Heat Vs Thunder Preview

• After an excellent start to the tournament, the Thunder lost their fourth game, away to the Hurricanes. The Heat have lost all four BBL05 games so far, with none of the games being particularly close. 
• Given the poor form of the Heat, the Thunder are strong favourites here, and best priced at 1.63. There's not much value here, as is often the case in pre-match odds, but I'll be looking to back them in-running as I really don't rate the Heat.
• The Heat's captain Chris Lynn has been the backbone of their batting so far, scoring 101, 75, 1 and 35, and being their top run scorer on all but one occasion. Backing him to continue his form looks good here.
• Thunder opener Jacques Kallis has had a tough tournament so far, scoring 0, 49*, 9 and 15. At 40 years old, Kallis is well and truly into the end of his career, and has struggled at this level. I'm happy to take him on here, as he's covered this run line just once so far this tournament. 

Back the Thunder at 1.8+ in-running, where they're in a good position

Back Chris Lynn over 23.5 runs at 1.83 with Ladbrokes

Back Chris Lynn top Heat Run Scorer at 4 with Stan James

Back Jacques Kallis under 21.5 runs at 1.83 with Ladbrokes

Heat Vs Hurricanes Review

• A high-scoring affair between two of the worst sides in the tournament, with the Hurricanes' 194 big enough to defend, despite a 50-ball hundred from Heat skipper Chris Lynn. 
• A solid all-round batting display from the Hurricanes, with all of their top five making 25 or more, and Dan Christian finishing off the innings with some immense power hitting, making 56 from 24 balls. 
• Failures from both the Heat's openers against a fairly mediocre bowling side, based on this I'll be looking to back unders on both of their run lines in future games, as Pierson looks out of his depth and Lendl Simmons is still on the plane. 

The Hurricanes take on the Thunder on 1st Jan at Hobart

The Heat play the Thunder on 3rd Jan at The Gabba

Australia Vs New Zealand 1st Test Preview

Brisbane  5th-9th November 2015

Australia return to the test arena following their humbling in England over the summer and the cancellation of their tour to Bangladesh in October with the visit of New Zealand, the first test between the tow nations since 2011.

Prior to the first test, the war of words between the two camps has been raging, with David Warner accusing New Zealand captain Brendan McCullum of being immature, and underlining Australia's ultra-agressive attitude, both on and off the field. 

This series with be Steve Smith's first as test captain, and Australia's first since the batch of post-ashes retirements. This means that there are a lot of new faces in the Australian XI, with Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja coming into the top order, who have played two and nine tests respectively so far. With Smith confirmed to be batting at four, Adam Voges the only other recognised batsman in the squad, and Mitch Marsh as an all-rounder, this line-up looks very thin to me. The bowling unit, as expected, is much more experienced, with Johnson and Starc leading the line and Nathan Lyon as the spin option. 

New Zealand, on the other hand, boast a lot of experience across the team, having essentially the same squad that toured England earlier this summer. The new ball partnership of Tim Southee and Trent Boult are one of the best in the world right now, and the with Williamson, Taylor and McCullam in the middle-order, the batting also looks very strong. 

Looking at just the teams, you would certainly think that Australia look vulnerable here, particularly in the batting department. With well-matched bowling attacks, this match may well be decided on who is able to get runs on the board, and an untested Australian side is difficult to trust in this regard, especially with such a thin-looking batting line-up. 

Historically, however, Australia's record at the Gabba is formidable, having not lost a test since the West Indies visited in 1988. This is reflected in the current odds, with the market pricing Australia as 1.74 favourites, with New Zealand at 4.3 and the draw at 5s. With both sides known for their positive cricket, a lay of the draw looks a banker here from the off. I'm also very tempted to take the 4.3 about New Zealand here, as I really think Australia are as weak as they have been for years, and can see this price coming in a lot shorter. Given the historical record of Australia at the Gabba, I won't be looking to hold onto this for too long.

I also like the look of Kane Williamson at 4s for top New Zealand bat, as he's proved himself to be one of the worlds best in all conditions. Steve Smith is a little short for top Australian Batsman at 3.25, but is difficult to see where else runs will come from in this side, so might be worth a poke. 

Overall, though, this test should prove an excellent insight into what's to come from these two sides during this series, and one I'm very much looking forward to.