History
Brisbane Heat have always been a centre of attraction in the Big Bash League. They have hosted some outstanding individual talents capable of striking big boundaries and entertaining the crowd profusely. But besides in the second season of the tournament, where they defeated Perth Scorchers in the finals, they haven’t had anything significant to smile about. They failed to make it to the top four 7 times out of 10, and this season, they hope for a change in the positive direction.
Brisbane Heat: Big Bash League Results With Captains
Under the leadership of James Hopes, Brisbane Heat played the first-ever game of the Big Bash League in 2011 against Sydney Sixers, a game they lost by 7 wickets. They finished 5th that season, narrowly missing out on a semifinal spot. However, they came back quite vehemently the next time.
In the season they finished as champions, Heat lost 3 of their opening 4 games, but courtesy of some big performances coming from Luke Pomersbach, Ben Cutting, Thisara Perera, Daniel Christian and Chris Lynn, the club picked up form and reached the semifinals. Pomersbach’s hundred helped them defeat Renegades in the semi-final, and all-round show from the side got them over the line in the final against Perth Scorchers.
That, unfortunately, was the only glorious tale in an otherwise not-so-memorable stint in the tournament for the Blues of Brisbane. James Hopes stepped down as captain after the next two seasons turned out to be mediocre, and Chris Lynn took over to guide them to a semi-final in 2016/17.
They went another three seasons without reaching the final four stages after that and saw leaders change from time to time. After McCullum’s retirement, Lynn took over as captain completely. In the last edition, they finished third by making it to the Challenger.
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Brisbane Heat squad for BBL 2021-22
Batters: Tom Cooper, Sam Heazlett, Chris Lynn (C), Ben Duckett, James Bazley, Max Bryant
All–rounders: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Tom Abell, Nathan McSweeney, Jack Wildermuth
Wicket–keeper: Tom Banton, Jimmy Peirson
Bowlers: Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Willans, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Cameron Gannon, Liam Guthrie, Matthew Kuhnemann
The Heat have some decent strikers in the batting lineup, but their bowling attack lacks experience which could haunt them as the tournament goes by. They will be missing the service of Marnus Labuschagne for a better part of the tournament owing to international commitments, but the likes of Max Bryant, Tom Cooper are expected to assist the skipper to provide them big scores.
The Numbers that Matter
Batting Stats
Chris Lynn has been Brisbane Heat’s longest-serving player, having been with the club since the beginning. He also rose to prominence on the international stage because of his heroics with Brisbane Heat, winning the player of the tournament award two times. He scored 2,905 runs in 96 games at an average of 35.86 and strike-rate just shy of 150. A total of 4 cricketers scored over 1,000 runs for the club (Lynn, Ben Cutting, Joe Burns, Jimmy Peirson).
Bowling stats
Mark Steketee has been another long-serving player for the franchise and has been with them since the 2013-14 season. He is their leading wicket-taker in the tournament, having picked up 66 wickets in 53 games. Mitchel Swepson is another rising star among their bowlers and is closing in on 50 wickets for the club.
Team Stats
Only Hobart Hurricanes have managed to eclipse the 200-run mark more times than Brisbane Heat in the BBL. Heat have done it on 7 occasions, whilst Hurricanes did it 8 times.
Brisbane Heat: Rivalries
Adelaide Strikers
Over the years, Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers have played out some of the most entertaining games in the BBL. Their head-to-head record is a testament to that fact. Their rivalry has been incredibly close over the years, with the Strikers only edging them by 8-6 wins in 14 matches. Lynn and company will be desperate to set that record straight in the 2021-22 season.
Melbourne Stars
Brisbane Heat don’t boast of a 50% or more win percentage against most sides in the league, in fact, they have it only against two teams, Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars. Despite not winning the tournament, the Stars are one of the most consistent teams in the tournament and the Heat have produced great performances against them consistently.
Perth Scorchers
Although the Gabba-based unit have won just 7 times against Perth Scorchers out of the 17 games they played against each other, Heat emerged victorious in the 2012/13 final, which did act as a pincher for a long time, until Scorchers managed to register a huge win in the semifinal last season against the same unit to settle the knockout scores.
The Road Ahead for Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat promise some great exploits with the bat, but it is the bowling department that looks a bit concerning. They have added the experienced Cameron Gannon to their setup, who is returning to the side after 6 years. Chris Lynn, the highest run-scorer in BBL history, once again is at the forefront of their challenge and has to provide a lot of explosive knocks to power his side into the next stages. But considering the squad strengths of other teams, it could be tricky for Heat to finish in the top four.
