The Strikers were dominant winners over the Thunder last night coasting home by seven wickets at Adelaide Oval. Here are my five main takeaways.
1. Strikers belt Thunder
The Adelaide Strikers got their BBL7 campaign off to the perfect start with a comfortable 53-run victory over the Sydney Thunder at Adelaide Oval last night.
Defending 6/163, the Strikers’ new-look bowling attack feasted on a brittle Thunder batting line-up, bowling them out for 110 in the 18th over.
Ben Laughlin (2/26-4), Peter Siddle (2/6-3) and Rashid Khan (2/22-4) all made big impacts, with only Kurtis Patterson (48) scoring more than 25 for the visitors.
Earlier in the night, surprise opening batsman Alex Carey (44 -26 balls) top-scored for the Strikers, with skipper Travis Head (36) also looking in good touch.
2. New-look Strikers show potential
While the Strikers’ new-look side will face much stiffer tests than the Sydney Thunder, this year their bowling attack looks one of the best balanced in the competition, and they delivered on that last night.
New recruits Peter Siddle and Rashid Khan bring experience and quality to the side, with Siddle looking fresh and focused after a couple of injury-interrupted BBL campaigns.
Billy Stanlake is a real handful with his pace, while the guile of Ben Laughlin and the canny off breaks of Travis Head give the Strikers several weapons with the ball.
Their batting performance was only moderate, and they do look a little skinny there, particularly when Travis Head joins the Australian ODI side.
However, the Scorchers have proven over the years that bowling can win championships and the Strikers, to me, look to have a top three bowling line up.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
3. Carey surprise move comes off
There was a bit of hype around, early in the summer, that Alex Carey could be the bolter in the Australian Test team.
The bolter ended up being the far more experienced Tim Paine who has done a magnificent job, while Carey continues to develop his game at State level.
While I have not seen much of Carey, the wrap is his glovework is as good as anyone in the country, however his batting needs time to improve.
First glance at his record suggests a moderate start, averaging 28 from 23 first class games; however, that appears on the rise after some good early season Shield Form.
Last night, Carey was a surprise choice as opening batsman and showcased a range of different attacking options in scoring 44 from 26 balls.
The BBL might be really good for his confidence and development, because his strike rate of 52 in first class cricket is on the low side and, if he can take down a few attacks here, he will return to Shield cricket a more confident and aggressive player.
4. Thunder batting exposed again
I said after they beat the Sixers that I was still concerned about the Thunder’s list and those fears came true last night.
It was another meek performance with the bat, with the only difference being Shane Watson wasn’t able to pull the rabbit out of the hat for the second game running.
No offence to Ryan Gibson, Ben Rohrer and Arjun Nair, but that is quite clearly the weakest No.4 to 6 in the competition and, once the Thunder lose a couple of wickets, there is simply no one in this side that can scare opponents.
Callum Ferguson is desperately required back from injury, however even he is not an explosive type who is likely to win you a game off his own bat.
Whether it’s through bad luck or bad management, I don’t believe whoever put this list together has done the greatest job.
5. Khan another overseas import to fire
When I was scanning through the list of BBL imports this year, at first glance I was underwhelmed.
However it’s quite clear most franchises have done their homework. Bowlers win you championships, and spinners with proven track record are like gold dust.
Nineteen-year-old Rashid Khan is a typical modern T20 leg spinner for the sub-continent in that they bowl fast and flat and can spin the ball both ways. This makes them a nightmare to face, as they are difficult to read and hard to get underneath as they skid the ball through at the stumps.
Khan has an outstanding T20 record going for under 6 runs per over through 79 games, so I expect him to continue to have a big impact for the Strikers this year.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Josh Brown's record-breaking century has powered Brisbane Heat to a 54-run defeat of Adelaide Strikers and into the Big Bash League decider. The Heat…
Adelaide Strikers have spun past Perth Scorchers in an upset Big Bash League victory to move within one victory of the tournaments decider. Chasing…
Adelaide can still play BBL finals after comfortably beating Hobart by five wickets at the Adelaide Oval. The Strikers were set 166 for victory…
Cameron Bancroft feels he is a better player than when he last played for Australia as he ramps up his case for a full-time…
The Adelaide Strikers are celebrating a heart-stopping three run win over the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL final. Adelaide Strikers spinner Amanda-Jane Wellington's heart…
Long having been billed as the next big thing in Victorian cricket, Matt Short is now showing why he was so highly regarded, with…
