The Adelaide Strikers have put on a magic show at Blundstone Arena on Saturday night, destroying the Hobart Hurricanes by 38 runs.
A brilliant half century from Michael “Maxy” Klinger, a devastating spin bowling spell from Cameron “Rolls” Boyce and a miracle one-handed catch in the outfield from Kane “Richo” Richardson capped off a dominant performance by the Strikers which has boosted them into third position on the BBL|02 ladder.
Winning the toss and batting first in a must-win game, the Strikers set the Hurricanes 163 for victory.
Reaching speeds up to 153km/hour, Shaun Tait claimed the first wicket of the game, removing opener, Aiden Blizzard without scoring.
The introduction of Boyce into the attack paid off immediately as Ponting skied a ball straight to Callum “Ferg” Ferguson and the young leg spinner soon had Tim Paine (33) and Travis Birt (1) following him into the dressing room.
Boyce’s man of the match performance, after claiming 3/17 from three overs, would not have been possible without the brilliance of Richardson.
Richo’s catch all but ended the Hurricanes’ run chase as he went on to clean bowl Owais Shah (9) and Evan Gulbis (2), finishing with 2/26 from his four overs.
Choosing to bat first paid off for the Strikers as opener Maxy belted eight fours on his way to an unbeaten 71 and his third 50 of the competition.
Maxy was well supported by the middle order, Ferg (32) and Nathan “Reardo” Reardon (29) both playing their part in partnerships that led to the Strikers’ posting a more than competitive total.
The Strikers now return home to Adelaide in preparation for their final game against Perth Scorchers on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval, a game they must win to secure a semi-final berth. A win over the Scorchers will also see the return of international recruit, Saeed Ajmal, as a replacement for Kieron Pollard who returns home to continue his T20 tour of duty.
Check out Boycey's post match interview here.