The Sydney Thunder need a win tonight to keep their finals hopes alive as they face an Adelaide Strikers outfit desperately trying to get off the bottom of the ladder. Join The Roar from 7:40pm (AEDT) for all the live scores, highlights and action.
The Thunder are hanging precariously on the edge of the final equation coming into their final game of the regular season.
The green Sydney side currently sit in sixth on equal points with the Renegades and Hurricanes and need to win to give themselves a chance to make the semi-finals with second through to fourth all sitting just one win ahead of them.
They need to rely on the Sixers and Renegades both losing their last games as well to get in on net run rate, but it all starts tonight.
They come into this one with the wind in their sails after turning a disastrous start to the season around to be right in the hunt.
They kicked off BBL06 with four losses in a row and sat dead last on no points.
Since then though, they’ve strung together three big wins and look like pulling off the same heist that took them to championship glory last season.
They destroyed cross-town rivals the Sixers on Saturday, bundling them out for 99 and getting the runs in just ten overs to bring a mountain of form into today’s matchup.
For the Strikers, their season is over after another disappointing loss on Monday, going down by six runs to the Renegades to end their slim chances of finals cricket.
They’ve struggled to make an impact this season, having copped five defeats from seven games.
The bright spark of the Adelaide campaign has been big-hitting Ben Dunk and veteran Brad Hodge, who sit second and third in the leading run-scorers list for the season respectively.
Bowling has been the issue for the Strikers as they’ve struggled to contain big totals and crumbled at the death overs.
The Thunder have been far from outstanding this season with bat or ball and have failed to outline a real standout player of the tournament.
Their last three wins have really been team efforts though and that’s the kind of cricket that gets results across the board.
Prediction
While the Strikers will want to finish their season on a high, the Thunder have so much to play for with their title defence on the line.
Net run rate shouldn’t matter too much in the end, but if the Thunder are chasing, expect them to come out all guns blazing to really bump those numbers out.
Thunder to win by 7 wickets or 22 runs
Garry Edwards
Guest
Absolutely agree with you on this but not your grammatical expression, quote: "sorry this is so wrong"!!!! Why write "SO" wrong? Doesn't: "Sorry it's wrong" achieve the same level of discord? And if yes, than So has nothing to do with it. I 'll bet you belong to the X or Y generation...... you're renown for your over the top use of crappy English.
richard plumb
Guest
There was an incident last night that should not be overlooked -the commentator was coaching - he told Hodge statistics on Watson facing a bowler while Watson was batting -If Watson had been dismissed by this bowler then Thunder would have every right to claim a no contest and gain maximum points -sorry this is so wrong it has to be addressed
Nomad
Guest
i loved watching Sodhi bowl with so much Guile. Just great to watch.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Fantastic spell of bowling by Sodhi. Spun the ball both ways and made the Thunder batsmen look clueless. Demonstrated that T20 cricket is not just about batsmen smashing the ball to all parts of the ground.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
ADELAIDE STRIKERS WIN BY 77 RUNS What a performance from the Strikers to end their season with a massive win. That also marks the end of Sydney Thunder's title defence, one that was always in doubt after losing their first four games on the trott. Ben Dunk got it all started with a dominant and superb 65 from 40 balls to set up the Strikers, before big hitting Kieron Pollard finished it off with a 47-run blitz, including five 6's. It was a par score for the Thunder but they made an absolute mess of it. The first over was a maiden. Shane Watson threatened to bring the game back for Sydney with a sharp 39, but he had no support before holing out off the bowling of Jake Lehman of all people. The star of the show was New Zealand spinner, Ish Sodhi. He finished with record-breaking figures of 6/11 from three and a half overs.
Connor Bennett
Editor
15.3 OUT!! C McKay b Sodhi 8 (7) Can you believe that. Ish Sodhi finishes with figures of 6/11 from 3.3 overs. Just incredible. The collapse is complete as McKay backs away from leg stump and tries to slog it, well, somewhere, but plays all around it as the ball turns and crashes into the top of middle stump. A disastrous chase for the Thunder and their season is over. SYT all out 101 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
15.1 OUT!! C Green c Neser b Sodhi 1 (3) Five-wicket haul for Ish Sodhi. 5/11. Just insane. Sodhi flights it up on middle and off and Green just goes for it, slog sweeping low and hard for cow corner but he picks out Neser in the deep instead. SYT 9/101 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
14.5 SIX!!! McKay keeping the fight alive for the Thunder!! Dragged short from O'Connor and McKay just waits for it in the crease, pulling hard and long over the deep mid wicket boundary. SYT 8/101 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
14.3 Chris Green is also in at the crease... and he pushes the low full toss down the ground to long off for a single. They need a lot of boundaries in not a lot of time. SYT 8/95 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
14.1 Three wickets and one run off that last over and Sydney need more than a miracle to get back into this one. O'Connor continues to McKay who picks off a single. SYT 8/94 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
13.5 OUT!! A Nair c Carey b Sodhi 0 (2) Three from four balls this is just ridiculous!! Sodhi is varying up his lengths, pace and turn and the Thunder just have no idea. Nair tries to slice through the offside and gets a little tickle on the ball through to Carey who snatches up a good catch on debut. SYT 8/93 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
13.3 OUT!! J Lenton lbw Sodhi 7 (8) And another one!! Back to back for Sodhi who beats Lenton with flight, bounce and turn. Lenton was stuck in the crease trying to push through the covers, but the turn beats the bat and crashes into the pads in front of middle. Could have been turning into the top of leg. SYT 7/92 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
13.2 Possible run out chance!! GONE!! OUT!! R Gibson run out Sodhi 4 (5) Thunder are falling all over the place. The run wasn't there and they made a mess of that one. Gibson was sent back and Sodhi did a good job there to whip the bails off in time. SYT 6/92 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
12.6 Full toss on the toes and Gibson places it well through square leg to pick up a second with some nice running. SYT 5/92 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
12.3 Flighted on middle from O'Connor and Gibson just pushes it down to mid on for a single to keep the strike rotating. They need boundaries here. SYT 5/89 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
12.1 FOUR!! Too short and too wide from O'Connor. Lenton will take that to get his eye in, just rocking back in the crease and slicing hard through backward point and away to the ropes. SYT 5/87 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
11.6 how about that from Ish Sodhi. Two wickets and two runs from the over as Lenton pushes it out towards backward square point for a single to end the over. SYT 5/83 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
11.5 Jay Lenton comes to the crease with a big task ahead of him. SYT 5/82 (Target 179)
Connor Bennett
Editor
11.4 OUT!! B Rohrer b Sodhi 7 (9) Sodhi gets another one!! Superb bowling from Ish Sodhi. Rohrer comes down the wicket and Sodhi drops it a touch shorter, beating him with the leg break as Rohrer fails to get to the pitch of the ball. He too loses his middle stump and the Thunder are in deep trouble now. SYT 5/82 (Target 179)