1. Rossy is seeing it like a beach ball
It was an important 38 runs that all but saw us home last night, but it was more the way in which Rossy made them that should send a shiver up the spine of opposition bowlers from around the country.
Against one of the best bowling attacks in the competition, Ross was middling everything. Cuts and pull shots flew to the boundary like tracer bullets, and the trademark sweep shot saw him through the dangerous Brad Hogg’s spell with minimal fuss.
A 360 degree player with timing as good as anyone going around, it seems the Strikers have found themselves the perfect middle-order batsman in the ‘sweepologist’ – aggressive, innovative and clutch down the stretch.
2.Wise heads prevail in low run chases
When fans think of the Big Bash, they think of big sixes and cartwheeling stumps. But when chasing a modest total of 151, the Strikers got exactly what they needed from experienced combo Brad Hodge and Mahela Jayawardena.
The duo’s partnership of 23 saw the Strikers through the most difficult period of the match with a series of cunning singles and perfect field placement – their innings resembling a Test match in fast forward than a Big Bash match, with classic cricketing strokes replacing the more agricultural slogs fans have become accustomed to.
It won’t end up in many highlight reels, but cricket purists will be pleased to see there’s still a place in the game for a solid back-foot drive amidst the glitz and glamour of the BBL.
3. Rashid is a very good pick up for the Strikers
He arrived with high praise from his Yorkshire and Strikers coach Dizzy Gillespie, but Strikers international signing Adil has taken little time to back that up in front of his teammates and the Strikers faithful.
The 27 year-old leggie impressed in his opening match with figures of 2/27, and followed up with a man-of-the-match performance last night after claiming the important wickets of countryman Michael Carberry and Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. Even more impressive was his ability to only concede 21 runs from his four-over spell to stifle the Scorchers innings right as the men in orange were looking at making a move.
With the importance of spin only rising in the shortest form of the game, a quality tweaker that can also wield the bat is exactly what the Strikers’ recruitment staff were looking for over the off-season this year. It looks like they found one.
4. Head provides plenty of X-factor
BREAKTHROUGH: Travis Head gets Klinger to sky one to Neser off his first ball
Travis Head is as explosive as anyone with the bat on his day, but his knack for taking wickets at just the right time could also prove a valuable option for skipper Brad Hodge over the course of the tournament.
The 21 year-old West End Redbacks captain took exactly one delivery to make an impact with his off-spin last night, removing the dangerous Michael Klinger to break the Scorchers’ opening stand of 41 runs for no loss and slow the run rate.
More than a handy part-time bowler, don’t be surprised to see Hodge throw the ball to his young apprentice more regularly as the tournament progresses, particularly when faced with a partnership that needs breaking.
5.Ben Laughlin is a demon at the death
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - Ben Laughlin is the ultimate death bowler.
The 33-year old paceman was again lauded by the Channel 10 commentary team last night for the incredible variation in his bowling repertoire and deceptiveness of his deliveries as he picked up another two wickets for just 26 runs to take his Big Bash career tally to 52.
More importantly, he only conceded a mere four runs in the penultimate over of the match to keep the Scorcher's total to the 150-mark.
Like a nice bottle of Shiraz, this bloke just keeps getting better with age. Keep an eye on him for the Strikers' MVP award come the end of the season.