Sydney Sixers defeat Adelaide Strikers by 7 wickets, Rashid Khan's 3-18 goes in vain
Sydney Sixers got the better of Adelaide Strikers for the second time in the ongoing BBL season as the Sydney-based side emerged victorious by 7 wickets. The Sixers chased down Adelaide's total of 150 with two overs to spare.
The bowlers set up this win for the Sixers as they contained the Strikers' batsmen to 150-4. Eventually, even Rashid Khan's heroics couldn't save the Strikers from defeat.
Brief BBL score: Adelaide Strikers 150-4 (Wells 66, Dwarshuis 1-19). Sydney Sixers 151-3 in 18 overs (Vince 45, Khan 3-18). Sydney Sixers win by seven wickets.
Josh Philippe and James Vince set up Sixers' 5th BBL win of the season
Chasing 151 for the win in the 26th BBL game of the season, the Sydney Sixers got off to a flyer as Josh Phillipe struck a few early boundaries. The Sixers raced to 47-0 in four overs.
Alex Carey was forced to bring in Rashid Khan early into the attack, and the latter dismissed Jack Edwards for 14 in his first over. The leg spinner also got the better of Philippe in his second over by bowling him through the gate.
The Strikers were able to stifle the Sixers' innings for a while, but they didn't have enough wicket-taking options outside of Rashid Khan. The Sydney-based outfit reached 76-2 in ten overs.
It was Khan again who gave some hope to his side as he dismissed Daniel Hughes. However, James Vince and Jordan Silk batted sensibly and saw out Rashid Khan's spell. They then attacked the other bowlers and took their side home with two overs to spare.
Dwarshuis, Manenti & Christian contain the Strikers
Put in to bat first; the Adelaide Strikers were off to a poor start as they lost both their openers inside the first two overs. Ben Dwarshuis continued with his wicket-taking form in the BBL 2020 as he dismissed Phil Salt in the first over. Off-spinner Benjamin Manenti then got the better of Matt Renshaw in the second over.
Captain Alex Carey and Jonathan Wells formed a crucial partnership, but many might feel they were too cautious in their approach. They took the score to 69-2 in 12 overs. Carey then departed for a run-a-ball 31. The Strikers took the BBL Power Surge early, but they could only manage seven runs, and lost their captain Carey.
The real fireworks only began in the last three overs as the Strikers accumulated 43 runs, including 22 off the final over. Jonathan Wells (66) and Jake Weatherald (34*) punished some mediocre bowling from Jake Ball who bowled the 20th.
Even after the late surge, the Strikers only managed to put up 150 runs on the board. It was a strange batting performance from the Adelaide-based outfit as they had six wickets in hand after their 20 overs.
See the updated Big Bash stats 2020-21 here.
As it turned out, the Sixers chased the total with ease, and the Strikers fell to their fourth loss of this BBL season.