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'Train wreck': Lynn staggered by latest Heat collapse

Brisbane Heat’s skipper tries his best to explain another batting collapse after his side lost 10-36 to lose to the Renegades at the Gabba

Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn has labelled his side's batting performance "embarrassing" for the second time in BBL|09 and batter Jimmy Peirson has suggested changes should be made after a stunning capitulation against the Renegades at the Gabba on Sunday night.

The Heat lost a KFC BBL record 10-36 – including seven wickets for just seven runs - after reaching 0-84 inside the Powerplay in pursuit of the bottom-placed Gades' 6-164.

It was the starkest example of the batting problems that have besieged the BBL|02 champs throughout this tournament, and one that even the high-quality additions of AB de Villiers and Joe Burns to the middle order have been unable to resolve.

"We seem to have been in this position a couple of times this year," Lynn said on Channel Seven after making a 15-ball 41 before holing out to long-on.

"I can't really sugarcoat it; it was just a piss-poor effort, another embarrassing effort.

Heat's shocking collapse hands Renegades upset win

"We got off to a flyer. These guys that are playing, they're not first, they're not second-gamers, they're four, five years into the tournament.

"We're doing all the right things at training, but I don't know what goes on out in the middle because we just seem to panic.

“And then it's not just a wicket or two, it's a train wreck.

"Something's got to change. But our preparation has been awesome – you can't fault that.

"I don't know what goes through our guys' heads. We had our strategic timeout, we had our plans in place – not to play dumb cricket, knock it round, hit the guys in the deep, no run-outs.

“I'm pretty speechless."

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was also critical of the Heat’s performance, while former Heat captain Brendon McCullum said in commentary on Channel Seven: "You cannot cater for, and you cannot coach stupidity".

Peirson, who was one of four Heat players to register a duck, was equally at a loss to explain the recurring theme of collapses; just two days ago on a flat Adelaide Oval track they were bowled out for 100, while in other run chases in this tournament they have lost 7-51 (against the Scorchers), 7-75 (Stars), and 7-76 (Thunder).

"It's becoming a bit of a habit," Peirson conceded to cricket.com.au.

"We get ourselves in situations where it's 50-50 and more often than not we're finding ourselves on the wrong side of the ledger.

"This is probably as bad as it's felt, this one – we shouldn't have lost this game.

Lynn gives Heat a lightning start

"A couple of silly mistakes at key moments and it slips away. Momentum is a funny thing in this league. You can get on a roll and win a few games, but you can get on a roll and find ways to lose games as well.

"It seems like we're doing that at the moment and we need to have a good, hard look at ourselves and come back here against the Sixers (on Thursday) and find a way to win these last couple of games.

"This one, and our first game of the season against the Thunder, we should've won that, so there's a couple of games we should've won.

Thunder stun Heat to begin BBL season with a bang

"But we're finding ways not to win. When we're on, we're fantastic and we score 200. But it's those games in between (that are a problem).

"It's a long tournament so you've got to find a way to win ugly sometimes. We did it once here a couple of games ago (against the Hurricanes), we just haven't done it since. So it's really disappointing."

The Heat will welcome the return of Test and ODI middle-order star Marnus Labuschagne in their next match, against the Sixers at the Gabba on Thursday, and Peirson believes the injection of the energetic right-hander is exactly what the team needs.

Labuschagne's return will force an interesting selection call, with either a reshuffle in team balance to accommodate an extra batsman and rely on his part-time leg-spin, or perhaps opener Sam Heazlett or Test batsman Burns to miss out.

Heazlett thrives after batting promotion

"The number three Test batter in the world – his batting has gone to a whole new level this year, I've seen that with Queensland and obviously he's done it for Australia as well," Peirson said of Labuschagne.

"So he adds a lot of stability to the middle order, he bowls as well and he's a gun fielder.

"There's a tough call that has to be made – who that is (that misses out), we'll see – but changes do need to happen I think to get this team playing the way we need to be playing."