Adelaide: Chris Lynn knocked his third straight half-century of the season as Strikers defeat Melbourne Renegades by 20 runs at their home ground, Adelaide Oval.
The Gades won the toss and decided to field first. Matt Short opened the innings alongside Ryan Gibson. Short, who played an exceptional role in the record chase against the Hurricanes smashed a couple of boundaries early in the game to open the innings on a high note.
English Leg-spinner and all-rounder Matt Critchley had a forgettable debut at Adelaide as he gave 19 runs away in his first over. Nevertheless, Ruwantha Kellapotha dismissed both players in succession to give the Gades momentary control. At 10 overs, Adelaide Strikers neared 76-2.
Adam Hose and Chris Lynn put a hold on quickfire and settled on making momentum to build on. Two overs later, the duo thrashed Moody for 23 overs and taking the total past 100. Adam Hose managed 33 runs before he was caught by Finch off a Sutherland delivery. Colin de Grandhomme whacked the wind out of Richardson by tonking three consecutive sixes and an expensive over of 26 runs. In the 18th over, Lynn pulled up his half-century.
Chris Lynn finished off his innings by cementing a bad day for Kane Richardson. In the penultimate over, Lynn smashed three fours to make his mark at 69*. The brutal power as Haddin put it also enabled the ex-champions to manage a score of 200.
The Gades chasing down a 200+ target had a sloppy beginning. Marcus Harris and Martin Guptill failed to deliver an opening as the Gades fell 2-44. If Chris Lynn created his third consecutive half-century, Aaron Finch made his third consecutive single-digit score. Aaron Finch departed with 2 runs on board as Manetti caught him leg before the wicket.
Sam Harper played a quality inning by picking up yet another fifty this season. He gave the Gades a glimmer of victory. He knocked 63 off 36 balls before he was caught at deep mid-wicket. Will Sutherland and Critchley made a partnership in the end overs as the score came down. The Gades required 55 off 18 balls which Sutherland reduced by hitting some boundaries. Matt Critchley who was disappointed in bowling cracked 33 runs off 19. However, Wes Agar sealed the final nail in the coffin when he took down Sutherland in the 19th over, Kellapotha and Critchley tried in vain to reach the target.
As the Strikers celebrated the victory, The Gades plummeted in the rankings. They moved to fifth as the Strikers climbed up to third. Kane Richardson’s 62 costs the Gades the victory – The Striker batters tortured the bowler. Surprsingly, The pacer had more runs than 9 players in his squad.
With four matches remaining, Renegades need to play aggressively or else say goodbye to the trophy. A maximum of eight points is up for grabs for Gades to make sure they are in the final five. However, all the teams will be aiming for a higher finish to avoid a lengthy play-off. The Gades play the Melbourne Derby on Saturday. The rest three fixtures aren’t very exciting to look forward to, all being higher-placed teams. Thunder, Scorchers, and Strikers again.
Strikers on the other hand have five more matches. They play bottom Stars and Heat before playing toppers Sixers and four-time champs Scorchers. Their last fixture is at Melbourne where the Gades wait for redemption.
Thank you for reading it. Leave us a comment if you liked it.
Do follow us on: Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | LinkedIn
Have a good day ahead 🙂
