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Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat aim for a winning start

by Sandeep Shivam Wednesday 21 December 2016

Brendon McCullum will lead Brisbane Heat this season

©REUTERS MEDIA EXPRESS

Second match Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat
Melbourne, 19:10 local | 08:40 GMT

The action in the Big Bash 2016-17 season will shift to the Melbourne for game two where Brisbane Heat will take on Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday.

It is a match where you will be witnessing one of the most powerful set of batsmen on either side and is expected to be another high scoring encounter. Brendon McCullum will take over the rein of Brisbane Heat and will be hoping for support from local talent Chris Lynn, Joe Burns and Alex Doolan to hit the floor running.

However, the Adelaide Strikers captained by Brad Hodge will be no short of matching Heat's firepower with West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard up in their ranks along with in-form Travis Head. They also possess Kane Richardson, Ben Laughlin and Chris Jordan with international experience in their bowling attack.

In the previous season, Adelaide Strikers had a terrific run of form in the group stage where they topped the table before they were ousted by eventual champions Sydney Thunder in the semi-final but Brisbane Heat had a disappointing campaign captained by Lynn where they managed just three wins from eight games.

Face to Face:

In their only encounter last season in Woolloongabba, Adelaide Strikers riding on fifties from Tim Ludeman, Mahela Jayawardene and Travis Head helped their team chase down 176 in 18.4 overs with eight wickets in hand making the Brisbane Heat bowlers look ordinary. However, Brisbane Heat look a different unit now with the former Black Caps skipper leading the team.

Players to Watch:

Travis Head:

At one stage, he was not even a regular in the Australian team. The Glenn Maxwell controversy allowed him to feature in the One-Day International series against New Zealand recently and he registered scores of 52, 57 and 37 playing an important role in the 3-0 series whitewash. Known more for his dashing style of play, Brisbane Heat will be in trouble if they let him settle.

Brendon McCullum:

He has played just three matches previously in the Big Bash and scored just 47 runs at an average of 15. However, knowing his track record and how destructive he can be in this format, Brisbane Heat will be desperately hoping for McCullum to find form early in the tournament which will be key for change in their fortune.

Squads from

Adelaide Strikers:

Brad Hodge (captain), Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jono Dean, Ben Dunk (wk), Travis Head, Jon Holland, Chris Jordan, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Michael Neser, Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Kane Richardson, Craig Simmons, Kelvin Smith, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald

Brisbane Heat:

Brendon McCullum (capt), Samuel Badree, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Luke Feldman, Jake Floros, Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Nathan Reardon, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth