The Adelaide Strikers are off to a “brutal” start in their clash with the Scorchers as they conceded Perth’s second-best powerplay score in BBL history.
England duo Luke Wood (0-27 in two overs) and Jamie Overton (0-18 in one over) were sent to the rope repeatedly by Perth stars Mitch Marsh and Finn Allen.
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MATCH CENTRE: Strikers vs Scorchers teams, scorecard, videos, updates
But when skipper Matt Short turned to spin, Hassan Ali copped the same treatment (0-22 in his first over) as Perth piled on a whopping 0-69 off their first four overs.
“This is brutal,” Adam Gilchrist said.
“This is looking really ugly for the Adelaide Strikers,” Mike Hussey added.
“They’ve bowled nothing like they should have been bowling
“This is poor bowling – a poor start for the Adelaide Strikers.”
With Perth’s predicted score at a whopping 345, England great Michael Vaughan couldn’t help but joke: “The Scorchers might get the chance to declare here tonight”.
Only Lloyd Pope’s introduction in the fifth over brought the Strikers back into the contest as he snared the wickets of Allen (38 off 16) and Cooper Connolly for a golden duck.
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FINALS BATTLE BEGINS
Test stars return as Matt Short and the Adelaide Strikers host Ashton Turner and the Perth Scorchers in a blockbuster clash at Adelaide Oval.
The Strikers are set to welcome back Australian Test star Alex Carey, while the Scorchers will be boosted by the return of Josh Inglis and Jhye Richardson.
The sixth placed Strikers are coming off a big loss to the Hobart Hurricanes, while the third placed Scorchers lost to the Renegades in their last start.
Alex Ross drops out for the Strikers, while the Scorchers have lost Joel Paris to injury in a blow for the Perth franchise.
Carey, Short and Chris Lynn will be the danger men with the bat for the Strikers, while Hassan Ali and Lloyd Pope will lead the charge with ball in hand.
For the Scorchers, Inglis will strengthen a batting line-up, that includes Mitch Marsh and Aaron Hardie as well as Turner, while Richardson and Cooper Connolly have been amongst the wickets this season.
It sets the scene for a tantalising clash with the Hurricanes looking to lock up top spot, while the Sixers need to win to cement their finals push.
SQUADS
Adelaide Strikers: Hassan Ali, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Mackenzie Harvey, Chris Lynn, Harry Manenti, Jamie Overton, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short (c), Henry Thornton, Luke Wood
Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Laurie Evans, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Luke Holt, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, David Payne, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner (c)
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