BBL11: Rashid Khan takes six wickets as Adelaide Strikers dominate Brisbane Heat
As he prepares to leave Australia shores, T20 wizard Rashid Khan produced one of the best bowling performances ever witnessed in the Big Bash. See the wickets here.
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Superstar spinner Rashid Khan hopes his sensational six-wicket final effort on Wednesday gave the Adelaide Strikers momentum to finish the season strong as he heads back to Afghanistan.
Like the true showman that he is Khan saved his finest for last in a career-best 6/17 in Adelaide’s 71-run rout of the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, in his 300th T20 game.
International commitments with Afghanistan mean Khan’s brutal and breathtaking destruction of the Heat batting line-up was his farewell to the BBL this summer.
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And what a way to go out. He was on a hat-trick twice with two wickets in the ninth over crippling Brisbane’s chase for 162 runs while his three scalps in his final over finished off the brittle Heat to catapult Adelaide into finals calculations.
He said the Strikers can do some damage in the finals off the back of the comprehensive win over the Heat who capitulated from 2/62 to be all out for 90 and lifted Adelaide to fifth on the table.
“This game, this momentum will give us so much energy, so as a team we had a very tough season this year but such wins gives you an energy and that’s the kind of click you need at this stage,’’ Khan said.
“We’ve got the momentum, the kind of momentum we needed and the morale of the team is definitely very high with this win.
“It‘s good to finish up well and I wish all the very best for the rest of the guys, they do well and they go to the finals.”
The Strikers host Perth on Friday, the Stars on Saturday and the Sydney Sixers next Tuesday and wins in all three would guarantee progression to the finals.
Much like fellow leg-spinner Shane Warne who enjoyed bowling at the Gabba for the bounce, Khan liked what he saw of the Brisbane surface as he claimed six victims for the first time in his stellar T20 career.
“That is my best in the whole cricketing T20 career,” he said.
“As soon as I had seen the wicket and bowled a few balls, this wicket is so good.
“As long as I am pitching it in the right areas, I think I can make the batsmen in trouble and give me a few wickets.
“I just tried to bowl tight and got the wickets.”
Khan finished his latest BBL stint with a competition high 20 wickets from 11 games.
Chasing 162 for victory, Khan was on a hat-trick twice as he ripped the heart out of the Heat batting line-up with an imperious 6/17 off his four overs to help bowl Brisbane out for a paltry 90 in just 15 overs.
The Heat were 2/62 at the start of the ninth over with the white Kookaburra in the hand of Khan, in his last game before departing for international duties.
Three balls later, Brisbane was 5/62 and the match was as good as over with Brisbane’s finals hopes taking a major hit along the way.
First to go was keeper Lachy Pfeffer who was run out after a mix-up with Englishman Ben Duckett.
Sam Heazlett was dismissed for a golden duck the next ball after he edged Khan to keeper Harry Nielsen. Jake Lehmann had his stumps disturbed the very next ball.
He then tore through the tail to produce just the third six-wicket bag in BBL history.
After Duckett played on from off spinner Matt Short, the Heat were languishing at 6/67 but the damage was done by Khan who ripped the heart out of the Brisbane line-up that was bolstered by the return of a host of players sidelined by Covid including Chris Lynn who misfired again.
Rashid Khan signs off on #bbl11 with a #supercoach score of 187! pic.twitter.com/ZwvNELlxY5
— KFC SuperCoach BBL (@SuperCoachBBL) January 12, 2022
@rashidkhan_19 The game is lucky to have you #BBL
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) January 12, 2022
The Heat have now slumped to a 3-8 record while the Strikers have catapulted into contention for the finals after collecting the maximum four competition points.
Earlier, the Strikers got to 4/161 with Jake Weatherald (35 off 31) topscoring for the visitors who were sluggish through their middle overs before Jono Wells (24 off 23), Tom Kelly (24 off 16) and Khan (16 off four) finished with a flourish.
The Strikers batting line-up was weakened pre-match by the loss of Matt Renshaw (Covid) who kept himself busy by taking charge of Adelaide’s Twitter feed.
LYNNSANITY’S LOST ITS LUSTRE
Another chance to return to his former glory, another disappointment for the Heat’s Chris Lynn to continue his below-par summer. The acting captain was dismissed for just seven runs off seven balls with six of those runs coming from a top edge off a wild swing. The Heat needed Lynn to bat long and take the game deep, chasing 162 for victory. But he was gone in just the third over – bowled by Henry Thornton – after clearing his left leg and trying to smash the ball into the East Brisbane State School playground. His departure left the Heat floundering at 2/17 after 14 balls.
RASHID WITH BALL AND BAT
Khan was sent in at the fall if Adelaide’s third wicket as the pinch-hitter and had the maximum and immediate impact. He hit two sixes off his first two balls from Heat paceman Xavier Bartlett with a wild swipe for a top edge over the keeper’s head followed by a towering strike straight down the ground. After racing to 13 off three balls, his fellow Afghanistan spinner and Heat star Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed Khan’s scalp with a delivery that was speared down legside but ricocheted off the pads and onto the stumps.
HEAT SET TO BE BOLSTERED
Brisbane are set to complete their regular season with a clash against the Sydney Sixers in Melbourne on Monday. The match was originally programmed for the Gold Coast on January 4 but was postponed due to Heat players getting Covid. Brisbane expect captain Jimmy Peirson, Mark Steketee, Jack Wildermuth and James Bazley to have shaken off the virus in time to be available for selection against the Stars in Melbourne on Sunday.
HEAT GIVE MATTY SHORT SHRIFT
Strikers opening batter Matt Short was in the wars during his short but productive stint at the crease. Early in his knock he copped a ball in the calf after the Heat took a quick shy at the stumps. An over later, there were genuine concerns for his wellbeing after a full-blooded throw from Nathan McSweeney thundered into Short’s left arm as he completed a quick single. He received medical attention as the game was delayed by several minutes before he batted on.
Originally published as BBL11: Rashid Khan takes six wickets as Adelaide Strikers dominate Brisbane Heat
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