On edge of your seat with mercurial Heat
MANY days they stumble. Just occasionally they rumble. But the Brisbane Heat are captivating television audiences intrigued by their volatile Big Bash journey.
The Heat are a long way from being the best team in the Big Bash but Fox Sports and Channel 7 never has a problem slipping them into a prime-time slot because their predictable unpredictability makes them easy to watch.
Car-crash batting efforts, bizarre finishes, outrageous comebacks, unexpected victories, narrow losses ... the Heat have covered the spectrum this year in their seven games, which have produced three wins.
Despite a poor start, the Heat have been rating well all season and the audience for the win over the Sydney Sixers on Saturday was Fox’s highest for an exclusive game this season and the sixthhighest ever.
The Heat average 250,000 for exclusive games, the highest for any team and 90,000 up on the BBL average.
Heat average a combined audience of 900,000 in games televised on Fox Cricket and Seven, making them one of the competition’s biggest drawcards.
Another big television audience is expected when they play the Melbourne Stars in a late-starting game at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast on Thursday night.
People may be watching the Heat through their fingers but they watch them all the same.
Even fans they turn off are not turning the “off’’ button.
Sometimes the attraction
is a morbid fascination with a cringe-worthy batting performance like an 8-58 collapse against the Adelaide Strikers.
But the same game feathered a withering half century from Jimmy Peirson that almost snatched victory.
Other times it’s crazy finishes like Mark Steketee being run out because his bat was not grounded after the line in a run which would have produced a tie and a super over against the Hurricanes.
The Heat were on death row early in the competition but consecutive wins against the ladder-leading Sydney Thunder and Sixers have them back in the hunt for the finals berth they are desperate for after a string of modest seasons.
At the Heat season launch, coach Darren Lehmann said his side’s best days were brilliant but the worst ones were unacceptably poor and the challenge is to narrow the gap.
The gap narrowed.
With Joe Burns back after being dropped from the Test team and Chris Lynn returning from a hamstring injury and English recruit Joe Denley adding some experience, the Heat’s top order has a more formidable feel.
Mystery spinner Mujeeb’s 11 wickets at 13 while conceding just over a run a ball have been a revelation.
He can attack and defend with the one delivery.
still needs to be