Adelaide tightened their grip on a KFC BBL finals position with a big win with Henry Thornton's four wickets and Jon Well's middle-order runs key
Match Report:
ScorecardThornton, Wells help Strikers romp past Stars
The resurgent Adelaide Strikers are looming as a KFC BBL finals darkhorse after leaping to fourth place on the points table with a comfortable 23-run win over the Melbourne Stars at Adelaide Oval.
After posting 5-155, the Strikers banked their third successive victory when their attack, spearheaded by Henry Thornton (4-26), restricted the Stars to 8-132 on Saturday.
Only a late assault from Hilton Cartwright (49) prevented a landslide defeat for the Stars, who got off to a flier before being strangled in the middle overs.
Glenn Maxwell (16) signalled his intentions early, slog-sweeping Matt Short for six off the first delivery he faced.
Allllrighty Maxi is here!
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 15, 2022
Second ball of the chase, SIX 🔥 #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/YxkU66WH6S
The Stars skipper should have been on his bike reverse-sweeping later that over when Fawad Ahmed grassed a regulation catch at backward point.
The damage wasn't too serious though and the Strikers were relieved when Maxwell's cameo ended via a 147kph thunderbolt from Thornton, triggering a 4-16 collapse.
Fawad redeemed himself when he was introduced in the Powerplay and enticed Marcus Stoinis (1) to edge one to Short at first slip.
Fuzzy! 💙 Stoinis has to go and everything is coming up blue at Adelaide Oval!
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 15, 2022
LIVE: https://t.co/UAv0tLckyV #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/CTqEezTVm1
Thornton then picked up his second scalp when Harry Nielsen snaffled a one-handed, diving catch to dismiss Beau Webster (8) and have the Stars reeling at 4-37, leaving too much ground for Cartwright and Joe Burns (25) to recover.
Cartwright thumped Fawad for 24 in the 17th over – including three sixes – to give his side a faint sniff.
Holy smokes one of the shots of #BBL11 from Hilton Cartwright! 💥😱 pic.twitter.com/wVdOe2GKiQ
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 15, 2022
But the power-hitting counterattack came too late and the Stars' slender hopes ended when Cartwright was caught by Short in the deep off the impressive Thornton.
Earlier, Jonathan Wells stroked a career-best 73 to move to second place behind Ben McDermott on the competition's run-scoring leaderboard.
Short thumped a brisk 33 at the top but the home side's batters were largely reigned in before Wells went big late.
Wells dominated a 61-run fourth-wicket stand with the scratchy Jake Weatherald and crunched 40 of the Strikers' 50 runs from the last five overs to steal momentum back from the Stars.