Heat vs Strikers, Challenger at Carrara, BBL 2023, Jan 22 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary

McSweeney finishes it off, Brisbane Heat win by 54 runs and will take on Sydney Sixers at the SCG. Was a length ball outside off, Pope swung across like Nielsen, skied it towards cover. The skipper took a few steps across and took a dolly. Celebrations follow

Juggled but taken. Wakim tried to take it fingers up above his face, fumbled and the ball tipped his cap and was falling down. He swivelled and was falling, took it just above ground. Was a slow wide ball that Nelsen tried slap over cover

Nielsen gets fifty with an under-edge. Wide length ball, he tried to crash it down the ground with a cross bat. fielder ran from the edge and stopped it just inside the ring

Wide on a fullish length, out of Boyce's slog-sweep arc. Ball goes off the bottom of the bat to short third

And strikes first ball. Length around ff, Payne got low and top edged a slog sweep. Went proper high but didn't go that far. Lot of time for McSweeney to settle underneath and take it

Works the shortish ball down the ground

Cannoned over long-on. Shortish ball angling away outside off, Payne hung back and battering rammed it

Inside edges a slog onto pad. Was a fullish ball coming in at the stumps, Payne tried going over midwicket again

Launched just over the deep-backward-square boundary. Was a shortish ball, hip-height, Payne rotated as he pulled it into the sky. Fielder at the boundary leapt out and tried to take it with his left hand, couldn't reach it

Wide and fullish, slashed to deep point

Shortish cutter comes in towards fifth, cut through backward point

Too fast for Payne. He stood leg side of the length ball over leg and tried fending. He can afford a smile

Spooned to wide mid-off. Pitched up, Thornton tried to lift it from off stump while standing still. Toed it to the left of Walter, who scuttled from mid-off and took it.

Slow on a length, outside off, under-edges a cut to backward point

Pumped over the bowler, mid-off and mid-on were in. Back-of-hand slower one around off, Nielsen launched it through the line

Slower bouncer, Nielsen waits an eternity before pulling it over short fine leg. Bouncer around chest-height, Nielsen pretty much hooked it with a swivel

Wide and full, one-knee drive takes it to mid-off

Full on leg, tries to drive up and over down the ground. Inside edges it onto pad

Direct hit from point and that looks out. Bazley walks as it's sent upstairs. Was a fullish ball for which he was outside off, he missed the flick and the ball deflected to Wakim. There was a minor mix-up but they went through. Bazley was a tad casual in his last hop and the ball pinged off the stumps. Sloppy but it won't make much of a difference, just gives Heat another reason to cheer about. Confidence booster for the debutant though

Bazley goes across and Johnson is smart, goes over leg. A late, fine pull was attempted and beaten