An Alex Carey special, followed by a clinical bowling performance led by Wes Agar and Peter Siddle hands Adelaide Strikers a thumping 82-run over Brisbane Heat in Match 46 of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21 at the Adelaide Oval. With this win, the Strikers move to fourth in the table with 24 points from 12 games, while Brisbane remain in the seventh position with 21 points from 12 games. Only Sydney Sixers have assured themselves of a place in the next round, as the fight for the remaining spots heats up.

Carey-Weatherald set it up

Carey and Jake Weatheald are among the most successful partnerships in BBL history, having put on 1,070 runs together at an average of 38.2 in 28 innings. With Travis Head back to lead the side and Phil Salt tasked with batting in the middle-order, Carey was given all the freedom to open the innings along with Weatherald. The duo put on 43 in the powerplay and overall, added 66 for the first wicket. 

Weatherald, who had scored 48 runs in his last three innings was dominant in the first six overs in which he took on Jack Wildermuth, Mitchell Swepspn and Marnus Labuschange with utmost ease but was finally dismissed by the latter for an 18-ball 36. While he looked to play one shot too many, he had done the damage and set the platform for this team.

Carey takes over

Carey was happy to play second fiddle to Weatherald, but once he was dismissed, he put on a 47-run stand with Head for the second wicket. As a result, the Strikers reached their 100 in the 10th over, which would eventually fetch them the bash boost point as well. Carey brought up his fifty off just 38 deliveries and he was going to be key for Strikers, if they were to reach 200. 

Once Head was dismissed for 25, Carey found an excellent partner in Philip Salt. They took the power surge when both of them were looking in good touch but they managed to squeeze out just 17 runs from them. The duo put on 61 off 34 deliveries for the third wicket before Xavier Bartlett had Salt caught at long-on for 17-ball 26. By the time Ryan Gibson was out first ball, Carey was just four runs away from his second BBL century, which he promptly brought up in the first ball off the final over.

Wagon Wheel - Alex Carey 

Carey's second fifty came off just 22 deliveries and Strikers just fell three runs short of 200 in the end. Carey anchored the innings extremely well throughout and also ensured that he scored boundaries at regular intervals. Had he not batted through, it could have been a different story altogether.

A lot to ponder for Heat

After three straight losses, it looked like Brisbane Heat started to get their act together after winning four out of their next five matches. But, since then, they have tasted a victory just once in four matches, which has once again put their campaign back in balance. Incidentally, they could muster only 115 even in the previous game against Perth Scorchers – a game they lost by 59 runs. The margin of defeat was even bigger on this occasion, which is a clear indication that their batsmen really have to step up. They haven’t gone past 150 in their last three completed innings, which is a cause for concern.

Heat will have a chance to get their campaign back on track when they take on bottom-placed Melbourne Renegades on Saturday (January 23). Adelaide Strikers, on the other hand, play Sydney Thunder twice in two days with the first of those matches on Sunday (January 24).

Brief Scores:

Adelaide Strikers 197 for 5 in 20 overs (Alex Carey 101, Jake Weatherald 36; Marnus Labuschagne 2 for 20) beat Brisbane Heat 115 in 17.3 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 28, Max Bryant 25; Wes Agar 4 for 27)

Player of the match: Alex Carey