1. Alex Ross is severely underpriced
SWEEPOLOGIST: Alex Ross swept his way to a brilliant half-century last night.
He started BBL|05 valued at a bargain-basement $31,000, but Alex Ross’s BBL Fantasy price is sure to skyrocket after his blistering 65-off-31 knock last night.
The 23 year-old middle-order specialist has been threatening a breakout tournament all year as well – two match-winning knocks of 94* and 88* in the Matador Cup and an unbeaten 92 against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield the warning signs – but the 23 year-old has still managed to escape the spotlight until now.
However the man dubbed the ‘sweepologist’ for his trademark treatment of spinners is sure to start getting some more special attention from the opposition after guiding the Strikers to another big win last night
2. Ben Laughlin is a BBL pioneer
It was lost amidst the pandemonium last night of a close finish, but Ben Laughlin’s 2/38 was more than just another good day at the office.
It marked the all-time BBL leading wicket-taker’s fiftieth Big Bash scalp, making him the first bowler in history to achieve the milestone.
The renowned ‘death bowler’ also showed he’s as valuable to the Strikers as ever, picking up the key wickets of Stoinis and Kevin Pietersen to put pressure on the Stars middle-order.
3. WBBL star Sarah Coyte has psychic powers
WBBL Strikers star all-rounder Sarah Coyte was feeling for fellow Strikers bowler Kane Richardson last night after three dropped catches off his bowling denied the big quick of some early wickets.
She took to Twitter to express her frustration, even suggesting that either Luke Wright and Marcus Stoinis might step on their wicket to compensate for their lucky breaks.
How unlucky is @KRichardson63 right now! Hoping Wright or Stoinis just fall on their stumps. #helpusout #StrikersvStars
%E2%80%94 Sarah Jane Coyte (@sarahjanecoyte) December 18, 2015
Moments later, lo and behold…
4. The Strikers undoubtedly have the best fans in the league
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It’s already widely known that the Strikers get better support than any other team in the league, but last night’s attendance of 27, 611 proved the strikeforce is still as passionate about their Big Bash team as ever in BBL|05.
Braving scorching temperatures of up to 43 degrees, the Adelaide faithful produced another incredible turnout in the middle of a record-breaking South Australian heatwave to get their team over the line.
We know you guys know, but we’ll say it anyway. You’re the best.
5. We’ve got some work to do on our fielding
We walked away with a big win against the Stars, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement – namely in our fielding.
Five dropped catches and a missed stumping opportunity nearly cost the Strikers their dream start to BBL|05 after Stoinis and Wright began to ratchet up the run rate early.
We’ll shake it off as first-game rust, but we won’t be able to afford another one of those nights in the outfield in a tournament this competitive.