Quantcast

Match Report:

Scorecard

Strikers' bowlers blow Thunder away

Hosts put on a clinical display with the ball to rout Sydney for 110 and claim 53-run victory

The score: Adelaide Strikers 6-163 (Carey 44, Head 36; Nair 3-36) beat Sydney Thunder 110 (Patterson 48; Laughlin 4-26, Siddle 2-6, Rashid 2-22) by 53 runs

The match in a tweet: Strikers start BBL|07 in style, thrashing the Thunder as Rashid shines on debut #BBL07

The hero: The signing of Rashid Khan (2-22) was greeted with much excitement by the Strikers and it took the Afghan leggie only a few overs to show why. With the first ball of his third over, he had Ryan Gibson edging behind, but what came next was the showstopper: a delightful wrong'un that bewitched Ben Rohrer and crashed into the top of the left-hander's off stump. If Jofra Archer earned cult status in Hobart last night, the same could be said for Rashid in Adelaide.

Rashid rocks the Thunder with double strike

The support cast: Alex Carey has made a name for himself in Sheffield Shield cricket but he had no trouble switching gears at the top of the Strikers' order, blasting a quick-fire 44. He was joined by his skipper, Travis Head (36), and the duo's 79-run stand was decisive in the outcome. Late in the piece, Ben Laughlin (4-26) found some swing and ripped through the Thunder's middle-lower order with three wickets in four balls, as well as the final one to fall. 

The consolation effort: He hit a last-ball single to win his team the Sydney Smash, but tonight Arjun Nair (3-36) showed his primary skill – bamboozling batsmen with his mystery spinners. The right-arm tweaker knocked over top-scorers Carey and Travis Head, and also accounted for Colin Ingram to claim three of the Strikers' top four batsmen.

Head and co. Nair-ed by Thunder mystery spinner

The stat: Peter Siddle has built a decorated career around tight bowling and he put on a clinic tonight; his 2-6 was the most economical three-over spell in BBL history.

The turning point: Head rolled the dice and brought himself on as he looked to buy the wicket of the dangerous Shane Watson. Even the skipper himself couldn't have predicted how well things would have worked, as Watson miscued and was caught at deep midwicket from the first ball he faced from the part-time offie. From there, the Thunder fell apart.

The silly point: Let's just say Mitch McClenaghan was NOT happy about what unfolded here. Though whether he had any right to be upset is questionable. Watch the video below and decide for yourself.

'He still should've caught it with his eyes closed'

The Fantasy wrap: Laughlin came from nowhere to claim four late wickets and steal the Fantasy honours with 98 points. Head and Carey were also great value for the Strikers, while Nair was excellent for the Thunder and Siddle's miserly spell earned him big points as well. 

Lively Laughlin finishes off hapless Thunder

The next stops: The Strikers make their way over to Sydney for a clash with the Sixers on December 28 (7.10pm local), while the Thunder are off to Brisbane after Christmas, to take on the Heat (and the Bash Brothers) on the 27th (6.10pm local). 

Image Id: 41E8FEDBE459481483607C34283E7732