All you need to know: Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers

04 Jan 2024 cricket.com.au

For the second time in three days, these teams do battle – this time in Adelaide – as the Strikers seek home comforts to save their season

Match facts

Who: Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers

What: Match 27, BBL|13

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Friday, January 5. Bat flip at 6pm local ( 6.30pm AEDT), first ball at 6.45pm local (7.15pm AEDT)

Why: This match doubles as the contest for the Jason Gillespie Trophy with return of the First Nations Round

How to watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports

Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps

Officials: Mike Graham-Smith (field), Drew Crozier (field), Nathan Johnstone (third), Peter George (fourth), Simon Fry (match referee)

Match squads

Adelaide Strikers: Matthew Short (c), Wes Agar, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Brendan Doggett, Adam Hose, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen (wk), Jamie Overton, David Payne, Lloyd Pope, D’Arcy Short, Henry Thornton

Perth Scorchers: Aaron Hardie (c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Zak Crawley, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis (wk), Hamish McKenzie, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman

Form guide

Adelaide Strikers: LLLWNR (most recent first)

The Strikers are in the midst of a worrying form slump, and have won just one of their past 10 games going back to BBL|12. Most concerningly, it's now four losses on the trot this season and their issues with the ball continue. While the batting has been firing, posting two scores over 200 with captain Matt Short and Chris Lynn both among the top three run-scorers so far this season, they've been unable to contain with the ball. The powerful Scorchers line-up posted 4-211 last start and the two games before that they couldn't defend totals, with the Renegades chasing down their 6-177 with eight balls to spare and the Stars their 4-205 with six balls to spare. The Strikers have signed leg-spinner Lloyd Pope as a local replacement player and he's set to make his Strikers debut against Perth, having previously played 24 games for the Sydney Sixers.

Perth Scorchers: WWWNRW (most recent first)

The Scorchers are still undefeated in BBL|13, and have games in hand on their rivals, having played just five, the least of all teams so far. They sit second with four wins and one no-result from those five, three behind ladder-leaders Brisbane Heat. Despite losing skipper Ashton Turner for the season, they've hardly looked troubled in four straight wins since their season opener was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch, blitzing the Strikers in their last start, and have had little trouble either chasing down scores (against the Stars and Hurricanes) or defending (against the Strikers and Renegades).

KFC BBL|13 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Total points PTS
1 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	10	7	1	2	0.972	16
2 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	10	6	2	2	0.339	14
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	10	6	3	1	0.725	13
4 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	10	5	4	1	0.331	11
5 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	10	4	6	0	-0.268	8
6 Melbourne Stars Men STA	10	4	6	0	-1.051	8
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	10	2	6	2	-0.288	6
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	10	1	7	2	-0.652	4

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

Players to watch

After his incredible fireworks against this same line-up the other night, it's impossible to ignore Laurie Evans as a player to watch. His 85no from just 28 balls featuring seven fours and seven sixes was breathtaking, and took the game away from Adelaide.

But even though it's not the New Year's contest, there should be plenty of fireworks at Adelaide Oval, with the three top run-scorers in the competition in action. That list is headed by Strikers dynamic duo Matt Short and Chris Lynn. Short has hit 13 sixes this season to Lynn's 11, but the ex-Brisbane Heat veteran is scoring at a quicker clip of 172.22. Third on that top run-getters list is Aaron Hardie, who has 216 at 140.25.

The Strikers are desperately missing Rashid Khan, who pulled out of the tournament on the eve of the season for some minor back surgery, and Cameron Boyce has been doing an admirable job, but has not had the wickets come. Boyce is the only Strikers bowler within cooee of the top economy rates in the league at 7.21 an over.

Head-to-head

Overall: Adelaide Strikers (10 wins), Perth Scorchers (13 wins)

At Adelaide Oval: Adelaide Strikers (6 wins), Perth Scorchers (4 wins)

Most runs: Alex Carey (285), Jake Weatherald (274), Michael Klinger (266), Adam Voges (263), Ashton Turner (262)

Most wickets: Andrew Tye (16), Jhye Richardson (15), Rashid Khan (14), Jason Behrendorff (14), Nathan Coulter-Nile (12)

The venue

Rapid stats

The Perth Scorchers have won five of their past six BBL matches against the Adelaide Strikers (L1), including each of their past three; a fourth consecutive win in this game would equal their longest winning run against the Strikers in the history of the competition (W4)
The Adelaide Strikers have won only one of their past four BBL matches at Adelaide Oval (L3), after winning eight of their nine games at the venue prior to that span.
The Perth Scorchers have scored 53 per cetn of their runs from boundaries against the Adelaide Strikers, their best rate against any team in the history of the competition; the Scorchers have hit a boundary once every 6.4 balls faced against the Strikers, their most frequent against any team in BBL history.
Chris Lynn (Adelaide Strikers) has scored 60+ in three of his past five BBL innings at Adelaide Oval (64, 69*, 22, 14, 83*); although, he has scored a half-century only once in his last nine innings overall in the competition against the Perth Scorchers (51 – 26 January 2021).
Aaron Hardie (922) is 78 away from becoming the seventh player to score 1,000 runs for the Perth Scorchers in BBL history; he’s scored 50+ in two of his last three BBL innings (85*, 57, 34).

What's on the line?

Anything but a win for the Strikers would be disastrous for their finals hopes and push them into the realms of mathematical improbabilities to qualify with three games remaining. The situation is much more comfortable for Perth, who will be hoping for a win that will draw them within a point of the Brisbane Heat, with a game in hand.