The Adelaide Strikers take on the Brisbane Heat in Match 18 of the BBL at Adelaide Oval on December 23. The Strikers have won only one of their four games in the tournament so far and are currently placed fourth in the points table. They were beaten by the Melbourne Renegades by two runs in their tournament opener. The Strikers went on to beat the Renegades by 49 runs in the reverse fixture. They were then beaten by the Perth Scorchers by 49 runs in their third game of the tournament. The Sydney Sixers registered a four-wicket victory in their fourth game of the tournament. Heading into this contest, the Strikers will be low on confidence having won just one game so far. In their previous game, the Strikers went down to the Sixers by four wickets. Batting first, the Strikers registered a 147-run total. Thomas Kelly (34-ball 41), Jonathan Wells (19-ball 32), and Matt Renshaw (23-ball 24) played crucial roles with the bat in hand. Matthew Short and George Garton also played handy cameos. Rashid Khan (3/20), George Garton (2/41), and Fawad Ahmed (1/16) were the stars with the ball. Despite efforts from Strikers bowlers, the Sixers chased down the target with four balls to spare. The Brisbane Heat, much like their counterparts, have won only one of their four games and are currently seventh in the points table. They were beaten by the Sydney Thunder by seven wickets in their tournament opener. They were then beaten by the Perth Scorchers by six runs in their second game of the tournament. The Heat also beat the Renegades by five wickets before they were beaten by the Sydney Thunder by 53 runs. In their previous game against the Sydney Thunder, bowling first, the Heat couldn’t keep the Thunder’s run rate under check as they went on to register a 196-run total. Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee, and Xavier Bartlett were the top wicket-takers and claimed two scalps each. James Bazley was unusually expensive and claimed one scalp. Tom Cooper (18-ball 32), Xavier Bartlett (29-ball 42), and Mark Steketee (24-ball 33) were the top scorers for the Heat. The Heat fell 53 runs short of the target despite Bartlett-Steketee’s heroics. Adelaide Strikers are placed at the 4th spot in the Big Bash League 2021-22 points table with one win and 3 losses from their 4 matches of the league. The team has 7 points. Matthew Short is the top run-scorer for Adelaide Strikers with 140 runs at a strike rate of 155. He has struck 8 fours and 8 sixes. JW Wells has also made 83 runs at a strike rate of 127. Rashid Khan has been the best bowler for Adelaide Strikers and has picked up 6 wickets while bowling at an average of 17 and an economy rate of 6.68. Brisbane Heat is placed at the 7th spot in the Big Bash League 2021-22 points table with one win and 3 losses from their 4 matches of the league. The team has 4 points. Sam Heazlett is the top run-scorer for Brisbane Heat with 125 runs at a strike rate of 140. He has struck 7 fours and 6 sixes. XC Bartlett has also made 102 runs at a strike rate of 141. JJ Bazley has been the best bowler for Brisbane Heat and has picked up 5 wickets while bowling at an average of 25 and an economy rate of 8.33. MATCH: ADELAIDE STRIKERS VS BRISBANE HEAT, MATCH 18, BBL 2021-22 Date & Time: 22nd December 2021, 1:45 PM IST Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide ADELAIDE STRIKERS VS BRISBANE HEAT PITCH REPORT The surface at Adelaide Oval is a good cricketing surface and is expected to assist the batters. The batters can play their shots after a careful initial passage of play. The pacers need to utilize the initial passage and provide their team with timely breakthroughs. ADELAIDE STRIKERS VS BRISBANE HEAT WEATHER REPORT Clear skies are expected to be a feature of matchday. The temperature is expected to range between 14 and 29 degrees Celsius. No rain interruptions are expected throughout the day’s play. ADELAIDE STRIKERS VS BRISBANE HEAT PROBABLE XIS ADELAIDE STRIKERS Matthew Short, Jake Weatherald, Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen (wk), George Garton, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle (c), Daniel Worrall, Fawad Ahmed BRISBANE HEAT Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Ben Duckett, Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Peirson (c, wk), Tom Cooper, James Bazley, Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mitchell Swepson Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat Head-to-Head OVERALL Matches – 14 Adelaide Strikers – 8, ]] Brisbane Heat – 6, N/R- 0 AT ADELAIDE OVAL Matches- 7, Adelaide Strikers – 3, Brisbane Heat – 4, N/R- 0 PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS MATTHEW SHORT- ADELAIDE STRIKERS Matthew Short has arguably been the standout batter for the Strikers in the BBL. Having scored 140 runs from four games at an average of 35, the right-hander has looked on top of his game. RASHID KHAN- ADELAIDE STRIKERS Rashid Khan has had his moments in the BBL and hasn’t let his team down. In four matches, the Afghanistan spinner has picked up six wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.68. Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat Match Prediction The Adelaide Strikers have come close in many encounters but have failed to get over the line. However, Adelaide Strikers are favorites to finish on top in this encounter.