The Adelaide Strikers have fallen short of a huge Perth Scorchers total in their first meeting of KFC BBL|13, with another brilliant innings from captain Matt Short not quite enough to drag his side over the line at Optus Stadium.
Belting nine boundaries at the top of the order during a knock of 74 from just 44 deliveries, Short got the Strikers off a to a great start in pursuit of the home side’s 4-211 but the end result was a 42-run loss that makes Friday’s rematch at Adelaide Oval a must-win for the Strikers.
Player of the Match honours were tough to bestow, with English international Laurie Evans belting a destructive 85 and quick Lance Morris taking 5-22 from his four overs for the Scorchers, two performances that laid the foundation for the strong triumph on home soil, with Evans earning the nod.
Following a defeat to the Melbourne Stars on New Year’s Eve, Adelaide made three changes ahead of the clash with pace bowlers David Payne returning to the XI alongside Henry Thornton and batter Thomas Kelly who took to the field for the first time this tournament.
Sending the Scorchers in to bat after correctly calling the bat flip, Strikers skipper Matt Short deployed his pace attack of Payne, Thornton and Overton from the outset, looking to tear through the home side’s formidable line-up.
Thornton got the ball rolling when he removed English international Zac Crawley for just 10 and quickly followed it up with the dismissal of Sam Whiteman to have the Scorchers 2-50 in the early going.
A solid partnership between Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis turned the momentum back Perth’s way before another salvo from the Strikers saw Overton uproot Inglis and send him back to the pavilion.
That cued the entrance music of English star Evans, a tune that signalled the beginning of an innings that would last just 28 deliveries while yielding an incredible 85 undefeated runs. Seven sixes and seven fours highlighted the knock that took the game away from the Strikers, the fastest half century in Scorchers history.
Young star Cooper Connolly joined Evans in the latter stages of the innings, accruing a handy 14 from the eight deliveries he faced in the pauses between Evans’ destructive stroke play. At the conclusion of their allotted overs, the Scorchers had tallied 211 runs for the loss of four wickets and issued a strong challenge to the Strikers batting unit.
League-leading run-scorer Matt Short continued his prolific season with another half-century, his fourth of the tournament from just five starts, to keep his side in the game. A shining light on a tough night, Short strengthened his place as the best with the bat this summer, averaging 55 to lead all comers in BBL|13.
Chris Lynn (27 off 16) and Kelly (29 off 21) both did their best to support their skipper, but an unstoppable spell of 5-22 from Morris sealed the Strikers fate in the west. Finding a way to remove Short, Lynn, Adam Hose, Overton and James Bazley, Morris showed the potential he possesses with a dominant spell the Strikers were unable to find adequate answers to.
The two sides will meet again in less than 48 hours, with the Jason Gillespie Trophy up for grabs at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. First ball is scheduled for 6.45pm and tickets are available by clicking here.