The Hurricanes engendered a batting collapse before prevailing by 7 wickets. In Adelaide, a rain delay added an extra dimension to a fascinating encounter.

Strikers’ batters Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey were in great form before Liam Livingstone’s seven sixes, and five fours threatened to take the game away.

 

Adelaide Strikers beat Perth Scorchers by 15 runs (DLS)

Rain and an assault from Liam Livingstone could not deny the Strikers in their first home game of the season. Jake Weathereld and Alex Carey scored quick half-centuries to propel the Strikers to a large total. Phil Salt’s poor start to the BBL continued before Matthew Short and Weathereld’s rain-interrupted partnership added 86.

The fall of Short brought Alex Carey to the crease. In the next five overs, the Strikers added 71 runs before Weathereld was run out for 83. His 47-ball innings consisted of three sixes and ten fours.

Carey continued the onslaught before perishing in the last over for a 24-ball 55. The Strikers posted 4/198 from their 18 overs leaving the Scorchers chasing over 11 runs per over for victory.

If the Scorchers were feeling pressured over the run chase, they didn’t show it. Josh Inglis and Liam Livingstone set off like they were going to chase it down themselves. Livingstone was particularly belligerent with his half-century coming up off 21 balls.

Rashid Khan, having dropped Livingstone at long on, was brought on to quell the runs. His first three balls to Livingstone were deposited for legside sixes.

However, the fourth attempt found Salt at deep midwicket, and the partnership of 124 was broken. Khan’s next ball, to Inglis, got through the sweep and the Strikers had two in two balls.

When Ashton Turner nicked a ball in Khan’s next over to Carey, the game’s momentum had changed irreparably.

Cameron Bancroft, Ashton Agar (falling to his brother, Wes), Cameron Green and Chris Jordan all tried, but the Strikers would not be denied.

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Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Renegades by 7 wickets

A horrendous batting collapse, eight wickets for 38 runs, helped the Hurricanes to victory over the Melbourne Renegades.

The BBL08 champions have not looked anywhere near the team that won last year. James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith all took three wickets each as the Hurricanes run through the Renegades batting line up.

Only Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh put up resistance. Finch achieved his half-century but got out straight after and this was the catalyst for the collapse.

Meredith took two wickets in an over while Ellis took two in two balls as the Renegades capitulated. They were finally dismissed for 147 in 19.1 overs to leave the Hurricanes to chase a very gettable total at Blundstone Arena.

D’Arcy Short scored the first 25 runs of the response before opening partner Simon Milenko fell to the off-spin of Tom Cooper for a six-ball duck.  Cooper made it two wickets in two balls when new batter Caleb Jewell tried to cut his first ball and nicked it to wicketkeeper Sam Harper.

At 2/25, the Renegades would have felt back in the game. However, it was a false dawn as Short, and captain Ben McDermott calmly controlled the innings. 

Short was beaten in the flight by Cameron Boyce and was trapped in front for 60 but this proved to be a blip. McDermott and David Miller, a centurion at Blundstone on international duty last year for South Africa, saw the Hurricanes home by seven wickets.

The victory saw Hobart moved up to third place in the standings while the Renegades are anchored to the bottom.