 52 off 38 balls to spearhead the chase. He was ably assisted by Englishman Joe Denly who also scored a half-century, 50 off 36 balls, and crafted a pivotal 90-run partnership that sealed the game for the home team. In the end, the target of 175 was chased down by the Heat in 19.1 overs, for the loss of five wickets. Sydney Thunder won the toss and chose to bat first. They suffered a loss very early on as Usman Khawaja was dismissed on the second ball of the match by Xavier Bartlett. However, Thunder fought back strongly with Alex Hales and Callum Ferguson going after the bowlers. The 50 for the Sydney-based side came up in 6.2 overs as the Hales-Ferguson partnership started finding the boundaries regularly. Heat turned to their main spin weapon, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and he brought results. Even though he went for runs in his first over, Mujeeb struck in his second over, getting Hales out four short of his half-century. The Afghan struck again three overs later to get the other set batsman Callum Ferguson out as well. At 93/3 in 11.4 overs, the match was in the balance. But it tilted towards the bowling side as Mark Steketee got the wicket of Ollie Davis soon after to leave the team at a precarious 96/4. Sam Billings played a couple of impressive shots before getting out himself for 22. Then, Daniel Sams played another great cameo, despite suffering a hard blow to his head when a bouncer struck his helmet. Sams’ 37 from 18 balls lifted Thunder from 108/5 in 13.4 overs to 147/6 in 17.3. After Sams’ dismissal, Ben Cutting took over and played a cameo of 24 from 15 balls. The Sydney side ended up with 174/8. For Heat, Mujeeb and Steketee picked up two wickets each. Heat then unleashed a major weapon in their arsenal – the super sub Chris Lynn. He and Max Bryant got their team a blazing start. Lynn threw all caution to wind and launched into various big hits. Bryant also got going with a few boundaries. The introduction of spin brought respite to Thunder. First, Chris Green ended the knock of Bryant and then, young leggie Tanveer Sangha got the prized scalp of Lynn. However, there was no backing away by Heat and in the same over that Sangha got the wicket of Lynn, his first, he also conceded 11 runs. The spinners were then held back as the pacers were brought back. The two Joes – Burns and Denly – then formed the key partnership that completely took the game away from Thunder. The only time the team wearing blue looked wavering in their chase was when Sangha picked up two wickets in two balls – first Denly and then Lewis Gregory. Another wicket quickly after, of Burns, did create some tension. But with the required run rate well under control, all it needed were a couple of boundaries to end the pressure and take the team home. With six needed off seven balls, a lofted boundary over midwicket took Heat on the brink of victory. A brace of the first ball of the last over brought curtains down on the match.
BBL10 | Heat vs Strikers: Gregory, Wildmeruth hold nerve as Heat clinch thriller
It turned out to be a nail-biting contest between the Sydney Sixers and the Brisbane Heat but in the end, it was the Heat who held their nerves and registered a 4-wicket victory with 7 deliveries to spare. The target which seemed tricky at the start of the run chase turned out to be a rather convincing victory for the Heat courtesy a brilliant match-winning unbeaten partnership of 50 runs in the final phase of the innings. While Lewis Gregory was unbeaten on 31 of 16 deliveries, Jack Wildermuth chipped in with a knock of 22 of just 10 deliveries. Meanwhile batting first, Sydney Sixers posted a competitive 165 on the board in their allotted 20 overs on the back of fine knocks from Joshua Philippe and Jordan Silk. Despite the loss, the Sixers will gain some heart from the fact they won the Bash Boost Point. The target of 166 could have been a stiff one for the Brisbane Heat. They needed a good start but the torrid run of Joe Burns continued as he was dismissed in the third over by Jackson Bird. It was Max Bryant who steadied the ship with Joe Denly with a brief little partnership but it did shift the momentum. Bryant looked in great touch during his knock of 40 of 23 deliveries but his wicket again tilted the scales in favour of the Sydney Sixers. Despite some wickets in the middle, it was Wildermuth and Lewis Gregory who again shifted the momentum in their favour and eventually chased the target down with 7 deliveries left. For his exceptional knock Some useful knocks came from the blades of Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Pierson and Lewis Gregory as the Brisbane Heat kept the required run rate in check and found the boundaries whenever they needed the most. In the end, it was a quick partnership between Gregory and Jack Wildermuth which tilted the scales in favour of the Heat. Earlier in the day, it was Sydney Sixers skipper Daniel Hughes who won the toss and opted to bat. The Sixers went off to a steady start courtesy their opening batters, Joshua Philippe and Jack Edwards. Yet again it was Mujeeb ur Rahman who spun a web around the opposition batters and bagged the wicket of Edwards in his very first delivery. From there on, it was Philippe and James Vince who forged a brief stand of 39 runs but it came in very quick time which turned the momentum in their favour. Philippe struck some exceptional shots en route to his knock of 48 of 36 deliveries which were studded with a couple of fours and sixes each. Wickets fell in a cluster in the middle overs as Mark Steketee was the wrecker in chief who put the Sixers on the backfoot. Jordan Silk looked in ominous touch and struck 5 crisp boundaries during his knock of 43 of 27 deliveries. Despite some wickets falling in a cluster towards the fag end of the innings, Dwarshuis struck a couple of lusty blows which and eventually helped them reach a more than competitive score of 165 on the board. Mark Steketee was the pick of the bowlers for the Brisbane Heat as he finished with figures of 4/33 while Mujeeb chipped in with a couple.
Heat look to regain momentum on home soil against high-flying Sixers
Brisbane Heat would be looking to get back to winning ways after falling short by a solitary run against the Hobart Hurricanes in their year ending clash. In the new year though, they would like to move on, make use of the home conditions and crush probably the best team in the league-Sydney Sixers. On the other hand, Sixers, with four wins in a row would look to maximize on their form and the form of their star players like Josh Philippe and Daniel Hughes. Now that Holder is not available, the two other all-rounders in Carlos Brathwaite and Dan Christian would have to pull up their socks and fill in for him. Denly and Burns to turn the tides for Heat The Brisbane team has looked a depleted side much due to the pullouts from the likes of Tom Banton. Also Chris Lynn the captain has not been able to play in the last two games and won’t be available for this one either. Morne Morkel has so far been missing the action, even after being a local player now. It is due to these problems that the inclusion of experienced guys like Joe Burns, who has been released from the Aussie Test squad, and Joe Denly, who is finally fit and raring to strike hard would give Heat some confidence ahead of the game. Along with this, they would be looking to get a fine balance among their foreign stars who can all bowl, especially Mujeeb Ur Rehaman and Lewis Gregory to get the team early and timely strikes. Mujeeb showed what he is capable of with the five for in the last game, while Gregory was at the top of his game in the match prior to that. Sixers won't mind another one Having won two fiercely close games against two Melbourne sides, the Sydney Sixers won’t mind winning another close one against the Heat. They have been buoyed by the comeback of Jackson Bird and the overseas replacement of Holder, T20 Blast’s highest wicket-taker Jake Ball. The England star will be looking to make an impact right with the word go. While these factors form part of an important consideration, what is even more noticeable is the fact that the Sixers have always found an unlikely hero in every game. They wouldn’t mind one in this game either and Bir or Ball could be that hero as well. Heat vs Sixers: Match Details Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane Date and Time: January 2, 02:45 PM IST, 07:15 PM Local, 09:15 AM GMT Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report The pitch at Brisbane has been a bit on the slower side, helping spinners with grip and turn, and also those who are ready to get slowness off the surface with their cutters. This phenomenon is more seen in the second innings, although Gabba is considered to be one of the fastest squares in Australia. No team in the three matches played here so far, have been able to get past 150 in the first innings, and the chasing team, Heat all the three times have struggled to get to that total, losing twice with close margins ( by two runs vs Strikers and by one run vs Hurricanes) and winning one with a great seventh-wicket partnership. Hence expecting a high score game would be too much for tomorrow Weather and Bat Flip The weather in Brisbane would remain a bit chilly with partly cloudy skies and a 40% chance of rain. Even in the last BBL game at the Carrara in Brisbane, it had to be decided through Duckworth Lewis, hence teams winning the flip would look to field first. Heat Probable XI Joe Bruns, Sam Heazlett, Jack Wildermuth, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson(w/c), James Bazley, Simon Milenko, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Sixers Probable XI Josh Philippe(w), Jack Edwards, James Vince, Daniel Hughes(c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Ben Dwarshuis, Ben Manenti, Steve OKeefe, Jake Ball
BBL10 | Hurricanes vs Heat: Mujeeb's 5-wicket haul goes in vain as HH register 1-run victory
Hobart Hurricanes held their nerves and snatched victory by a solitary run in the 20th match of BBL against the Brisbane Heat. Fortunes fluctuated from one side to the other but in the end, it was a tiniest of margins which helped Hurricanes register their 4th win of the tournament. With the bat in hand, it was Tim David and Dawid Malan who ensured the Hurricanes reached a respectable total of 150. In the bowling department, it was the raw pace of Riley Meredith who accounted for 3 crucial wickets and was instrumental in wiping out their top order. Despite a valiant effort from James Bazley, the Brisbane Heat’s eventually fell short by just one run. Earlier in the day, it was Brisbane Heat skipper Jimmy Pierson who won the toss and put the Hobart Hurricanes in. They started off in a disastrous note as they lost the wicket of D’Arcy Short in the 2nd delivery of the match and Xavier Bartlett made good use of the new ball. In came David Malan who joined Ben McDermott in the middle and started taking on the bowlers with his sensational strokeplay. He timed everything to perfection and it was a sight to behold to watch him in full flow. He shared a stand of 27 runs with McDermott before the latter’s dismissal. In came skipper Peter Handsomb and along with Malan he tried to resurrect the innings and played some delightful shots in the process. He started off with a couple of good shots but was unable to carry and was dismissed on 18. Colin Ingram joined Malan in the middle and looked to keep the scoring rate up. However, it was Mujeeb ur Rahman who spun a web around the Hobart Hurricanes batsmen and pushed them on the mat. After dismissing McDermott, Mujeeb castled Malan with an unplayable delivery which turned just enough to miss his bat and disturbed the timbers. From there on, Mujeeb was all over the Hurricanes as he kept chipping away with some crucial wickets to never really allowed the Hurricanes to press on the accelerator. Wickets kept tumbling but Tim David provided the much-needed momentum for the Hurricanes with a breezy knock of 36 of a mere 17 deliveries. He looked in ominous touch and was in a murderous mood during his brief stay in the crease. His knock was laced with 2 fours and 3 sixes and was ably supported by Colin Ingram. The last few wickets fell very cheaply for the Hurricanes as Mujeeb was simply unplayable and finished with a five-wicket haul ensuring that the Hobart Hurricanes were skittled out for 150 before the end of their allotted 20 overs. Barring Mujeeb, Xavier Bartlett also chipped in with a couple of wickets. The target of 151 was not a big one and the Brisbane Heat would have backed themselves to chase the target. However, what followed next was just what the doctor ordered for the Hurricanes. Within the 3rd over, Brisbane Heat was reduced to 8/3 and it looked like a mountain too steep to climb for them. Riley Meredith was quite exceptional in his opening spell as he bagged the wicket of Sam Heazlett and it was the pressure which he created which helped Keemo Paul and Scott Boland to chi in with some crucial wickets. The pressure kept mounting for the Heat’s but the pair of Lewis Gregory and Max Bryant had other ideas They steadied the ship with a 52 runs stand and it regenerated the hopes for the Brisbane based franchise. Both Bryant and Gregory fell in quick succession which again tilted the scales in favour of the Hurricanes However it was the partnership between James Bazley and Jimmy Pierson who turned the game on its head. Bazley, in particular, played a sensational knock and started attacking the Hurricanes. He applied the pressure well and the Hurricanes found it difficult to get his wicket. Bazley smacked 49 of 31 deliveries and shared a good stand with Pierson. When Pierson’s wicket fell, the Heat’s was still well and truly in the game. They were actually a bit ahead in the 9 ball game but a cluster of wickets towards the end meant that they fell short of the target by a whisker. With 2 required of the final delivery, Mark Steketee was run out by the barest of margins which ensured a 1 run victory for the Hobart Hurricanes.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman roped in by Middlesex for 2021 Natwest T20 Blast
Afghanistan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been resigned by Middlesex and he will be seen playing for them in the 2021 T20 Blast. Still, a 19-year-old, Mujeeb has made rapid strides in international cricket and T20 leagues across the world as has made himself an integral part of the Afghanistan national team and all the franchises for whom he has plied his trade so far. Mujeeb had represented Middlesex in the 2019 edition of the tournament. Despite bagging just 7 wickets in 10 matches, Mujeeb’s ability to contain batsmen in the powerplay and the middle overs made him an integral part of the set-up. His performances helped Middlesex progress to the knockout stage and he will be looking to make a mark when he takes the field for them in the upcoming edition. Expressing his delight at rejoining Middlesex Mujeeb said that he had a great time representing them in 2019. "I had a very enjoyable time at Middlesex in 2019 and I am pleased to be coming back to play, especially at Lord's. Let's hope we can do well," Mujeeb said. As per reports, it is learnt that Mujeeb will be available for all the group games for Middlesex and also the knockout games if the team manages to qualify for the next phase of the tournament. After representing Middlesex in 2019, Mujeeb has made a name for himself especially in T20’s and is currently the 2nd ranked T20I bowler in the world just behind his Afghanistan teammate Rashid Khan. Mujeeb is currently plying his trade for the Brisbane Heat in the ongoing Big Bash League and made a big impact with the bat during the 13th game of the tournament against the Adelaide Strikers. During the last IPL, Mujeeb just played a couple of matches for the Kings XI Punjab owing to the team combination. He has also played for the Comilla Warriors in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League. Middlesex head coach Stuart Law expressed his delight at having Mujeeb back for the 2021 edition. "It's great to have Mujeeb with us again for the Blast. He's the number two ranked bowler in T20 cricket, behind his countryman Rashid Khan, and brings great variety to our attack. A great bloke to have in our dressing room as well, we are really looking forward to welcoming Mujeeb back next season,” Stuart Law said.
BBL 10 | Heat vs Strikers: Adelaide hold nerve in a humdinger
It turned out to be one of the most classic BBL matches and in the end, it was the Adelaide Strikers who scraped through and ended up winning the 13th match of the tournament by just 2 runs. Stand-in skipper for the Brisbane Heat, Jimmy Peirson played a stellar knock and almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The Strikers after being put in to bat made a good recovery to post 152 on the board. The target looked way too much for the Heat after losing 8 wickets for just 68 runs but Peirson and Mujeeb brought them back into the game but couldn’t quite get them over the line in the end. Earlier in the day, it was Brisbane Heat designated skipper Chris Lynn who went for the toss and opted to field. However, he suffered a hamstring injury just minutes before the match and Jimmy Pierson was handed over the captaincy in his absence. The Strikers lost Jack Weatherald in the very first over and the Brisbane Heat bowlers never really allowed the batters to get under their skin in the first 5 overs. Philip Salt survived a few close shaves and went onto make 25 but the innings was scratchy and didn’t allow the Strikers to get after the bowlers. A partnership of 60 runs with Matt Renshaw meant that the Strikers had a launching pad for the final stretch of the innings but both Renshaw and Salt was dismissed in back to back deliveries by Mark Steketee which put the Strikers on the backfoot. Two new batsmen in and the pressure as well and truly on the Strikers but they did manage to eke out a few crucial partnerships which eventually helped them go past the 150 mark, Jonathan Wells looked in good touch and made good use of the power surge which the Strikers took in the 17th over. Two overs yielded 25 runs and it did help them gain some sort of momentum. Harry Neilsen also chipped in with a vital knock of 28 of 20 deliveries and struck some crisp boundaries during the course of his innings. However the Brisbane Heat bowlers never really allowed the Strikers to get away with the game and restricted them to 152. The pick of the bowlers for the Brisbane Heat was Xavier Bartlett who bowled good lines and bagged 3 wickets while Mark Steketee chipped in with a couple. The Brisbane Heat needed to get off to a good start and the Strikers needed some early wickets. Yet again the bowling department didn’t disappoint as the Strikers struck twice in the first 8 deliveries and things looked very difficult for the Heats from thereon. Daniel Worral and Danny Briggs bagged the two early wickets to put the Heats on the backfoot. After a brief partnership of 23 runs between Max Bryant and Daniel Lawrence, it was Rashid Khan who spun a web around the Heat batters and turned the game on its head. He bagged the wicket of Max Bryant in the very first delivery of his spell and followed it up with one more in the form of Lawrence in his very next over. From there on it was a mountain too steep to climb for the Heat. They kept losing wickets and it was the Strikers who looked like running away with the match. They were reduced to 68/8 and it looked all over for the Heat. Yet again there was an umpiring howler when Tom Cooper was adjudged LBW despite a clear under edge onto his pads. This has raised the debate yet again that whether DRS should be a part of every big tournament. However, what transpired next was something which no one would have predicted. No 10 Mujeeb ur Rahman suddenly turned the complexion of the game with some exceptional hitting in the 15th over of his fellow countryman Rashid Khan. The 20 runs over gave them some momentum to work with and skipper Jimmy Peirson grabbed that with both hands. He simply launched into the Strikers’ bowlers and kept plundering them for boundaries after boundaries. It was quite heartening to see the fact that the duo was still fighting from a hopeless situation. 51 runs came in just 14 deliveries and the match had turned on its head. However, the wickets column was the only bother for the Brisbane Heat. With 23 required of the last 3, Peter Siddle took the onus on himself and produced a magical over where he got the wicket of Mujeeb to again push the Brisbane Heat on the backfoot. Ben Laughlin played out a few overs and with Peirson on strike for the final over with 13 runs required the scales were slightly tilted in favour of the Heat especially due to the way he had batted in the last few overs. Eventually, his valiant effort wasn’t enough as the Heat fell short by just 2 runs
Seifert and Southee rise high in T20 rankings, Malan and Rashid remain atop
The International Cricket Council (ICC) released its latest T20I rankings. The biggest movers in the last period of calculation have been two New Zealanders - Tim Seifert and Tim Southee. This shooting up of these players position in the points table is the result of their performances in the recently-concluded three-match T20 series the Kiwis and Pakistan. Seifert, the opening batsman, scored 176 runs in the three matches against Pakistan and was named Man of the Series. This effort has helped him go up an astonishing 24 positions to break into the top-10 and occupy the ninth position. Southee, one of the most skillful bowlers in world cricket today, also made a big jump. He entered the top-10 again thanks to his six wickets in the three games against Pakistan. He now is at seventh in the rankings. Dawid Malan, who batted brilliantly in the last series for his team, continues as the top batsman in T20I cricket. He has attained his all-time high rating of 915 points. At no. 2 is Babar Azam, trailing by 95 points, at 820. Just trailing the Pakistan captain is India's KL Rahul with 816 rating points. Despite his stellar performance for Pakistan against New Zealand, Mohammad Hafeez is only at 33, up by 14 places. Among bowlers, the top ranked player is Rashid Khan, with 736 points. These are not the highest rating points he has achieved though. He had 816 points in 2018. The second-placed bowler is also an Afghan - Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. He is just six points behind his senior compatriot. At third is another spinner - Adil Rashid of England. He has exactly 700 points. In fact, all the bowlers in the top-6 of rankings are spinners. Southee is the highest-ranked seamer at no. 7. The best all-rounder, according to the rankings, is Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi. Shakib Al Hasan and Glenn Maxwell are at the second and third position respectively.
Match Preview: Heat seek elusive first win, Strikers eye momentum at the Gabba
The Brisbane Heat are going to clash against the Adelaide Strikers in the 13th match of the league on 23 December hoping to open their winning account in the ongoing season of the Big Bash League. Heat have not been able to play as a unit and at least one department of their team has failed them in the two matches that they have played. In the first game of this campaign, their batting line up was left exposed against a potent Melbourne Stars bowling attack while in the second match their bowlers were not good enough to defend 180 against the Sydney Thunder. There were decent spells of bowling by all the bowlers but an awful performance from the experienced head of Ben Laughlin proved detrimental for the Heat in Canberra in their last game. After playing first two tough games on away pitches, Lynn would be delighted to come back to Gabba and will be hoping for his team to come back as a unit strongly as one more loss will start staring at them with a lot of uncomfortable questions. On the other hand, the Adelaide Strikers have started their campaign in decent fashion, with one win out of the three games they have played this season. The solitary win came against the Hobart Hurricanes where Peter Siddle broke the back of Hurricanes’ batting up and picked up a fifer and any chance of their revival with the ball was thwarted by a dominating Jack Weatherald with the bat at the top of the order. However, on the days of two losses, the Strikers bowlers were made to look like an ordinary attack by the likes of D’Arcy Short and Daniel Christian who smashed them to all over the park, and in the reply, the Strikers’ batsmen could not quite match the firepower of their counterparts. For the Strikers, the trouble will be more as the captain Alex Carey and Harry Conway will not be able to travel to Brisbane due to the Covid-19 protocols set by the Queensland state administration. The match will be very crucial for the Brisbane Heat who will be desperately looking to get off the mark while Adelaide Strikers would be hoping to fine-tune their tactics in order to bring more efficiency and consistency in the team. Thunder vs Scorchers: Match Details Venue: Gabba, Brisbane Date and Time: December 22, 01:45 PM IST, 06:15 PM Local, 08:15 AM GMT Broadcasters: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report The Gabba has a reputation of producing pitches that support pace and bounce but that has not hurt batsmen in the past in hitting some of the biggest sixes in the history of the BBL. Lynn would hope for a pitch that will assist his bowlers early on but Adelaide Strikers have the firepower to extract advantage in their favour with the ball. The average first innings score at the Gabba has been 165 runs and out of 39 BBl matches at the venue, teams batting first have won only 17 times while the team who opted or were made to chase were able to win the game on 21 occasions. Weather and Toss The weather conditions in Brisbane are likely to be perfect for cricket in the city as the temperature will hover between a maximum of 31 degrees and a minimum of 22 degrees. There is no chance of rain and it augurs well for both sides who are looking to get back to winning ways to stake a claim on the title. It’s no brainer that the captain who will win the toss will decide to chase, looking at the past record as well as the expected nature of the pitch that will not change over the course of 40 overs. Strongest XI Brisbane Heat Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Chris Lynn (c), Daniel Lawrence, Tom Cooper, Jack Wildermuth, Jimmy Pierson (wk), Mark Steketee, Matt Kuhnemann, Ben Laughlin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Adelaide Strikers Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald, Matt Renshaw, Harry Nielsen (wk), Jon Wells, Matt Short, Liam Scott, Rashid Khan, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle (c), Danny Briggs
IPL 2020 | KKR vs KXIP: Hits and Flops as Knight Riders script another dramatic win
The Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off another close win after looking down and out on the back of outstanding bowling by Sunil Narine and Prasidh Krishna. The Kings XI Punjab really looked like a side that ran out of depth when pressure started to increase with ascending required rate and falling wickets. Captain KL Rahul made all the efforts to settle down in order to be there at the end to steer the team home, but the gamble of taking it too far in the innings did not pay off for him, and the Punjab side. Here we decipher the best and the worst performers of the day from the match between KKR and KXIP. Hits Sunil Narine Sunil Narine is redeeming himself every match after he was relieved off from the duty of providing the Knight Riders a risk start with the bat in hand. He may be appearing a lot less threatening than he once looked against batsmen in the IPL, but captain Dinesh Karthik has made sure that his experience of bowling in tough situations and guile will not be wasted. He has been used strategically after 10th over when opposition batsmen have looked settled to tee off in the last few overs and the move has paid dividends in two consecutive matches for the Kolkata Side. On the day when the Kings XI Punjab was steamrolling towards a comfortable victory with a lot of wickets in hand, Karthik once again turned to Narine and asked him to bring his A age in the 18th and 20th over of the innings. Narine accepted the challenges and derailed Punjab’s chase with a 2 run over along with a big wicket of Nicholas Pooran which turned out to be the turning point in Kings XI failing to chase down the target. Back in the 20th over, Nine had to defend 14 runs to hand his team another comeback-from-behind win but he had to do it against Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell tried all his tricks but failed 2 runs short of KKR's 164. Dinesh Karthik Karthik, the captain had redeemed himself in the last game against the Chennai Super Kings when he scripted a magnificent turnaround to deny CSK an easy chase. However, there were many questions lying on his head such as his own position in the abetting order or should Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell should be slotted above him. But, Karthik silenced all his critics in an emphatic manner, and although he came to bat when his team was in a precarious position, he streeted them to a defendable total. His signature shots such as inside out over cover and slog sweeps against spinners were back and Dinesh Karthik looked like the one who had caught the attention of the national selector for a finisher role. The 29-ball-58 will do a world of good to his confidence as a batsman while another fabulous win when all looked down and out will boost his leadership credentials if there were any. Arshdeep Singh Arshdeep Singh was brought into the playing XI after the Kings XI Punjab’s bowling lineup started failing to keep control on matches and the young pacer from Punjab has not disappointed his coach and captain. In the crucial encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders showed the glimpse of the control he has over his arsenal. He was reintroduced in the 19th over with a task to contain Andres Russell, a job that looks monumental for any bowler especially in the 19th over of the innings but Arshdeep kept his composure and backed his skills to come up trump against Russell. The KXIP team must have had a strategy of bowling wide yorkers to KKR batsmen in the last over but it was down to Arshdeep to show how good a bowler he is with the execution of strategies on the field when bowling against some of the best in business. Safe to say, Arshdeep had the last laugh, dismissing Russell and limiting the damage to only nine runs in that 19th over. Flops KL Rahul It’s very rare to rank a batsman in the flop category after a 58-ball-74 inning but the fact that KL Rahul was batting from the first over of the chase and still mistimed the acceleration, should put a question mark on the strategy both he and coach Kumble have in mind. KL Rahul’s strike rate has always been in question but he refuted the criticism calling it overrated. He had said that his batting is dependent on the condition of the game but the match against the KKR proved that his idea of taking it too deep is not free from danger. Ultimately, he was dismissed in the 19th over by an impressive Prasidh Krishna and the Kings XI could not break the sling streak. KL Rahul needs to correct many things in his team and a lot has to start with a clear-headed approach both in batting and team selection. At times, KL Rahul has looked perplexed and that is unforgivable for an IPL captain in a closely fought tournaments such as IPL. Mujeeb-Ur Rahman Mujeeb was included in the playing Xi with the hope of bringing control and discipline in the bowling department after repetitive failures from Chris Jordan and Sheldon Cottrell but Mujeeb has not been able to do justice to the amount of faith the KXIP management has shown in him. With the team looking for a bowler who could provide breakthroughs in the middle overs while also controlling the flow of runs, Mujeeb’s outing against the KKR was abysmal, to say the least. He was guilty of bowling indifferent lengths and that did not help captain Rahul in setting proper fields. He was either too full or too short and the KKR batting line up was not to miss out on his ineffective bowling today and they handed out a proper hammering to the Afghan spinner talking 44 runs off his quota of four overs.