Cricket betting tips: Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers preview and best bets

Cricket betting tips: Big Bash – Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers

2pts Daniel Hughes top Sydney Sixers batsman at 4/1 (Boylesports, William Hill)

2pts Jimmy Peirson top Brisbane Heat batsman at 11/2 (Bet365, William Hill)

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Three-time Big Bash winners Sydney Sixers secured their place in Friday’s Qualifier in Carrara with a thrilling last-ball victory over Perth Scorchers on Tuesday, and now come up against Brisbane Heat with the prize a place in the final next Wednesday.

Having stuttered through much of the regular season, the Sixers have once again come good when it has mattered most, battling back to beat local rivals Sydney Thunder when behind the eight-ball, and then chasing down 198 in Perth against a strong Scorchers attack.

Things have been much more stress-free for the Heat, sauntering through the season to top the league table, even after losing their last group match against the Scorchers last weekend. That was their first defeat of the campaign, and in truth, it was a match they should have won, a Spencer Johnson no-ball turning that game on its head and allowing the Scorchers to mount an admirable comeback.

Heat tick plenty of boxes

Nevertheless, the Heat bowling looks particularly strong. They have class and guile through Michael Neser, the left-arm pace of Johnson, swing from Xavier Bartlett and finger spin and wrist spin. The Heat have yet to concede 170 with the ball this season.

Colin Munro and Sam Billings leaving for the ILT20 means the batting is now more of a concern. Jimmy Peirson, who made 42 in his comeback game against the Scorchers has been one of Heat’s best performers over the last few years, so he is more than adequate cover for Billings. But Munro leaves a big hole to fill at the top of the order.

I’m certainly not fretting about the absence of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, as both have featured so little this term that the Heat have proven they can beat anyone without their two Test stars. Munro’s absence is harder to stomach, and they will need Matt Renshaw and Nathan McSweeney to show better form than of late.

I’d be hopeful both can do just that, and with Max Bryant, Paul Walter and Michael Neser all impressing with the bat recently, the middle order is strong and dangerous. If that top order can lay a platform, the Heat still stack up really well.

I’d make the Heat slight favourites for this one and were these pages not with them outright at 9/1, I would be very tempted to advise backing the home team at 11/10 to win the match. It’s worth remembering that the Heat won the one completed group fixture between the sides this term, and also when they met in the Challenger last year.

Sixers lean on Bash Bash pedigree

That’s not to say I don’t have the utmost respect for the Sixers. They are a fantastic T20 outfit with wonderful pedigree in this competition, something that should not be underestimated in franchise cricket. Just as they did to secure that priceless top 2 league finish on Tuesday, the Sixers are so good at finding a way to win when up against it.

The batting has quality, with Daniel Hughes always a good watch up top. Jordan Silk is ever-reliable at number five, but Tom Curran being ruled for the remainder of the season leaves them looking light after that, and Josh Philippe hasn’t been quite at his destructive best. The Heat have the absence of Munro to overcome, but the Sixers will be without James Vince.

Again, the bowling has plenty going for it, with Steve O’Keefe and Todd Murphy forming a very good spin partnership. Sean Abbott remains a fine cricketer, too.

But while the Heat attack features two seamers in Neser and Johnson who could easily play Test cricket for Australia in the next year, and two spinners in Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson who have done so in the last 18 months, the Sixers attack doesn't have as much star quality.

That’s where the Heat will feel they have the edge, and with the strong suspicion this is very much their time, and that this wonderful Sixers team is ever so slightly on the wane, the hosts do look to have much in their favour. With those outright slips in mind, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

What are the best bets?

In the match itself, the aforementioned DANIEL HUGHES looks a good bet in the top Sixers batsman market at 4/1.

Hughes has long been a class act and he played beautifully for his 43-ball 74 against the Scorchers, his second half-century from only five games this term. He comes into Friday’s match in rare form, too, having stroked 41 in his penultimate outing against Melbourne Stars.

Vince’s absence means he is sure to open the batting, with Kurtis Patterson having plenty to prove returning at number three. Silk looks a big threat as ever, but he's been chalked up at 6/1 despite batting down at five, so Hughes rates very good value at 4/1.

• CLICK HERE to back Hughes with Sky Bet

For the Heat, regular readers will know I’m a huge fan of McSweeney, less so his scratchy form in recent games, so JIMMY PEIRSON looks the safest play at 11/2.

His return against the Scorchers last week was clearly with the finals and Munro’s absence in mind, and he stroked a typically calm 42 against a fearsome pace attack. He ought to have blown any cobwebs away with that innings and, set to open again, he makes obvious appeal at the current prices.

Peirson was the Heat’s leading runscorer in the competition last year, making 334 runs from the middle order, so has arguably been unlucky to find himself sitting on the sidelines this time around. Perhaps that demonstrates the strength in depth the Heat now boast, but Peirson remains a very good operator who can do the job on Friday.

• CLICK HERE to back Peirson with Sky Bet

Preview published at 1300 GMT on 17/01/24

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