BBL7 - Heat v Hurricanes Preview - (Plus The Lurker's Pick and Bank)

 Brisbane Heat (4-2) v Hobart Hurricanes (3-2) @ The Gabba
 
Head to Head History - Hobart Hurricanes 6, Brisbane Heat 4
 
Last 5 - Hobart Hurricanes 3, Brisbane Heat 2
 
Brisbane Heat 13-Man Squad - Brendon McCullum (c), Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Shadab Khan, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson
 
Hobart Hurricanes 13-Man Squad - George Bailey (c), Dan Christian, Cameron Boyce, Clive Rose, Ben McDermott, Jake Reed, Simon Milenko, Tymal Mills, Tom Rogers, D'Arcy Short, Jofra Archer, Matthew Wade, Nathan Reardon, Alex Doolan
 
Preview - It's a blockbuster at The Gabba tonight when the Heat and Hurricanes lock horns in a battle of two in-form teams. The Heat are sitting in fourth spot on the table at 4-2, after back-to-back convincing wins over the Stars and Scorchers, to get their season back on track. The Hurricanes are emerging as a dark horse in BBL7 after three straight victories have elevated them to the cusp of the Top 4, after an 0-2 start. 
 
Big Batting Battle - Brendon McCullum v D'Arcy Short - I have picked two in-form explosive opening batters here in pocket rockets Brendon McCullum and D'Arcy Short. McCullum has bounced back to form in the past couple of games with scores of 61 and 32 as he leads from the front in his second season captaining the Heat. D'Arcy Short is the in-form batsman in the competition at the moment, having racked up scores of 96, 97 and 42 in his last three games, to put his name firmly in the frame for Australian T20 selection. 
 
Big Bowling Battle - Brendan Doggett v Jofra Archer - Again I have picked two similar fast bowlers here who like to crank it up in Brendan Doggett and Jofra Archer. Doggett has bowled with genuine speed and McCullum uses him as an out and out strike weapon, with the paceman running through the Scorchers for career best figures of 5/35 from his 4 overs. Archer has been outstanding for the Hurricanes with his pace and control and ability to control the death overs. He will also enjoy bowling on a pitch like the Gabba with a bit more pace in it. 
 
Ground Dynamic - The Gabba remains, for mine, the best place to bat in the competition. The Heat have scored over 180 in two of their three starts there, and it’s clear McCullum lets his side go hard throughout, unlike some teams that like to build an innings. The spinners will need to bowl flatter, and a touch shorter here, to avoid being driven down the ground towards the short straight boundaries. 
 
THE LURKER'S PICK (12-11) - Brisbane Heat ' The Heat are hard to toss at home. Plus I can't seeing the Cane winning 4 straight" 
 

THE LURKER'S 10-UNIT BANK (Running Tally = - 42 Units) 
 
4 Wickets Heat to win by 21-40 runs or 5-7 wickets @ $4 

3 Units George Bailey to score 25+ runs @ $2 

1.5 Units Heat high bat/bowler double of McCullum/Swepson @$13.50

1.5 Units Hurricanes high bat/bowler double of Wade/Archer@ $17.50