BBL: Adelaide Strikers emerge on top in rollercoaster clash with Perth Scorchers

The Adelaide Strikers marched to an imposing total but were forced to absorb a stunning opening onslaught from the Perth Scorchers before regaining control to win at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide Strikers duo Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey sliced and diced Perth Scorchers before star leg-spinner Rashid Khan neutralised a hot chase at Adelaide Oval.

Chasing 199, the Scorchers (7-183) unloaded an emphatic riposte taking 133 off 10 overs leaving 66 from 48 balls.

However the visitors unravelled against a Rashid Khan (3/40) led Strikers attack, needing 25 off the last over.

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Debutant Harry Conway (2/32) iced the 15-run win removing danger man Cam Green (9) in the final over courtesy of a brilliant diving catch from import Phil Salt.

The Scorchers needed 41 off four overs after debutant Conway removed Mitch Marsh (14), then 34 off three when Wes Agar (2/36) snared big brother Ashton (2) and Cam Bancroft (19).

Jake Weatherald hits out against the Perth Scorchers at the Adelaide Oval.

Liam Livingstone (69, 26) smashed five sixes to equal Mitch Marsh’s Scorchers record for fastest 50 off 21 balls.

Livingstone fronted a rollicking 124-run opening stand off 52 balls with Josh Inglis (50, 27).

Earlier, Weatherald (83, 47) and Carey’s (55, 24) exquisite and intelligent stroke play defied wet and smoky conditions with 71 off 29 balls that rocketed the Strikers to 4/198 off 18 overs in the rain-affected contest. Weatherald put on 86 with No. 3 Matt Short (34).

Rashid Khan celebrates after claiming the wicket of Ashton Turner.

KHAN DO

Rashid had dropped Livingstone on 36 off Agar in the sixth over but hit back in his second over to remove both openers.

True champions always come back and Rashid turned 0-30 off two overs to 3/40.

Ashton Turner fell for the third time in 21 balls across T20 to Rashid following expert glovework from Alex Carey, while Inglis was bowled by the Afghan wonder.

Alex Carey on his way to a half-century.

Jake Weatherald was superb form with the bat.

IPL’S BIG MISS

Salt’s (2) second straight failure put pressure on the side’s only form top order batsman Jake Weatherald to go on the offensive and the left hander fired.

Five boundaries and a six flowed off the third and fourth overs from Jhye Richardson (2/29) and Joel Paris (0/36) to get Weatherald going.

Superb footwork was putting doubt in the bowlers’ mind with Weatherald walking down the crease to smack Paris over deep midwicket into the Jack Oatey stand then staying put for a straight drive to boundary.

Weatherald’s bat was broken in the throes of his belligerent stroke play.

Weatherald has followed a career high first-class score of 198 against Tasmania last month in Adelaide with 126, 11, 42 and 83 in his last four digs.

Weatherald ran himself out attempting a second run in the 15th over.

Wes Agar celebrates after claiming the wicket of big brother Ashton.

RICKY’S BARGAIN BUY

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has a bargain for the $500,000 he shelled out for Carey.

“That half a million is starting to look better,” noted Ponting after watching Carey’s fastest BBL half century.

The beauty of Carey is the low risk, textbook hitting that finds boundaries and ensures consistency.

Australian limited-overs vice-captain Carey went at a phenomenal 229 strike rate with eight perfectly placed boundaries and two over the fence.

The Scorchers were stumped by the improvisation and crisp hitting of BBL’s all-time second-ranked most prolific partnership.

Weatherald and Carey now have 892 runs together in BBL, trailing D’Arcy Short and Matt Wade’s 1055.

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