Led by Brendon McCullum, the Heat's big hitting line-up fired, before a late fightback with the ball sealed victory at Adelaide Oval
Match Report:
ScorecardBaz, Ross star as Heat beat Strikers
The score: Brisbane Heat 5-206 (Ross 64, Peirson 48) beat Adelaide Strikers 6-196 (Dunk 85, Weatherald 52) by 10 runs
The match in a tweet: Baz and Ross go big for Brisbane and while Strikers new kids Dunk and Weatherald starred, a late fightback with the ball helps the Heat escape with a win
The hero: Former Strikers batsman Alex Ross returned to haunt his former team, striking a splendid 36-ball 64. Coming when the Heat's momentum had stalled following the dismissals of McCullum and Peirson, and after being dropped twice early, Ross made a cautious start before launching a vicious assault on his former team. Ross scored 10 runs off his first 16 balls before hitting the accelerator, striking 44 runs from the 16 he faced to bring up a half-century and was bowled on the final ball of the innings for 64.
The final over: Thrown the ball for the final over with the Strikers needing 17 runs, Mark Steketee bowled a wide first up. But the 22-year-old kept his cool, taking two wickets and leaking just five runs from his next six deliveries to seal victory.
The turning point: The Strikers needed 25 runs off 14 balls, with Travis Head and Brad Hodge looking comfortable. That changed in an instant when Head skied one off Mitch Swepson and Samuel Badree completed the catch – adding a bit of sugar – and setting up a thrilling finish.
The Baz: Explosive former Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum got off the mark in BBL|06 in typical 'Baz' fashion with a boundary. Next over he smashed 4, 4, 6, 6, 4 off Michael Neser, racing his way to 30 off just 10 balls. He was handed a life on 38, but the chance dropped by Kane Richardson didn't prove too costly, with McCullum out shortly after for a 21-ball 42. Welcome to the BBL, Brendon McCullum!
The support cast: With the Baz show stealing the limelight, Jimmy Peirson's effort at the other end received less attention than it should have. Pierson raced his way to 48 from 29 balls, sharing a 90-run first-wicket stand with the former NZ captain.
Samuel Badree was the pick of the Heat bowlers in BBL|05 and it looks like that trend will continue this summer if tonight was anything to go by. Badree's four overs went for just 22 runs, including an incredibly rare T20 maiden, while he also took a handy catch to dismiss Head.
The consolation effort: New Strikers recruit Ben Dunk had managed just one score of 50 or more from 15 innings with Tasmania this summer, having posted totals of 14, 26, 4, 2, 8, 11, 6, 12, 3, 20, 58, 2, 15, 20 and 0. That mattered not a jot as he blasted 85 from 43 balls, in a knock that featured five sixes and eight fours.
The catch: Chris Lynn was looking ominous, having struck three big sixes to race to 29 off 19 balls, before Kieron Pollard again produced the magic Adelaide needed, taking a brilliant catch on the boundary to stop what seemed a certain six.
The security guard: An Adelaide Oval security guard stole the show with his reaction (or lack thereof) after taking an effortless catch on the boundary line. He didn't even move from his chair to take the chance, giving no reaction as he lobbed the ball back to Ben Laughlin. The result? Instant cult status.
The drops: Travis Head gave his former teammate Alex Ross not one, but two let offs, with Ross making the Strikers pay as he blasted a speedy half-century.
The drop (2): Ben Dunk was handed a life on five and boy, didn't he made the Heat pay. It wasn't the simplest of catches put down by Mark Steketee, but the one put down by Ross when Dunk was on 76 certainly was.
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