Match: Brisbane Heat v Hobart Hurricanes
Date: 30 December, Friday
Time: 4:10pm SGT/1:40pm IST/8:10am GMT
Competition: Big Bash League 2016/17
Venue: Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba)
TV Schedule: In Singapore, Star Cricket will provide live TV coverage of the match.
Live streaming: Hotstar, Sky Go
Overview
Brisbane Heat will have a sell-out crowd cheering them in their first home game of the Big Bash League 2016/17 season. Their performance so far this season, two comfortable wins from as many games, has helped in creating a new attendance record at the Gabba.
Friday's match reportedly will see a packed stadium at the Brisbane Cricket Stadium for the first time since Ashes 2006. In their tournament opener and the second match of the season against Adelaide Strikers, quickfire knocks from Alex Ross and skipper Brendon McCullum helped the Heat post 206, which was in the end a little too much for the opposition.
They took the field for the second match after a week's gap, on Wednesday, against defending champions Thunder but there was no lack of intensity from the unit. Ben Cutting, Mark Steketee and Samuel Badree made sure they restricted Thunder to 157 in 20 overs after which Chris Lynn guided them past the finish line with a 48-ball 85 despite the failures of top-order batsmen.
The all-round Heat will face Hobart Hurricanes, who have had mixed results in the two games they have played so far. After winning their season opener against Sixers, they went on to lose against Melbourne Stars. Their batting has been consistent and has been led by Tim Paine, who hit a 91 on Monday to take his tournament tally to 154 from two games. Kumar Sangakkara and George Bailey have also chipped in with handy knocks.
However their seasoned campaigners Stuart Broad and Shaun Tait have been on the expensive side, which has hurt the Hurricanes quite a bit. The two men, who have found a lot of success in the T20 format, should be on top of their game if Hurricanes are to stand a chance against the mighty Heat batting unit.
TV Schedule
Singapore: Star Cricket
India: Star Sports
US: Willow TV
UK: Sky Sports 2
Australia: Network 10
South Africa: Supersport
Team News
Heat
Squad: McCullum (c), Burns, Doolan, Fekete, Feldman, Ross, Cutting, Badree, Floros, Heazlett, Labuschagne, Lynn, Buchanan, Peirson, Reardon, Steketee, Swepson, Wildermuth
Hurricanes
Squad: Paine (c), Short, Sangakkara (wk), Bailey, Christian, Michael, Kingston, Tait, Boyce, Broad, Rose, Webster, Wells
