A near-century from Hobart's Ben McDermott wasn't enough to stop the Adelaide Strikers from picking up a crucial win at home
Match Report:
ScorecardStrikers rise over Hurricanes for vital BBL win
Adelaide can still play in the KFC BBL|13 finals after comfortably beating Hobart by five wickets at the Adelaide Oval.
The Strikers were set 7-165 for victory on Tuesday night after Hurricanes opener Ben McDermott made a brilliant 95 not out.
Adelaide cruised through their run chase, with captain Matt Short and Chris Lynn both firing.
The Hurricanes slumped to 5-35 inside seven overs on their way to a middling total, but the Strikers blasted 57 off their first four powerplay overs to break the back of their run chase.
Short (45 off 32) smashed two sixes in the first over to set the tone, continuing the stunning form that has him leading the competition for runs scored.
By the time he and Lynn (37) departed the Strikers were 3-109, leaving Australian Test keeper Alex Carey to guide them home with a crisp 36.
Adelaide never looked like falling short in their chase, despite winning with just four balls to spare after the intensity departed the contest late.
Moving to fifth on the table, the Strikers are a solitary point outside the top four and could yet overtake the Melbourne Stars if they win their remaining contests against the Hurricanes and the Sydney Thunder.
Tuesday night's encounter in Adelaide was a must-win contest for both outfits as finals approach in a shortened tournament.
The Hurricanes weren't up for the occasion, only posting a respectable total courtesy of McDermott's classy knock, which contained four punishing sixes.
Power-hitter Chris Jordan (30 off 15 balls) put on a 76-run partnership with McDermott, who ran out of time to post his fourth BBL century.
Carey marked his first BBL appearance for the season with two catches and a brilliant leg-side stumping to get rid of Hobart dangerman Nikhil Chaudhary.
Veteran Adelaide spinner Cameron Boyce looked nearly unplayable, taking 2-13 off his four overs.
Englishman Jamie Overton picked up three wickets, including the important scalps of Mac Wright (11) and Sam Hain (0), to badly dent the Hobart batting card.
It continued a lame run for Hain in the BBL, his third duck in seven innings this campaign.
Hobart quick Riley Meredith left the contest early with a side strain, one ball after taking Lynn's wicket.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
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