Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat, BBL 2020-21, Fantasy Pick, team predictions

Pro Tip: Since the start of 2019 season, Brisbane Heat have lost the most number of wickets in BBL (105 wickets in 15 innings). So, pick an extra bowler from Sydney Thunder.

Our XI: Jimmy Peirson, Max Bryant, Chris Lynn, Daniel Lawrence, Ben Laughlin, Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Jonathan Cook

Substitutes: Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Jack Wildermuth.

Player availability: Mark Steketee and Jack Wildermuth will complete their Australia A commitments on Sunday, so they might be available for Heat in this fixture. Meanwhile, Mujeeb ur Rahman has tested negative for Covid-19 and he might also be available for Heat. Thunder's Sam Billings will not be available due to national commitments. We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.

The second-highest scorer in BBL 09 with 576 runs in 17 games started off this season with a fine 41-ball 46. Since the start of 2019, Hales is the third-highest scorer in T20s, with 2256 runs in 79 innings at an average of 31.33 and a strike rate of 144.43, only behind Babar Azam and KL Rahul.

The latest T20I debutant for Australia, he was the highest wicket-taker in BBL 09 with 30 wickets in 17 games at a strike rate of 11.7. He picked up a couple of wickets against Stars in the last game and he is likely to exploit Heat's batting weakness.

Chris Lynn: The average age of the trio of Bryant, Heazlett and Lawrence who bat around Lynn is 23. So, the onus will be on Heat captain Lynn to deliver. He was the top scorer for Heat last season, where he scored 387 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 148.84. Nobody has hit more sixes than Lynn in BBL history - 147 in 76 innings.

Ben Laughlin: The most successful bowler in BBL history, Laughlin has 110 wickets in 88 games at an average of 22.12. He didn't have the best of starts this season, as he went wicketless in the last game. However in BBL 09, he went wicketless only in two of the 13 games he played. So expect him to come back stronger.

Usman Khawaja: After not getting picked in the Australia Test squad (despite injuries to two opening batsmen) for the India series, Khawaja will look to make a point with his performances in BBL 10. He was unfortunate to be at the receiving end of a bad umpiring decision in the last game. He had a decent outing last year, scoring 388 runs in 17 games with three 50-plus scores.

Daniel Lawrence: The 23-year-old allrounder's BBL debut ended with a spectacular direct hit by Hilton Cartwright when he was on 8. He has been exceptional in the T20 Blast, scoring 576 runs in 21 innings at a strike rate of 146.93 over the last two editions. He can also get you some points with his bowling.

Callum Ferguson: The 36-year old Sydney Thunder captain started off this season by top-scoring for his team with a 35-ball 54. Since 2018 season, nobody has scored more than Ferguson for Thunder - 872 runs in 32 games at an average of 32.29 and a strike rate of 132.12