'Dodgy prawn' can't keep Christian down

For all the bowling variations and funky fields that might have been employed to stop a rampant Dan Christian, the Adelaide Strikers failed to employ the one item known to stop him in his tracks – the "dodgy prawn".

Christian, who landed three huge blows in tonight's penultimate over that netted him 16 runs and his Melbourne Renegades a stirring win over the defending KFC Big Bash League champions, was no certainty to take his place at Adelaide Oval earlier in the day.

Having dined at one of his favourite restaurants on Saturday evening, the former Adelaide resident went to bed feeling a little off colour, and awoke around 4am violently ill.

As deprived of sleep as he was of fluids come dawn, Christian reported to a nearby hospital where he was administered an anti-nausea injection and pumped full of saline solution to ensure he made it on to the park for the Renegades' crucial fixture against last year's winners.

A few hours' extra sleep in the hours pre-game meant the 35-year-old allrounder – who has developed a deserved reputation as a trophy winner, so successful has he proved in T20 competitions worldwide – was ready, if not quite raring for action.

His recovery was tested by the gruelling workload he underwent in the field as the Strikers overcame their own sluggish start to reach 5-174 from 20 overs, of which Christian sent down only one.

Only twice in T20 matches at Adelaide Oval has a team batting second successfully chased down a target of 174 or more, and it seemed likely that would remain the case when the Renegades lost three wickets in the space of seven balls – two of them to irrepressible Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan – to slide to 4-73.

However, Christian allied with another Afghanistan international, big-hitting batter Mohammad Nabi, to prevent the daunting run-rate ballooning beyond control.

And then, having hauled himself from a mattress just hours earlier, Christian put the game to bed with a stunning onslaught in the 19th over bowled by Australia T20 quick, Billy Stanlake.

A towering strike over square leg from the second ball landed among the well-heeled members seated in the second tier of the Sir Donald Bradman Stand, and three balls later Christian drop-kicked Stanlake over extra-cover for another six.

A final indignity came from Stanlake's last delivery, which the former Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes thrasher flicked imperiously through mid-wicket for four.

It meant the Renegades required a solitary boundary from the final over to secure their second win from as many starts in BBL08, which Nabi duly notched from the next ball.

"We set ourselves for that (Stanlake) over just because the boundary (to the western side) was so short, I think it was only 55 metres or something like that," Christian said in the wake of the Renegades' five-wicket win.

"So we really targeted that one, and lucky we got away with a few.

"Rashid Khan's a genius, so we just had to get through him and not lose any wickets against him … so it was pretty important for me and Nabi to get through him, and then to cash-in at the end.

"Anything under 12 (runs per over required), we think that you only need one boundary an over and then to run really well (between wickets), and you'll generally get a big over anyway.

"We were lucky enough it was Billy Stanlake's one, the 19th.

"Once it gets up to around 15 or 16 (an over) you start to panic a bit, but anything under 12 we were pretty confident we could get them provided we were both still in at the end."

Christian admitted that Renegades skipper Tom Cooper's decision to bowl first – largely based on the difficulty he foresaw in defending a total with such as short, square boundary in play – was a benefit, as it meant he could bat in the cool of evening.

Though he claimed the worst of the gastro-type, food poisoning bout had passed by the time the match began at 6.45pm Adelaide time.

"I was a bit crook this morning … just a dodgy prawn, I think," Christian said. "So I just went in for a bit of hydration and a jab to stop myself from feeling sick.

"I slept all afternoon, so I was fine by the time the game started. Lucky it wasn't an afternoon game. It was a pleasant time to bat this evening.

"I was a bit tired after the bowling innings – I was running from long-on to long-on there at one stage, so I was blowing a bit.

"But once you get out there the adrenaline kicks in, and you concentrate on the game I suppose."

The undefeated Renegades next meet Sydney Sixers at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on December 29, while the Strikers look to bounce back against Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium on Boxing Day.