Last Updated on 10 months by Charbel Coorey

THU vs HEA Dream11 Prediction Possible 11 Pitch Report BBL 2023-24 Match 6 | ST vs BH Dream11 Prediction Today | Canberra Pitch Report

Sydney Thunder will finally get their campaign underway against the impressive Brisbane Heat in what promises to be a tough test straight away. The Thunder have watched on so far as the Heat put on a clinic to dismantle the Melbourne Stars on the tournament’s opening night last Thursday, before the Heat’s second match was washed out in Adelaide.

It remains to be seen how the Thunder perform this season. They have plenty of bowling options, but depth in batting looks to be a problem on paper. That being said, a strong start to their campaign will only boost confidence in the squad, that too against a well-rounded Heat attack.

The Heat welcome back players who featured for the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan last week. Matt Renshaw scored a patient century, and Nathan McSweeney was also in the runs. If they get going as a unit, they will be hard to beat, but the key is delivering across all three stages of the innings.

Match Details

• Date: Tuesday 12 December, 2023.
• Time: 7:15pm (local), 1:45pm (IST).
• Location: Manuka Oval, Canberra.

THU vs HEA Possible Playing 11

Sydney Thunder have named their squad. Jason Sangha is unavailable due to a wrist injury. Will Salzmann is out with illness and young gun Sam Konstas is currently with the NSW Second XI squad.

Alex Ross has scored 171 runs in seven innings against the Heat since the start of 2019, averaging 34.20 with a strike rate of 135.71. He is an important cog in the middle order.

Sydney Thunder: 1. Alex Hales, 2. Cameron Bancroft, 3. Matthew Gilkes (wk), 4. Ollie Davies, 5. Alex Ross, 6. Daniel Sams, 7. Chris Green (c), 8. Nathan McAndrew, 9. Gurinder Sandhu, 10. Tanveer Sangha, 11. Zaman Khan

Brisbane Heat have also named their squad. Matt Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson and Nathan McSweeney are available. Jordan Buckingham, who took five wickets last week against Pakistan, is also in the squad as a replacement player.

If Heat wish to play an extra bowler, they could shift either Nathan McSweeney or Matt Renshaw to open and leave both Josh Brown and Max Bryant out.

Brisbane Heat: 1. Colin Munro (c), 2. Josh Brown/Max Bryant, 3. Nathan McSweeney, 4. Sam Billings, 5. Matt Renshaw, 6. Jimmy Peirson (wk), 7. Michael Neser, 8. Paul Walter/Xavier Bartlett, 9. Spencer Johnson, 10. Matt Kuhnemann, 11. Mitch Swepson

BBL 2023-24 Match 6: THU vs HEA Dream11 Prediction – Fantasy Cricket Tips

Sydney Thunder:

• Alex Hales is of great importance to this Thunder team and is a captaincy option in Dream11 fantasy teams. Hales strikes at 143.75 in nine matches against the Heat, and will be looking to build on his average of 26.29.
• Hales has never been dismissed by Michael Neser in T20s: 28 balls, 36 runs.
• Cameron Bancroft has an excellent record against Brisbane Heat: 10 inns, 342 runs, avg. 48.86, SR 128.57. He too has never been dismissed by Michael Neser in T20s (31 balls, 41 runs).
• Ollie Davies is also a key player for the Thunder. He was their leading run-scorer in last season’s BBL with 333 at an average of 27.75 and strike rate of 133.73.
• However, Davies will be looking to improve on his poor record on this ground: 6 inns, 97 runs, avg. 16.17, SR 161.67.
• Daniel Sams is a must-pick in fantasy teams in BBL. He has the most wickets in THU-HEA matches (19) and strikes at an incredible 210 with the bat.
• Sams also loves playing on this ground. He has scored 221 runs (avg. 24.56, SR 167.42) and picked up the most wickets (22) at a strike rate of 15.18.
• Nathan McAndrew strikes every 14.57 on average on this ground (14 wickets). Tanveer Sangha also enjoys bowling at Manuka Oval, with 13 wickets in ten matches at an economy of 7.36 and strike rate of 16.31.

Brisbane Heat:

• Colin Munro started BBL 13 in brilliant fashion, smashing 99* against the Stars. Last season, Munro hit scores of 98 and 43 in two matches against the Thunder at a strike rate of 141.00.
• Munro will look to take on Sams early. The left-hander has belted 65 off 39 balls against him (two dismissals).
• Sam Billings has performed well at Manuka Oval. In six matches, the Englishman has scored 216 runs at an average of 43.20 and strike rate of 144.00. This includes two fifties.
• Michael Neser took 26 wickets in last season’s BBL and started this campaign with another two scalps. He has 13 wickets in 14 games against Thunder, but has the ability to build on that here.
• Heat could look to bring Neser on early to Ollie Davies. The pacer has dismissed Davies once in four balls.
• Xavier Bartlett has dismissed Alex Hales twice in 28 balls in the BBL (43 runs). Also, Bartlett is often a factor with the bat against the Thunder, with 96 runs without dismissal and a strike rate of 150.
• Mitch Swepson has taken just seven wickets in nine matches for Heat vs Thunder at an economy of 10.27. But he has fared pretty well on this ground, taking four wickets in three matches at a strike rate of 15.00 (econ. 7.50).

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 19, Thunder 7, Heat 11, N/R 1.
• Sydney Thunder have won four of the past five matches between the teams.
• Matthew Gilkes vs Heat: 6 inns, 148 runs, avg. 29.60, SR 128.70.
• Chris Green can keep Colin Munro quiet. He has conceded just 119 runs off 107 balls against him in T20s, with three dismissals.
• Matt Renshaw averages just 9.83 in six matches against Thunder since the start of 2019.

Manuka Oval Canberra Pitch Report and Weather

Pakistan coach Mohammad Hafeez criticised the slow Canberra pitch for last week’s tour match against Prime Minister’s XI. However, there has been quite a bit of rain in Canberra in recent weeks, which may result in another slow surface here. So, expect cutters into the pitch to be a key ploy.

In two BBL matches last season, the average first innings score was just 132. The chasing team won on both occasions.

A partly cloudy and warm evening is forecast. No rain is expected.

BBL 2023-24 Match 6: THU vs HEA Dream11 Prediction – Captain, vice-captain, team combinations

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Best probable Dream11 picks for THU vs HEA:

Best wicket-keeper:

• Sam Billings has an excellent record at Manuka Oval. Cameron Bancroft is also a solid pick given his record against the Heat.

Best batter:

• Colin Munro started the BBL in superb fashion. Alex Hales also has plenty of experience.

Best all-rounder:

• Daniel Sams has a great record against the Heat and loves playing at Manuka Oval. Michael Neser can also fetch plenty of fantasy points.

Best bowler:

• Mitch Swepson started BBL 13 well and should enjoy bowling on the slower Canberra pitch.

Option 1:

Option 2:

BBL 2023-24 Match 6: THU vs HEA Match Prediction – Who will win?

Another game that can go either way. However, Brisbane Heat, with their greater depth, should win.