THE Brisbane Heat will have an urgent review of its suddenly misfiring batting order before finalising the side for Tuesday night’s Big Bash game against the desperate Stars in Melbourne.
Australian 50-over batsman Sam Heazlett returns to the squad for Jason Floros and the Heat brains trust must be tempted to include him in the starting side at the MCG.
The Heat have several players under pressure, including opener and wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson who has scored 1, 12, 43 and 7 in his four outings at the top of the order this campaign.
Peirson has just two 50s in his 30 T20 innings, and the Heat may contemplate sending him down the order and promoting someone more in form such as Joe Burns as it sifts through the debris of the second-lowest Big Bash total (91) ever in its loss to the Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve.
International fast bowler Ben Cutting is also subtly changing roles in the team.
He has bowled only two overs in four games — going for 22 in one and 12 in the other — and has not bowled in the Heat’s past two games.
He has become a middle order power player but, if he is not bowling, needs to justify his presence with some late-innings hitting.
The Heat pipped the Stars in their first clash this season in a high-scoring game at the Gabba.
But the underachieving Melbourne team, winless after two games, will be desperate in its first home game of the season.
The Heat is comforted by the fact that new signing Yasir Shah, the Pakistani leg-spinning whiz, bowled splendidly on debut with 2-18 against the Strikers.
The Stars could toss up an exotic spin option of their own, with 20-year-old Bendigo spinner Liam Bowe selected in their 13-man squad.
The bespectacled youngster, nicknamed “The Wizard” because of his resemblance to Harry Potter, bowls left-armed wrist spin and took a wicket in his first over in the Big Bash last season when he dismissed Ben Dunk.
The Heat showed a vulnerability to spin in Adelaide, which will enhance Bowe’s chances of a starting berth in a tournament in which the slow men are thriving.
Brisbane Heat: Brendon McCullum (c), Jimmy Peirson, Chris Lynn, Alex Ross, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Cameron Gannon, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Brendon Doggett, Josh Lalor, Yasir Shah, Sam Heazlett (one to be omitted, 12th man to be named at the toss).
Melbourne Stars: Luke Wright, Ben Dunk, Rob Quiney, Kevin Pietersen, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, James Faulkner, John Hastings (c), Michael Beer, Scott Boland, Liam Bowe, Ewan Gulbis, Adam Zampa (one to be omitted, 12th man to be named).
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