BIG BASH: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Sunday’s Big Bash Knockout: Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The pressure is on at the Manuka Oval on Sunday morning as we have the Big Bash Knockout Playoff! I’m sure not many cricket fans would have expected to see Brisbane Heat here given how poor they were at the start of the tournament but they have finished very well – can they get past Sydney Thunder however who have some excellent batting? We should have an excellent game!
I felt that Sydney Thunder were one of the best teams in the tournament, but they could only managed third in the table. The difference between second and third is massive, with the Thunder having to win two games to reach the final, while the top two get two chances to win once and reach the final. Brisbane Heat have finished the tournament very strongly, and managed to beat the Adelaide Strikers very easily in the first Playoff game on Friday even without Lynn or Labuschagne scoring.
A lot will come down to the batting here. Both sides have their star players on the batting side of things. For Brisbane Heat, they really need Lynn or Labuschagne to fire – I know they won on Friday without them but they were only chasing 130. That game was won with the ball. For the Thunder they need two of their top three to fire and a little help from the mid-to-low order. Alex and Ferguson fired them to 116/1 after 12.1 overs to win their final games – it goes without saying that early wickets for both sides will be key for this one!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
As I said in my preview yesterday, the Manuka Oval has been excellent for batting this season. This was clear yesterday too, with Perth Scorchers only managing 167/6 in the first innings and seeing that chased down in 17 overs with just one wicket lost. We have had scores of 200+ here this season and scores of 180 chased. Brisbane Heat scored 115 in a ten over game. I would definitely bowl first as it looks easier to chase here, especially with the added pressure of getting a good score. Perth didn’t handle that yesterday.
RECOMMENDED BET:
The Heat have finished the tournament very well but I think this is where their run ends. I like the Thunder to get the job done at 1.78. The Heat really rely on Lynn and Labuschagne in the batting department and I can’t see them winning unless they fire or Sydney Thunder don’t bat well. For Thunder they have more options with the bat and they are a little better with the ball too. I think the play here is a small bet pre-off and then adding to the position in-running as I’d expect good batting conditions again.
The Edge Says:
One point win Sydney Thunder to beat Brisbane Heat at 1.78 on BETDAQ Betting Exchange
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQThnHea
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
From what we’ve seen at this ground, the bat definitely favours the ball when it comes to looking for in-play trades on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. I don’t think we need to get too fancy here – the obvious thing to do is support the batting team with a favour towards the chasing side. Of course, it can go wrong. Sides can easily fall too short when aiming too high, and when they know they need 180+ batting first that brings pressure. Beware of that. I would definitely favour the chasing side with anything under 180.
There’s some interesting player trades here. The top three on either side will result in massive moves in the market for their wicket, but they are the teams strengths too. I wouldn’t be keen to go against them given the good batting conditions, and I would prefer to take on either tail than the top order.
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