Adelaide were on the wrong side of several close matches as they finished bottom for the first time
Strikers focus on 'fine margins' not wholesale changes: BBL|14 review
The records will show Adelaide Strikers finished last in KFC BBL|14 – their first wooden spoon in the competition's history – but the reality is their season was much tighter affair.
With four final over losses – including a final ball defeat to Brisbane Heat – the story of the Strikers' campaign will be a matter of 'what if', according to their general manager of cricket, Simon Insley.
In one of the tightest BBL seasons ever seen, flipping just one of those results would have put the Strikers' finals fate in their own hands entering their last match of the regular season.
While they were still in it until the penultimate day of home-and-away matches when they went down to the Scorchers by five wickets in Perth, the Strikers will be left to rue a slow start that saw them drop four of their first five games.
Sydney Thunder won the first of those with two balls to spare after Daniel Sams took the 19th over for 31, before the Heat got home off the final delivery at the Gabba in their third match of the season.
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Jamie Overton then kept the Strikers' pursuit of 215 against the Hurricanes alive until the final three balls of the match in a reflection just how fine the margins were in BBL|14.
"Ultimately, we had a batting group that consistently got to 180 and then we fell short with the ball a few times in a couple of close games," Insley said.
"Adelaide Oval is a very tough place to bowl if you speak to anyone in the competition, and there's probably a bit of a focus of how do we support our bowling group even more going into next season.
"We just need to have a lot more what if situations.
"Rather than having a plan A and B, it's a little bit more, 'what does plan C, D and E look like?'"
Injuries to captain Matt Short (broken toe), Chris Lynn (hamstring), Jake Weatherald (back) and a season-ending hamstring strain to overseas draft pick Fabian Allen in their first game were further setbacks that shifted the focus to spreading the load throughout BBL|14 and beyond.
"If you look at what made the team make finals last year, Matt Short scored 541 runs," Insley said.
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"This year, him missing the amount of games he did, we still found ways to get to 180, which is pleasing.
"We just need to keep having some ingredients that don't rely on Matt Short scoring runs and what does that look like for the Strikers?"
Season snapshot
BBL|14 result: Last (3 wins, 7 losses)
Most runs: Alex Ross (256 at 32.00)
Best strike rate (min. 50 runs): Alex Carey (189.28)
Most wickets: Lloyd Pope (15 at 21.13)
Best economy (min. 10 overs): Brendan Doggett (7.26)
Contracted for BBL|15: Cameron Boyce (contracted until BBL|15), Jordan Buckingham (BBL|15), Alex Carey (BBL|17), Thomas Kelly (BBL|16), Harry Nielsen (BBL|15), Lloyd Pope (BBL|16), Alex Ross (BBL|15), Matt Short (BBL|17), Henry Thorton (BBL|15)
Out: Brendan Doggett (Renegades)
Uncontracted: Fabian Allen, James Bazley, Liam Haskett, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Harry Manenti, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Liam Scott, D'Arcy Short, Jake Weatherald
International impact
Hard-hitting Englishman Jamie Overton enjoyed another strong all-round campaign with 191 runs and 11 wickets and was named 12th man in the official Team of the Tournament. Only Matt Short and Chris Lynn (both 12) hit more sixes for the Strikers than Overton's 10 as he finished the season with a strike rate north of 156. The 30-year-old was often in to bat earlier than planned as a series of injuries meant the Strikers had to chop and change their top order, but he was only dismissed twice in his nine innings to average 95.50 for the tournament.
England Test star Ollie Pope was signed with an eye to complement their power hitters, but due to those injuries he had to play a slightly different role. Pope kept wicket and got going with the bat on multiple occasions with three scores in the 30s, but 57 against the Sixers in their second last game was his only score of significance.
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A cruel blow saw draft pick Fabian Allen rubbed out for the season after injuring his hamstring while fielding in their opening match against the Thunder. Salary cap restraints (as injured players are paid the value of their contract) meant the club couldn't find a suitable replacement for the West Indian allrounder and were down to two overseas players for the rest of the season.
Season recap with GM of cricket Simon Insley
"It's quite an interesting campaign to review because you look at the end point and we finished bottom – the first time the Strikers men have finished bottom in the Big Bash. That's one side of it and then the other side is there were three games that finished in the final over with a couple of last ballers, so it shows that there's some fine margins in there."
New coach
"The feedback from the players has been excellent on Tim (Paine) – I think he realises that head coach is different. The challenges in the season certainly were a great learning curve for Tim but he kept calm and consistent throughout the competition which was hugely positive for the players and backed them and their skillset.
"He's only going to get better and better and across the board there's a lot of new faces and we've got to make sure each and every one of us focus on what we can do better to make sure that we finish higher next season and are more competitive, more consistently."
Spin plan put under pressure
"We started off spin being heavy with (Cameron) Boyce, (Lloyd) Pope and Fabian Allen and the first game against the Thunder the 19th over (bowled by Pope) went for 31 to lose that game, which put the spin plan under a huge microscope when there'd been so much positivity on the spin plan through the back end of the previous season. For it to come unstuck in one over in the first game when we were in a really strong position was something we had to navigate through on what was the best way to win T20 matches.
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"Certainly, early in the season, other sides targeted the leg spin, and we got lots of wickets but in a couple of games the batters got on top. Then rather than completely backing the spin … or moving away to go the extra seamer, with Fabian Allen's injury, it meant that we didn't stick or twist and got caught in the middle probably."
Return of Alex Ross
"He showed good leadership stepping in last minute when 'Shorty' (Matt Short) went out and he worked really well with Tim Paine. He was put in some difficult situations and when our top order had fired, he was able to compliment that through the middle overs, but when the top order was knocked over, we still got to 180 a lot more."
Breakout players
"The Strikers Academy has been an investment that went to Darwin and had some opportunities to play Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers just before the tournament, and that program certainly highlighted the skill of Liam Scott, who got (67) in that last game. Harry Manenti has also shown some really strong performances in those Academy games, and both got LRP (local replacement player) opportunities in BBL|14. So we feel building a domestic base of players is going to be really important for our future success and we're excited about those two players."
This is some knock from Liam Scott!
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 18, 2025
The 24-year-old brought up his first Big Bash half-century in the midst of hitting two vital sixes off Lance Morris. #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/w2D7GeAZIK
Looking ahead to BBL|15
Priority re-signings
"We're in positive conversations with Chris Lynn. Chris had a strong season when he was out there and got his highest score in five years against the Renegades, so we'd be hopeful we can keep him for next season.
"There's been lots of conversations with Travis Head and he's got a long-standing relationship and affiliation with South Australian cricket and the Strikers. Next season is a massive year for him with the Ashes but he's passionate, he's always on the WhatsApp to the coaches with different theories and ideas. His care factor for the Strikers is very high and we'd be super excited when the stars align for him to be available."
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Squad gaps
"Brendan Doggett has moved to the Renegades so we'll be looking at that death bowling specialist in the overseas market. That's something we need to support our list to give us a few more options in the key moments and in the Power Surge rather than just relying on one or two bowlers."
Development focus
"So we're not just thinking about the Strikers two months of the year but how are we linking South Australian cricket with the Strikers to give us the best chance? The Academy program will give players an opportunity to showcase their talent and you look at the best teams – Hobart have had the best list over a number of years so we know that a consistent local list is going to be the success factor.
"It's slowly but surely supporting a local spine and then bringing in three ingredients from an overseas player piece, rather than we finished bottom and so we're going to have wholesale changes; we don't think that's the recipe for success."