Strikers claim five wins in five New Year's Eve games
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The Adelaide Strikers bowled out Brisbane Heat for just 91 as they completed the year with a table-topping victory at home
Adelaide Strikers 147 for 7 (Neser 40, Lalor 3-40) beat Brisbane Heat 91 (Neser 2-7, Rashid 2-19) by 56 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Adelaide Strikers will begin 2018 on top of the BBL table after a dominant win over Brisbane Heat at Adelaide Oval.
The Strikers formula has been predictable yet impregnable so far. They manufactured a par score and defended brilliantly again for their third straight win. Michael Neser was the unlikely hero with the bat. He scored 40 not out from 26 balls to help lift the total to 7 for 147, a score the Strikers could hardly have dreamt of when he walked out at 5 for 76 with seven overs to go.
Then the Strikers decimated the Heat’s top order with a combination of spin and pace. Rashid Khan claimed the key wicket of Chris Lynn, albeit slightly fortuitously in the biggest moment of the match. The legspinner finished with 2 for 19, which took his tournament figures to 6 for 63 in 12 overs.
Strikers’ top-order crumbles under Heat
In the first two games, Strikers were able to put up at least 160 on the board, underpinned by excellent innings from Alex Carey. But Carey fell early, the left-arm quick Josh Lalor nipping one through an open gate as he tried to loft down the ground. Jake Weatherald was dismissed in a similar manner two overs later, but it was a slower ball that crashed into leg stump.
Then Brendon McCullum turned to spin and Yasir Shah, included to replace Shadab Khan, showed his class. Yasir and Mitchell Swepson whipped through six overs conceding just a run-a-ball. Travis Head was completely deceived by a trademark wrong ‘un. When Yasir bagged Ingram with the last ball of the 13th over, he finished with figures of 2 for 18 from four overs, and the Strikers were 5 for 76 with just 42 balls remaining.
Butter fingers
The Heat let their opponents off the hook with some poor fielding. Jake Lehmann was dropped when he pulled his first ball to Mark Steketee at fine leg, and it was a sitter too. An over later, Lalor grassed a relatively straight-forward chance at mid-on and then shelled another off Michael Neser, when he had made only 11.
The three let-offs allowed Neser and Lehmann to add 45 in 29 balls before Lehmann’s third offering was held by Joe Burns. But Neser’s life proved far costlier, and it was Lalor who paid the heaviest price. Neser deposited him into the stands twice while Rashid hit the first ball he saw over point for six to help the Strikers to a defendable total.
Striking in a different way
The Strikers only used one over of spin in the Powerplay in the first two games. Colin Ingram bowled the first over against Sydney Thunder at a cost of nine and thereafter all the damage was done by the pacemen. But against the Heat, with Jimmy Peirson, McCullum and Lynn threatening to explode, the Strikers trusted spin. Head picked up Peirson, who strangely holed out to long-on having already taken seven from the first five balls of the innings. Rashid then removed Lynn, who was unfortunate to be given out caught behind after appearing to hit the ground and not the ball.
Head turned to the express pace of Billy Stanlake with the Heat behind the game at 2 for 10 after two overs. Stanlake was too quick for Burns, who spooned an attempted pull to square leg. Neser cleaned bowled Alex Ross through the gate as he tried to defend the first ball of the fourth over. Ben Cutting was caught at point in the seventh over to leave the Heat 5 for 38, with McCullum watching helplessly at the non-striker’s end.
McCullum starved
The Heat skipper’s presence meant the game was not done. But the Strikers had a plan. In the four overs post Cutting’s dismissal no wickets fell, but McCullum faced just seven balls for four runs. The required run-rate climbed from 7.92 to 9.20 in that time. McCullum’s hand was forced in the 11th over. He charged at Neser but could not clear the long-on fence. Lehmann’s catch was the final nail. Ben Laughlin claimed another three wickets to take his season tally to nine.
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