Brisbane Heat 154 (Labuschagne 46, Conway 3-36) beat Adelaide Strikers 137 for 9 (Short 39, Bazley 3-30) by 17 runs
The Brisbane Heat reignited a troubled BBL season with a 17-run victory over Adelaide Strikers in muggy conditions, spoiling the return of Travis Head and Alex Carey.
After sending in and under pressure, the Heat scored a modest 154 in 40-degree Celsius temperatures at the Adelaide Oval.
But when Sear James Bazley took his three wickets and thwarted the star-studded Strikers’ batting order and ex-Heat star Chris Lynn’s final BBL match of the season, they rolled spectacularly. I was.
It was the second time the Heat beat the Strikers and came off the bottom of the ladder this season.
Johnson’s blistering pace impresses again
Tearaway Spencer’s Johnson was bowled to the brim in his BBL debut and shone brightly during the Heat’s crushing home defeat to Perth’s Scorchers. There was an intrigue as to whether the left arm could hold it or not, and Johnson did it on a girl first, reaching speeds of 90 mph to unnerve Lynn.Johnson was very impressive. So Australian star Adam Gilchrist compared the 27-year-old Johnson to his namesake Mitchell Johnson on a Fox show.
But Johnson previously played 50 overs in his Marsh Cup in South Australia and last season at Adelaide, where he was on the Strikers’ roster, but by the quintessentially fearless Lynn. It was returned to earth in the next over.
Coming back in the middle of a power surge on lap 16, he kept his cool admirably. Johnson then claimed his first BBL wicket with a perfect yorker and beat Wes his agar to cap off another fine performance. Strikers star-studded smack command fails
Much was expected of Skipper Head’s return. He looked ready for the BBL in tough tests against the West Indies and South Africa. But after Heads was bowled by left-arm spinner Matthew Kuehnemann, he held on for just two balls.
Desperate to end a strong first season with the Strikers on high ground, Lynn started with an excellent drive to the border in front of Künemann. However, he fell to Kuehnemann on 22 of 24 pitches after being held back by Johnson. Lin was disappointed after finishing with a 141 batting average and 416 carries in 11 games. When Alex Carey returned from Test duty, he fell by just two in the next over and the Strikers’ pursuit never recovered.
Labuchagne misses its first half-century at BBL
The return of test trio Marnus Labuchagne, Matthew Renshaw and skipper Usman Khawadja failed to heat up against the Scorchers.
They were traditionally bat-friendly Adelaide hoping to score cash at his oval, but Khawaja was ahead of Rabshanyu and Renshaw on his 42-run third his wicket to turn the tide with his partnership. In his 3 overs he fell to 2.
Renshaw looked good but missed two games in a row. Using ingenuity, including a well-executed scoop, Labuchagne turned to his first BBL player in half a century in his 19th game to lock the innings. But he failed and the Heat struggled on the back end. England batsman Sam Hine, who mostly grew up in Australia and played for the U19 side, was unfortunately knocked out at the non-striker’s end after a touch from spinner Ben Manenti. He only made six of his, but the Heat racked up surprisingly good numbers in total.
Voice turns back the clock
Former Australian T20 leg his spinner Cameron Boyce has proven he can take a spin on slow-paced surfaces as he replaces South Africa’s new T20 league-transferred talisman Rashid Khan.
He opened the attack in six overs and the striker came under pressure from hard opener Josh Brown. Boyce deftly snatched the ball and lured Brown into a wrong shot in the first wicket of the season.
He then rolled well at middle over, breaking the dangerous partnership between Renshaw and Labuchagne.
Boyce happily took the wicket from Renshaw at the half-tracker, but was rewarded with mixed pace and pressure.
Once a highly touted player, Boyce played in his T20I seven times in 2014-16. His career was derailed by injury, but he made a spectacular comeback late last season in Melbourne against the Renegades against Sydney where he took 4 wickets for 4 balls. This got him recruited by the Strikers, who were looking for a suitable cover for Rashid, who has proven to be prophetic so far. The strikers are hoping it’s not a serious injury.