Sixers v Heat BBL|13 Final: All you need to know

Match facts 

Who: Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat 

What: The Final, BBL|13  

Where: SCG, Sydney 

When: Wednesday, January 24. Bat flip at 6.30pm AEDT, first ball at 7.15pm AEDT

* If a result is not able to be achieved on Wednesday due to bad weather, a reserve day is scheduled for Thursday, January 25 with a new match to begin at 11am AEDT.

How to watch: Channel Seven, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports 

Live scores: Match Centre 

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps 

Officials: Gerard Abood (field), Sam Nogajski (field), Shawn Craig (third), Ben Treloar (fourth), Kepler Wessels (match referee) 

Match squads 

Sixers: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk

 

Heat: Nathan McSweeney (c), Xavier Bartlett, Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Jordan Buckingham, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Paul Walter (England), Charlie Wakim, Jack Wildermuth

Form guide 

Sixers: WWWWL (most recent first) 

Sydney Sixers will enjoy the advantage of playing at their home ground, the SCG, where they have won three of four games this season. Perhaps the only thing haunting the Sixers about the venue could be their loss to the Heat in last season's Challenger to miss out on a place in the decider. But with four wins on the trot heading into the Final, including a win over the Heat in the Qualifier in their last game, the Sixers are the form side.

The team in magenta have enjoyed another solid campaign, securing a second-place finish with six wins and two no results in the regular season. A narrow loss under DLS method to the Heat on January 3 would barely bother them with the weather taking the game out of their hands, which was the only other clash between the two sides this season after the fixture at the Gabba was abandoned without a ball bowled. Also giving the Sixers the upper hand will be a four-day break heading into the Final compared to the Heat's one.

Heat: WLLWW  

Brisbane Heat has a 6-0 record this season when they have batted first but a 2-2 record when they have bowled first. It doesn't suggest the game will be won and lost at the bat flip, but skipper Nathan McSweeney will have a decision to make if he wins it. Overall, the Heat have an 8-2 record this season with two no-result games as well, finishing a game clear at the top of the standings at the end of the home-and-away round with seven wins.

Against the Sixers, their first game at the Gabba on January 1 was abandoned due to rain before Englishman Paul Walter delivered a clutch three-run DLS win two days later. They then suffered a 39-run loss in the Qualifier last Friday at Carrara Stadium, which gave the Sydney side hosting rights for the BBL|13 Final. It was the second game in a row the Heat fell more than 30 short in their run chase following a 35-run loss to the Perth Scorchers in their previous game. But after the Heat's latest victory on Monday night, where they equalled their highest score for the season (214), they are back to their winning ways and into a BBL final for the second straight season.

Players to watch 

It's hard to go past the batting sensation of Josh Brown following Monday night's exploits where he smashed the equal-second fastest BBL hundred and the competition's third highest score of all-time. If he gets going, he could take the game away from the Sixers like he did to the Adelaide Strikers in his breathtaking knock of 140 off 57 deliveries. Brown will also enjoy some of the smaller boundaries the SCG has to offer after also notching a record 12 sixes in his innings. 

The Sixers booked their place in the BBL Final largely thanks to a game-saving 59 from skipper Moises Henriques who helped push his side's total to 152 after coming in at 2-24. He could yet again prove to be the difference through the crucial middle overs against a Heat attack that's been the most difficult to get away the entire season.

And to do so the 36-year-old will have to conquer the bowling of Spencer Johnson and Michael Neser who have been in riveting form this campaign. Johnson has taken 3-20 and 2-14 in his two finals appearances while Neser has taken 0-27 and 3-27, with recently promoted Australian ODI squad member Xavier Bartlett the leading wicket-taker for the tournament with 18. Sixers fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis is also in hot form after taking 5-21 in the Qualifier while Sean Abbott is sure to play a part in the big dance as the competition's all-time leading wicket-taker. 

With the game being played at the SCG, spin is also tipped to play a part with veteran Sixers tweaker Steve O'Keefe set to play his last game of professional cricket in tomorrow's Final. The left-arm off spinner, who is on 98 BBL wickets, tore it up in his last game at the SCG, taking a match winning 3-13 in the Sydney Smash to secure his side a finals spot.

But he won't be the only spinner that could play a part in deciding the title with his teammate Todd Murphy (6.23 runs per over) the Sixers' most economical bowler in BBL|13, ahead of O'Keefe (6.25). The Heat have Matt Kuhnemann (6.87) at their disposal and potentially Mitch Swepson if they opt to bring him back into the side. Heat skipper Nathan McSweeney, who smacked 33 and took 3-3 in the Challenger, said the move to play a sole spinner in the last game "might be different in Sydney" for the Final.

Head-to-head 

Overall: Sixers (14 wins), Heat (6 wins), no result (2) 

 

At the SCG: Sixers (4 wins), Heat (3 wins) 

 

In finals: Sixers (2 wins), Heat (1 wins) 

 

Most runs: Daniel Hughes (398), Moises Henriques (352), Chris Lynn (322), Jimmy Peirson (286), Josh Philippe (260) 

 

Most wickets: Sean Abbott (28), Ben Dwarshuis (21), Mark Steketee (12), Steve O'Keefe (13), Josh Lalor (10) 

The venue 

Rapid stats 

• 10 of the Sydney Sixers 14 wins over the Brisbane Heat have come batting second, although they did win their last match against the Heat on the Gold Coast on Friday batting first after bowling the Heat out for 113 to secure hosting rights of the Final. That win snapped a three-match losing run against the Heat and the Sixers will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Brisbane for the first time since January 2022.
• Brisbane won their most recent match at the SCG against the Sixers in last season's Challenger final when Michael Neser's lone hand of 48 not out of 32 balls got the Heat over the line by four wickets in a nervy chase of the Sydney's 9-116.
• This will be the Sydney Sixers' seventh BBL Final (won three, lost three) – the second most appearances of any team in the history of the competition after the Perth Scorchers with eight. The Sixers have won each of their two BBL Finals at the SCG (BBL|10 v Perth Scorchers and BBL|09 v Melbourne Stars).
• This will be the Brisbane Heat's third BBL Final (won one, lost one) and they will be aiming to become just the third team to become champions more than once in the history of the competition after the Perth Scorchers (five titles) and Sydney Sixers (three titles).
• Sydney Sixers have won 12 of their last 14 BBL matches at the SCG and one of their two defeats in that span came in their last meeting against the Brisbane Heat at the venue in last season's BBL Challenger.
• Brisbane Heat have taken at least eight wickets in seven of their 10 bowling innings in BBL|13, including each of their last two. They had not done so more than five times in a single BBL season prior to this campaign. 
  
• Veteran Sydney Sixers tweaker Steve O'Keefe (98 wickets) is two away from claiming 100 BBL wickets. O'Keefe, who will play the last match of his decorated 19-year professional career in the BBL|13 Final, claimed a sensational 3-13 in his last game at the SCG and has six wickets at 16.5 in his past four matches against the Heat.

What's on the line? 

It doesn't get much bigger than this in Australian T20 cricket with the winners crowned champions of the KFC BBL for this summer! The Sixers are out to secure their fourth men's Big Bash title and first since their back-to-back titles in BBL|09 and BBL|10, while the Heat are playing in their second consecutive final after going down to the Scorchers in last season's decider. Brisbane are gunning for their second men's Big Bash crown having taken home the trophy way back in BBL|02. 

KFC BBL|13 Finals Schedule

The Qualifier: Sydney Sixers beat Brisbane Heat by 39 runs

The Knockout: Adelaide Strikers beat Perth Scorchers by 50 runs

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat beat Adelaide Strikers by 54 runs

The Final: Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat, January 24, 7.15pm AEDT, SCG