Heat on Mitch to deliver for Brisbane

Heat “matchwinner” Mitchell Swepson is ready to spin Brisbane to victory – and the BBL finals – against the Perth Scorchers at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.

The equation is simple for the Heat if they want to finish in the top five – secure un upset bonus point win over the high-flying Scorchers.

Following Sydney Thunder’s win over the Adelaide Strikers on Monday night, four points will be enough for Brisbane to contest the finals.

“We just know we have to win,” Heat wicket-keeper Jimmy Peirson said.

“That other stuff we can’t really control.”

Peirson predicted a strong performance from leg-spinner Swepson, who recently returned to Heat duties after being part of Australia’s extended squad for the four-Test series against India.

Swepson did not play in any of the Tests, but having been involved in the Heat’s past two matches, any rust that may have been in his system is gone.

“If you look at his (Sheffield) Shield form before he went away with the Australian team, it was fantastic,” Peirson said of his Heat and Queensland teammate.

“Obviously coming back into this group after bowling with the red ball, there were a couple of little tweaks he needed to make, and he’s done that through bowling at training and in the (two) games.

The @BBL finals race all comes to an end tomorrow! ??‍♂️? #BBLFinals #BringtheHEAT #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/oE1RCIKHxb

“He’s going to be a matchwinner, especially in these conditions here (at the Adelaide Oval) where it can take spin sometimes.

“He’s fantastic at controlling the field and controlling the game. He’s a big-game player for us so we’re looking forward to him doing his thing (on Tuesday).

Swepson said it was a “great experience” for him in the Test hub.

“Switching from bowling a lot of the balls in the nets to being out in the middle can be a difficult transition, but as a professional cricketer you’ve got to be adaptable and be able to do that well,” Swepson said.

“I thought my first game back (for the Heat, against the Strikers) wasn’t my greatest and that was probably taking that little bit of extra time to adjust … but I’m happy with the way the ball came out last game (against the Renegades) and hopefully now I can get in the rhythm of things and really hit the ground running for this next game, and then hopefully finals.”

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