Adelaide Strikers are now just one win away from a place in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020 final after defeating Sydney Thunders by six runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Batting first, Strikers put on a formidable total of 184/6 on the back of a 38-ball 65 from English wicketkeeper=batter Ian Cockbain. In reply, Thunders could manage 178/6 in their 20 overs.
Strikers got off to a good start with openers Alex Carey and Matt Short sharing a 41-run partnership in just 4.3 overs. Carey scored 23 of 14 balls and was the first to go when he was caught by Daniel Sams off Tanveer Sangha's bowling. Cockbain joined Short and the duo stitched together a fine 50-run partnership for the second wicket. Short was struck in front by Jason Sangha and was dismissed for a well-made 39 of 28 balls. Jonathan Wells, Matt Renshaw and Thomas Kelly chipped in with 18, 15 and 16 respectively to help Strikers reach 184/6. Cockbain hit six fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock.
For Thunder, Tanveer Sangha was the pick of the bowlers as he conceded just 15 runs and took wickets in his four overs. Gurinder Sandhu too picked up two wickets along whereas Jason and Nathan McAndrew chipped in with a wicket each.
In reply, Sydney lost Alex Hales early for just nine runs and Usman Khawaja too followed his opening partner shorty after getting himself to a start. Jason and Alex Ross added 90 runs for the third wicket. Sangha's 61 of 43 balls and Ross' 39-ball 56 setup the chase beautifully. However, Peter Siddle struck twice to get rid of Sangha and Daniel Sams in the 17th over. With nine runs required of the last three balls, Ross succumbed when Henry Thornton held onto a stunning outfield catch despite colliding with Alex Carey. Harry Conway struck twice in the last over to seal the final spot for Strikers.
Conway was pick of the bowlers with two wickets for 33 runs in his four overs. Slightly on the expensive side, captain Peter Siddle picked two wickets too but conceded 41 in his quota of four overs. Short and Thornton contributed with a wicket each.
Adelaide Strikers stretch their unbeaten streak to six games with a six-run win over Sydney thunder and now are just one win away from a place the BBL finals. Cockbain has been a huge boost for their batting side despite not being part of their initial list in the tournament. The 34-year-old has scored 191 runs from five innings in his BBL debut series including two half-centuries
