The Adelaide Strikers will begin their Big Bash campaign on Friday at the Adelaide Oval when they take on the Sydney Thunder for their opener. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the BBL match, starting from 7:40pm AEDT.
The Strikers haven’t had the best of times in the BBL over the past six seasons and they would like to remedy that.
They have made the semi-finals just twice and never went on to enter the title decider, an unenvious record they share with just the Melbourne Renegades.
They will be going up against the Sydney Thunder, who started off the season with a close, last-ball win against the Sydney Sixers.
Captain Shane Watson led the way for the Thunder with a 46-ball 77 that included six sixes and six fours, after Mitchell McClenaghan had picked up a couple of wickets along with off-spinner Arjun Nair.
They will look to make it two in two against a team that has traditionally struggled in the competition.
Players to watch
The Strikers will hope captain Travis Head can lead from the front with his strong-hitting and part-time offies.
Head had a couple of starts on Australia’s tour of India recently in the ODI series, and then led them to a win with an unbeaten 48 on a seaming Guwahati surface in a T20I.
That confidence should hold him in a good stead as he looks to usher in a new era in the Strikers’ history.
The Thunder need Jos Buttler to fire after a lacklustre first game.
He was dismissed for a duck as an opener but he is capable of providing his sides a real quick start.
What is interesting to observe is that he had a woeful Bangladesh Premier League where he struggled to get going and made just 26 as his highest score.
Prediction
The Strikers will hold some of the edge playing at home and should start off favourites. Expect Thunder to fight hard but go down in another close encounter.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, from 7:40pm AEDT.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
A very one-sided encounter in the end. There were enough signs in the first innings that the pitch was a slowish, double-paced wicket which was making batting tougher but Carey did well to begin with and then that six-ball 12 from Jono Dean helped them get to over 160. The Thunder needed a good start but Buttler's lack of form continued - was dismissed for 10 - and then the rest of them fell away cheaply with the exception of Kurtis Petterson. Rashid Khan triggered the collapse and Laughlin finished it off with a four-fer. Adelaide start off the campaign with a win while the Thunder will need to go back to the drawing board to see if they can change their batting around in any way. Thanks for following, and hope to see you around tomorrow, again!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 17.04 Score: 10/110
That's the end of that, Fekete goes for a heave and ends up spooning it to the short-cover fielder. Bowled out for a mere 110, going down by 53 runs, the Thunder.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 17.0 Score: 9/109
Couple of singles and a wicket from that Siddle over. Going through the motions for now but Nair's still there looking to prove he can play this all-rounder's role well.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Fekete is the last man in. Can they bat out the overs?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 16.1 Score: 8/107
Siddle gets his second as Fawad has edged a slower one to the keeper. Number nine down as Ahmed walks back for out.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 15.6 Score: 8/107
Nair wants to flick Laughlin away but ends up top-edging it over the keeper, and Jono Dean runs back and shells that one. Couple of balls later, Carey misses a ball behind the stumps much like Buttler had done in the first innings - four byes, is the result. Two balls later, Nair slams his bat at one that's on his pads and connects well - goes all the way for a SIX!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 14.6 Score: 8/90
A single for Nair off the first ball of the Rashid over before Fawad gets off strike to a wide that Carey misses down the leg-side. Nair struggles through a couple of the next few as there's no way he can pick up all those variations before managing a single. A dot to end the Rashid over, as he finishes his four overs with figures of 2/22.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 13.6 Score: 8/89
Laughlin doesn't get the hat-trick but he has done enough to seal the match for his side.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 13.5 Score: 8/88
What is happening here! Laughin has taken his third for the over and two in two...he's on a hat-trick as McClenaghan has chipped him in the air and gets caught by the short-cover fielder. Slower ball there and the batsman was only trying to push at it - easily caught. Matter of time.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 13.4 Score: 7/88
Another one, Thunder falling away like a pack of cards. Very full from Laughlin and Green ends up playing it over it. He was looking to work it through mid-wicket but misses and is trapped right in front. LBW. Seven down.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 13.2 Score: 6/87
Blizzard has gotten out a few times like that, or at least has gotten into poor positions doing that - gets squared up and gets a leading edge off Ben Laughlin, the ball scoops up high and gets easily caught at short cover. Four wickets have fallen for 18 off 23 balls. All over bar the shouting?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 12.6 Score: 5/85
Tough to score on this surface and Billy S picks up a wicket to go with conceding just four from it. Blizzard, who can definitely hit the big ones, has walked out at seven. Rather low, I would say, in the order.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 12.3 Score: 5/83
Caught off the rebound. Siddle was at the short mid-wicket position and Patterson looked to have absolutely spanked it, hits the fielder rather than the other way around, and he ends up tapping it up and catching it on the rebound. Big wicket and dare I say, with that, the chances of their win have receded a great deal too.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 12.0 Score: 4/81
Stanlake has been called back to the attack. Wonder if Head wants to bowl Rashid from the other end.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 11.6 Score: 4/81
Head's continuing and for the second time, he's gone for a few runs. An edgy couple through short third-man before Patterson cuts him through backward point for a couple. Gets off strike with a single down to long-on and then Nair gets three off the final three balls. Better over for the Thunder but need overs like these every over and then some.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 10.6 Score: 4/71
Four down after the 11th, with just a couple of runs in the Rashid over. Thunder need 93 from nine overs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 10.3 Score: 4/69
Superb bowling. Absolute beauty. Had watched him do this throughout the IPL and now he's making an early mark in the BBL too. Second wicket for Rashid in the over, as he skids through a wrong 'un that the left-handed Ben Rohrer absolutely misses. Was looking to play it to the leg-side but cannot get any bat to it. Hits stumps. Four down and staring down the barrel.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
WICKET! Over: 10.1 Score: 3/69
Gone! Nicked and caught by the keeper and Gibson continues his poor batting form in the BBL... ...went for a drive to Rashid, might have turned away, gets the edge and well-taken by Carey. Thunder lose their third.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 9.6 Score: 2/69
A couple of twos off the first two deliveries before Patterson wants to sweeps the next one but finds the fielder. Off the next, he hits it inside out for another brace before... ...boom! A slog-sweep for a SIX! We saw Carey do that earlier, and now a six for Patterson, who follows it up with another couple. Good over for the Thunder. 14 off. Patterson is getting the move on but how will they do against Rashid?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Over: 8.6 Score: 2/55
Risk-free cricket from the two batsmen against Rashid Khan and it's just five off. Not such a bad idea despite the mounting rate early in their innings. Doubt they will continue batting like that though.