Thunder grasp late win to send Strikers packing

The match in a tweet: A chance of Thunder? Men from the west win a final-over thriller as they upset a higher-placed home team for second time in three days to edge closer to an all-Sydney #BBL09 decider

The score: Sydney Thunder 7-151 (Hales 59, Morris 21; Siddle 2-21) defeated the Adelaide Strikers 9-143 (Wells 34 Carey 32; Sams 3-26) by eight runs

The hero

The fifth-placed Thunder knocked off a more-fancied opponent in a do-or-die final once again, with BKT Golden Cap wearer Daniel Sams setting up the tensest of victories when he took two wickets in the penultimate over of the game and conceded just five runs.

Chris Morris then removed the Strikers' final hope when the valiant Jono Wells, needing 13 off the final six balls of the innings with only tail-enders for company, edged the South African’s first delivery behind.

Chasing 152 to win, the hosts lost 3-2 in a dramatic late collapse before Chris Tremain bowled four off-side wides and conceded 16 off the third-to-last over to keep Adelaide in the game.

The Strikers had stuttered every time their run chase looked in the bag, but Sams' clutch death over took his figures to 3-26 from his four overs and saw his tournament wicket tally swell to 30 from 16 games.

Aside from a late mishap in the field when 10 runs were required off three balls - Sams failed to attempt a high catch running from mid-wicket - it was a nerveless death performance from the Thunder's standout player of BBL|09.

The Strikers will rue throwing away what should have been a straightforward run-chase, having been 3-115 with five overs remaining, Alex Carey and Wells at the crease and the required run-rate at just over seven per over.

But Carey's inexplicable decision to hit one straight to cover and run proved decisive, with his run out sparking a collapse of 6-28 from the final 31 balls of the innings.

The giant slayer

Jono Cook, fresh off career-best figures of 4-21 against the Hurricanes on Thursday having bagged the big scalps of D'Arcy Short and Matthew Wade, continued his superb run against some of the tournament's biggest names.

Travis Head had raced to 32 off just 23 balls before he chopped on off Cook, who then removed dangerman Rashid Khan for a second-ball duck to finish with superb figures of 2-16 from his four overs.

The support cast

Alex Hales posted his fifth half-century in eight innings to fire the Thunder to what turned out to be a match-winning total.

It was a typically power-packed knock from the broad-shouldered Englishman, who struck four sixes to the short square boundaries but also had to pick his moments as the Thunder lost Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson in the Power Play.

He took a particular shining to paceman Wes Agar, who did manage to leave the Thunder opener doubled over in pain after blows to the upper thigh and midriff as well as having an edge just drop just short of keeper Carey.

Hales, remarkably, faced 15 of Agar's first 18 legal deliveries (plus three wides) and blasted 40 runs off them to race to a 30-ball half-century.

It sees him move to 568 runs at 40.57 for the tournament, 44 runs short of leading run scorer Marcus Stoinis, and the Thunder will have been delighted with his maiden season in lime green.

The fightback

Agar had major struggles with his radar in the face of the Hales storm, but captain Travis Head would have been delighted with the character the quick showed with a nerveless penultimate over of the innings.

Having been sent to all parts by Hales as he conceded 41 runs from his first three overs, he went for just two runs in his final over and added the vital scalp of big-hitter Morris.

It was a show of faith from Head to bowl him at the death and he was duly rewarded.

The consolation act

Peter Siddle seems to have only gotten better in the T20 game since announcing his Test retirement this summer and the veteran again was the main man in a disciplined Strikers bowling effort.

Siddle hardly missed his mark with the ball, though he had couple of slices of luck that ensured the Thunder were not able to post a more imposing total.

Conceding just six from his two Power Play overs, SIddle also picked up the scalps of captain Ferguson up front thanks to a dicey lbw decision – replays showed the ball was passing over the top of the stumps - as well as Sams at the death.

But Siddle's biggest bit of fortune was affecting the greatest misfortune that exists in cricket to Arjun Nair, who was run out while backing up. Chris Morris blasted one back along the ground towards Siddle, who freakishly had the ball touch the bottom of his boot before it smashed into the non-striker's end stumps.

Siddle finished with 2-21, continuing an outstanding tournament that sees him sit third on the wicket-taking charts (equal with teammate Rashid Khan) and boasting the superb economy rate of 7.18.

The next stop

The Thunder's victory is their second in three days against a higher-ranked team, and they'll need to repeat the dose when they face the top-placed Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Thursday night.

Should they prevail, it will set up a mouth-watering all-Sydney decider against the Sixers at the SCG next Saturday.

It's a disappointing finish to the season for the Strikers, who will rue the fact they lost their final regular-season game of the season to miss out on second spot and a second chance.

Strikers XI: Philip Salt, Jake Weatherald, Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (wk), Jonathan Wells, Matt Short, Michael Neser, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Wes Agar, Billy Stanlake

Thunder XI: Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (c), Alex Ross, Arjun Nair, Chris Morris, Daniel Sams, Jay Lenton (wk), Chris Tremain, Jono Cook, Brendan Doggett