Cricket betting tips: Big Bash preview and best bets
Richard Mann previews the double-header from the Big Bash on Saturday morning, with four recommended bets in his staking plan.
Cricket betting tips: Big Bash
2.5pts Brisbane Heat to beat Perth Scorchers at 6/5 (General)
0.5pt Ashton Agar top Perth Scorchers batsman at 30/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Jonathan Wells top Melbourne Renegades batsman at 8/1 (Betfred)
1pt Akeal Hosein top Melbourne Renegades batsman at 28/1 (StarSports)
BRISBANE HEAT maintained their unbeaten record when downing champions Perth Scorchers at the Gabba on Wednesday, and they remain underrated for the reverse fixture in Western Australia on Saturday morning, 5:15am UK time.
Michael Neser was the star of the show on Wednesday, blasting an unbeaten 64 from only 30 balls before taking two wickets and a spectacular catch in the field. Neser was ably supported by Sam Billings with the bat, and a fine all-round bowling performance.
The Heat have answered every question so far this season, with different people stepping up at different times, and they are already guaranteed to finish top of the table ahead of the finals.
Even with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne expected to miss this one, they can recall Nathan McSweeney back into the fold, underlining the strength in their ranks.
As for the Scorchers, they have a few more headaches. Zak Crawley has departed, joining up with England ahead of the Test series in India, Laurie Evans is expected to leave after this game, while bowling spearhead Jhye Richardson has joined Ashton Turner in being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
The Scorchers will remain a formidable outfit, and their squad depth has shone through over the years, but the batting looks light now, and the Heat appear in a better place right ahead of the latter stages of the competition. With 6/5 freely available, they rate a bet to do the double over the Scorchers.
Keep McSweeney in mind to make a fifty, for all I’ll leave him alone in the top Heat batsman market. The form of Paul Walter, Billings and Neser in the last few matches means this is a really competitive market now, and I’d have been tempted to try the latter if he’d been 40/1 or bigger, as he was on Wednesday.
McSweeney top scored for the Heat in the Big Bash final on this ground a year ago, a game ASHTON AGAR missed through injury.
Agar is fully fit again and has been brilliant with the ball of late. His batting is not to be underestimated, though, and he struck a swift 48* in last ODI appearance for Australia against South Africa in September.
Few will forget his Ashes 98 on Test debut against England at Trent Bridge back in 2013, and he could be well placed batting at number seven if the Heat’s excellent same attack gets to work early.
Agar looks worth a small interest in the top Scorchers batsman market at 30/1.
In Saturday’s second offering from the Big Bash, Melbourne Renegades take on cross-town rivals Melbourne Stars, 8:30am UK time.
The Renegades will start as big outsiders having lost the reverse fixture, their sixth defeat in seven completed games to far this term.
With Quinton de Kock having now left Australia, the Renegades batting looks particularly reliant on Shaun Marsh and Jake Fraser-McGurk, the former expected to open following plenty of churn at the top of the order.
The retiring Aaron Finch is set to say his final goodbyes to his home fans at the Marvel Stadium, but I just can’t raise too much enthusiasm for the Renegades top order, much preferring to take a couple of darts lower down.
The obvious starting point is JONATHAN WELLS who been a model of consistency in this competition over the years, firstly for Adelaide Strikers and now the Renegades, and has been in excellent touch this season.
"It's just beautiful." 😍
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 2, 2024
Smart cricket from Jono Wells! #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/lPun5gW3ZU
We were with him last time out when he batted beautifully for his 38* from only 25 balls, leaving him nine short of the victory target, having previously won this market with 40* against Hobart Hurricanes.
Wells should bat at number five in this line-up, and in a modest field that has struggled for consistency for a while now, he looks the solid bet at 8/1.
Joining him in the staking plan is AKEAL HOSEIN, the West Indian making his first appearance of the season for the Renegades having done a fine job in these colours last term.
His left arm spin proved invaluable, earning him 13 wickets from only nine appearances, and he batted with promise, too, making a few sparky contributions down order. His 30 from 19 balls against Brisbane Heat was very good, and he struck 15* from just six deliveries against the Scorchers.
Akeal is a really clean striker or the ball with real talent, and I’ve got him down to bat at number seven on Saturday. We’ve seen numbers six and seven win the top batsman market on numerous occasions this season and with Scott Boland likely to cause problems with the new ball, that could well happen again.
Take the 28/1 about Akeal.
Preview published at 1340 GMT on 12/01/24
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