The juggernaut that is the Adelaide Strikers is gathering steam after a commanding win over the Hobart Hurricanes at Blundstone Arena on Thursday night.
Jake Weatherald was the man of the moment, leading the Strikers to an eight-wicket victory which has them now sitting fourth on the BBL|13 table.
Weatherald, who replaced the injured Chris Lynn, smashed an unbeaten 80 in the Strikers’ seemingly effortless run chase as they made 2/169 to reach the total with 25 balls to spare.
The match-winning knock from the 29-year-old came off 32 balls at a mammoth strike rate of 250 and included nine fours and five sixes.
80 runs off just 32 rocks.
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 11, 2024
Jake Weatherald hit them everywhere at Blundstone Arena! #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/XNcgfC7r2P
Weatherald’s heroics came after the Hurricanes made 6/167 with Mac Wright (37 off 27), Caleb Jewell (32 off 30), Nikhil Chaudhary (22 off 18) and Tim David (22 off 10) all getting starts.
But their total was nowhere near enough to deny the Strikers who picked off a third straight victory.
Captain Matthew Short got them off to a flier with his 39 off 25 balls while D’Arcy Short (20 off 17) and Adam Hose (25 not out off 21) provided assistance to Weatherald.
The Strikers now sit a point clear of the Melbourne Stars who take on the bottom-placed Renegades on Saturday night. If the Stars win that, as expected, Adelaide’s finals hopes will all come down to the final regular season fixture.
Their last home and away match takes place against the one-win Sydney Thunder in Canberra on January 14 while the Stars will host the Hurricanes, who have lost three in a row, at the MCG on January 15.
