The Adelaide Strikers seemed to have this match by the scruff of the neck until Dan Christian walked into the middle in the 12th over. Christian helped himself to the second-fastest fifty in the Big Bash League (BBL), reaching the milestone in just 15 balls. Thanks to him, the Sixers, who were struggling at 61 for 3 after 12 overs, ended up scoring 116 runs from the final eight overs to set up a competitive total of 177 for 5.

Christian was well supported by skipper Daniel Hughes (46*), with whom he put on 58 off just 21 deliveries, which completely tilted the match in the defending champions’ favour.

Worrall starts off well

It was however the Strikers who made the ball talk initially with Daniel Worrall getting a lot of nip off the track, making it difficult for the batsmen to put bat on ball. He bowled all his overs at a stretch, which included as many as 18 dot balls and also accounted for the openers’ wickets in his spell of 2 for 12. The Sixers managed just 19 runs in the first Powerplay as a result and were very much in control of the match for more than half of the first innings.

Worrall’s impeccable length was the key today, and the fact that he got some assistance from the pitch, made him near-unplayable.

Daniel Worrell - Pitch Map

Christian takes it away

Christian’s promotion to No.5 in the batting order paid rich dividends. His innings included four fours and five sixes, finishing with a strike-rate of 312.50. His innings gave his side much-needed momentum and from there the Sixers went on to set up a big enough total. It seemed like batting was a little easier as the innings progressed and Christian, along with Hughes, made full use of the conditions. The Strikers did not have any answers to such a brutal assault and ended up conceding 20 runs or so too many. Thanks to Christian’s assault, the Strikers conceded 125 runs from the final 10 overs, which is the most they have given away in the BBL.

The Sixers also made the best use of the Power Surge overs in which they scored 34 runs, which is exactly what they needed, considering there were just four more overs after this.

Daniel Christian - Wagon Wheel

Strikers off to a flyer

Philip Salt and Jake Weatherald got the Strikers off to a flying start, which was quite contrasting to how their opponents had begun earlier in the match. They scored 47 runs from the first four overs and it looked like it would be an easy chase. It was Christian who drew first blood, getting rid of Salt for 28 off 16, adding to his excellent day and from there on, the team from Adelaide kept losing wickets at regular intervals which sealed their fate. 

Having off-spinners bowl to left-handers and left-arm orthodox bowlers bowling to right-handers worked perfectly as Ben Manenti and Steve O’ Keefe picked up four wickets between them and gave away just 31 runs in six overs. 

Barring Jonathan Wells (36*), nobody in the middle-order got going and as a result, the Strikers fell well short of their target. The positive for the Strikers, however, was that they secured the Big Bash point.

With this win, Sydney Sixers have eight points and are currently in third place, while the Strikers are one place below at fourth.

Adelaide next play Brisbane Heat at The Gabba on December 23, while the Sydney Sixers will have a longer break as they play the Melbourne Stars on Boxing Day at the Carrara Oval, Queensland.

Brief scores:

Sydney Sixers 177 for 5 in 20 overs (Dan Christian 50, Daniel Worrall 2 for 12) beat Adelaide Strikers 139 for 7 in 20 overs (Jonathan Wells 36*; Steve O’ Keefe 2 for 8) by 38 runs

Player of the Match: Dan Christian