Brisbane Heat desperate to avoid early exit from finals series after topping BBL ladder

Bragging rights between “mates” – as well as a place in the BBL final – will be up for grabs on Monday night when Brisbane Heat host the Adelaide Strikers on the Gold Coast.

The Heat and Strikers squads contain a host of players who have links with the opposing team and state.

Among them is star Heat left-arm paceman Spencer Johnson, who hails from Adelaide and plays for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield competition.

“There are a lot of my South Australian teammates that are coming up here, and there are obviously some good mates and some good rivalries there, so I’m excited and ready for the challenge,” Johnson said ahead of the clash at Heritage Bank Stadium at Carrara.

Heat skipper Nathan McSweeney is also in the South Australian squad, as is Brisbane fringe paceman Jordan Buckingham.

Heat all-rounder Michael Neser previously played for the Strikers, while Adelaide leg-spinner Cam Boyce is a former Heat player and last year was a spin bowling coach for the Heat women’s team.

The Strikers side also includes Queensland Bulls all-rounder James Bazley, who had three years with the Heat before linking with Adelaide this season.

“You want to play well against your mates so you can have the upper hand,” Johnson said.

The Heat – beaten by 39 runs by the Sydney Sixers in the “Qualifier” at Carrara on Friday night – also want to “play well” to avoid ending their season with back-to-back finals series losses after finishing on top of the ladder.

“We’ve played the way we have this year and we’ve deserved that extra chance (in the finals),” Johnson said.

“We’re ready to go again. We’ve got the advantage of playing here the other night … we’re liking our chances.”

Johnson said the Heat were striving for a “complete game” to beat the Strikers, who ended the Perth Scorchers’ title defence on Saturday night with an upset 50-run win at Optus Stadium.

“What we’ve battled with in a couple of games this year is having a complete game,” Johnson said.

“(When we have) done it with the ball, we’ve probably lacked with the batting, and vice versa.

“If we can have a complete game, then we’re every chance.”

The winner of Monday’s clash will take on the Sixers in Wednesday night’s final at the SCG.

The Heat side will again include Test squad player Matthew Renshaw, who after playing on Monday night will rejoin the Australian squad preparing for the pink-ball Test against the West Indies starting on Thursday at the Gabba.