The undefeated Brisbane Heat travel west to face Perth Scorchers on Boxing Day
Perth Scorchers v Brisbane Heat: match preview
Match facts
Who: Perth Scorchers v Brisbane Heat
What: Match 12, KFC BBL|14
Where: Perth Stadium, Perth
When: Thursday December 26. Bat flip at 5.30pm local (8.30pm AEDT), first ball at 6.15pm local (9.15pm AEDT)
How to watch: Channel Seven, 7plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports
Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here
Live scores: Match Centre
Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps
Officials: Donovan Koch and Benjamin Treloar (field), Simon Lightbody (third), Ashlee Gibbons (fourth), Kent Hannam (match referee)
Match squads
Perth Scorchers: Ashton Turner (c), Ashton Agar, Finn Allen (New Zealand), Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Matthew Hurst (England), Bryce Jackson, Keaton Jennings (England), Matt Kelly, Lance Morris, Matthew Spoors, Andrew Tye
Ins: Aaron Hardie. Outs: Josh Inglis
Perth Scorchers allrounder Aaron Hardie could play his first match of BBL|14 after being selected in the 14-player squad to face Brisbane Heat on Boxing Day. Hardie missed the first three games as he recovered from a quad injury.
Making way for Hardie is wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who linked up with Australia’s Test squad in Melbourne this week alongside Scorchers pace ace Jhye Richardson.
Brisbane Heat: Colin Munro (c) (New Zealand), Tom Banton (England), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Daniel Drew, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Paul Walter (England)
Ins: Spencer Johnson, Tom Banton. Outs: Jack Wildermuth, Tom Straker, Tom Whitney
Australian left-arm pace bowler Spencer Johnson returns from a toe injury that forced him out of the first two Heat matches and is line to play his first match of BBL|14.
English international Tom Banton has also been named after his hopes to play in their previous match against Adelaide Strikers were dashed by jet lag having only arriving from the UK the previous evening.
The top order bat is replacing fellow Englishman Tom Alsop while he recovers from a quad injury. Alsop is hoping to return for the Heat after Banton departs on January 6.
Allrounder Jack Wildermuth and local replacement players Tom Straker and Tom Whitney drop out of the Heat squad for the trip west.
Club news
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Local knowledge
Rapid stats
- Perth Scorchers have won seven of their last eight BBL games against the Brisbane Heat and have won each of their last five meetings in Perth. Overall, they've won 65 per cent of all their 23 games against the Heat in the competition which is their second-best win rate against any opponent (76 per cent vs Melbourne Renegades).
- Perth Scorchers have lost four of their last five BBL games including their last two. They haven't lost three straight games since a five-game losing run in 2020, while the Brisbane Heat have won their last four games a row in the competition.
- Perth Scorchers have scored fewer than one run per ball during the Powerplay this BBL season, with a batting strike rate of 94.5 in this period – the lowest of any team. Only once in competition history has any team finished a season with a Powerplay strike rate below 100 (96.2 – Sydney Thunder in BBL|02).
- Ashton Turner (Perth Scorchers) has scored 705 runs at Perth Stadium in the BBL, over 100 more than any other player, and has scored 362 runs at an average of 90.5 across his last nine games at the venue.
- Jimmy Peirson (Brisbane Heat) has a batting strike rate of 192.9 from 14 balls faced against spin in BBL14, the highest strike rate of any player to face at least 10 spin deliveries this campaign. Only one of his last eight dismissals against the Perth Scorchers has been against spin (caught off Ashton Agar last season).
KFC BBL|14 standings
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