Team news, key match-ups, TV and streaming information, weather forecast, odds, form rundown, umpire appointments, start times, venue and squad lists for the 51st game of BBL11
Melbourne Stars face Brisbane Heat in the 51st game of the 2021-22 Big Bash.
The game is set for Sunday, January 16. The first ball will be bowled at 7.15pm local time (8.15am GMT).
The game will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The race for the two remaining playoff positions is hotting up as we enter the final week of the regular season.
Both Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat can ill-afford any further slip-ups and need favours from elsewhere to ensure they aren't sitting and watching when the knockout phase kicks off.
Stars sit sixth on 18 points with two games to play, while Heat are three adrift but with a game in hand.
Neither are in particularly good form either. Adelaide Strikers ended a run of two successive wins for Stars with a 23-run success to enhance their own playoff credentials.
Heat have been on a wretched run, winning just one of their last six to drop down to seventh. Though they remain in the top-five shootout, claiming the wooden spoon remains a real possibility.
But the return of Michael Neser and Mitch Swepson from Australia's Ashes squad comes at the perfect time.
Furthermore, Glenn Maxwell has admitted the Stars squad are on their knees following a Covid outbreak in the squad.
Though much of the group is now available, many are complaining of tiredness since being permitted to return to action.
"The guys are cooked, there’s no secret about that,” he said.
“We’re all tired, we’re all holding on to get through this tournament. But at the same stage we’re really proud and we want to put our best foot forward, we want to perform well, we want to win games for the Stars.
"Everyone’s still got a lot of pride in the jersey and love playing with each other. Once we get to the ground we put all that aside and go our hardest and deal with the fatigue afterwards."
Maxwell will at the very least be able to call on Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who are braced for recalls.
Mitchell Swepson has been released back to Heat from Australia's Ashes squad [Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images]
Having been dismissed for 130 or fewer on four occasions, the Stars batting line-up badly needs an injection of quality.
Despite an inauspicious return against Strikers, there will be plenty of attention on how quickly Stoinis can recapture the kind of form from previous campaigns.
It was only in BBL 09 when Stoinis struck 705 runs across the campaign including a tournament-best score of 147*.
And if Maxwell can get the ball in his hand, the 32-year-old is good for a wicket or two as well.
He was a key figure in the UAE leg of the 2020 IPL, taking 13 wickets at 21.76 including 3 for 26 in Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A month on from his last competitive outing, Michael Neser could finally make his first Heat appearance since returning to the team from Strikers in the off-season.
Indeed, he's hasn't played a T20 of any kind since his final Strikers outing against Heat nearly a year ago.
Though his BBL record - 69 wickets in 68 games, with an economy rate of 8.37 - is modest, he will undoubtedly improve a Heat attack that has failed to fire.
And they are now without Mujeeb ur Rahman, who has joined up with Afghanistan ahead of the Netherlands ODI series.
Shawn Craig and Anthony Wilds are the men in the middle for this one.
Melbourne is set for a warm and sunny day with temperatures as high as 27 degrees Celsius for the start of play.
Melbourne Stars: Qais Ahmad, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Elliott, Syed Faridoun, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchcliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Tom O’Connell, Sam Rainbird, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Adam Zampa, Haris Rauf (from December 27), Andre Russell (five games from December 10), Ahmed Daniyal (from December 10)
Brisbane Heat: Tom Abell, Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Tom Cooper, Ben Duckett, Liam Guthrie, Sam Heazlett, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne (Nathan McSweeney), Chris Lynn, Michael Neser (Cameron Gannon), Jimmy Pierson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Will Prestwidge, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson (Hugo Burdon), Jack Wildermuth
Xavier Crone is in line for his third appearance [Martin Keep/Getty Images]
Melbourne Stars: Marcus Stoinis, Joe Clarke, Glenn Maxwell, Joe Burns, Beau Webster, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brody Couch, Adam Zampa, Ahmed Daniyal
Brisbane Heat: Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Lachlan Pfeffer, Ben Duckett, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Pierson, Michael Neser, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Swepson
Melbourne Stars begin as the favourites here, with bookmakers offering odds of 4/6 in some quarters for them to win. Brisbane Heat can be back as narrow outsiders at 11/10.
This is very much a kill, or be killed clash between two playoff candidates. Ultimately, both might end up missing out but first blood should go to Stars.
Sky Sports have bought the rights for the competition through to 2025, and they will broadcast all 61 games in the UK.
Fox Sports and Seven Network both have television rights in Australia: subscription broadcaster Fox show every game, while free-to-air Seven will simulcast 45 matches.
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra will have ball-by-ball radio coverage of the tournament for UK listeners.
Where can I watch the competition elsewhere in the world?
North America: Willow
MENA: beIN Sports
Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport
Indian Subcontinent: Sony
New Zealand: Sky Sport
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