It turned out to be an utterly dominating performance from the Sydney Sixers as they eased past the Adelaide Strikers by 38 runs in the 11th match of BBL 10 and registered their second victory of the tournament in three games. After a poor start in the batting department, it was Dan Christian who turned the match on its head as the Sixers scored 116 from the last 8 overs. The Strikers started off in a scintillating fashion in the powerplay as they raced off to 51 in the first overs. However, the Strikers lost their way after losing the first wicket and there was no way back from there. Wickets kept tumbling and in the end, the Strikers fell well short of the victory target.
Earlier in the day, it was the Adelaide Strikers who won the toss and opted to field. The pitch at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart yet again had some life for the fast bowlers and the Strikers used it to good effect. The pace bowling trio of Peter Siddle, Wes Agar, and Daniel Worrall was quite exceptional with the new ball and the Sydney Sixers were under the pump from the outset.
All the top-3 batters - Josh Philippe, Jack Edwards, and James Vince never really managed to get going as they were consistently beaten by some exceptional swing bowling, from Daniel Worrall in particular. It was a sight to behold as the fast bowlers came running in and the lateral movement which was on offer never really allowed the Sixers to get settled at the crease.
Philippe was the first to go as an attempted ramp shot ended up in the hands of the keeper. Two more wickets fell in quick succession and the Sixers were falling behind the game. It was in the 13th over that Daniel Christian turned the complexion of the game with some lusty power hitting. He struck 22 runs in the 13th over which was studded with a couple of fours and sixes each and it looked like he was batting on a totally different pitch.
There was no respite for the great Rashid Khan as well and he was plundered for a couple of sixes as Christian completed his half-century in just 15 deliveries, the 2nd fastest half-century in BBL history. Just after completing his fifty, he held out in the deep off the bowling of Wes Agar.
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However, that innings was enough to help them claw their way back into the match and was supported quite brilliantly by Daniel Hughes. He held the innings together and smashed a few lusty blows in the final few overs. Jason Holder and Jordan Silk chipped in with crucial knocks in the final two overs as the Sixers posted a more than competitive 177 on the board in their allotted 20 overs.
The target of 178 was always going to be a challenging one for the Strikers. They needed a great start and that was provided by the opening duo of Philip Salt and Jack Weatherald. Right from the outset, Salt and Weatherald kept whacking the bowlers all around the park and raced off to a 50-run partnership in just four overs. The Adelaide Strikers’ bowlers were well and truly under pressure but the wicket of Philip Salt opened the floodgates and there was a procession from thereon.
Yet again it was Dan Christian who started the procession, this time with the ball in hand. Soon wickets kept tumbling one after the other as Ben Manenti joined the fun and took two quick ones in the form of Jack Weatherald and Matt Renshaw. Captain Alex Carey couldn’t get going either and was castled by a beautiful inswinger from Carlos Brathwaite.
Steve O'Keeffe also joined in the act and got himself into the wickets column with the scalp of Matthew Short. The equation from there on was way too much for the Strikers. Jonathan Wells and Liam Scott occupied the crease for a while but the big shots weren’t coming and the pressure kept mounting. Eventually, Scott was dismissed by Keefe in the 16th over as the Strikers needed 69 to win from the last 4 and it was always going to be an uphill task from there.
Wells and Rashid Khan tried valiantly but the target was way too much in the end and they were unable to execute the big shots. Rashid was dismissed in the final over when the match was already done and dusted. Some exceptional bowling by the Sixers in the middle and the late overs eventually propelled them to an utterly comprehensive victory in the end.
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