Cricket 365 live stream 2021: Blaze win T20 Strike League opener over Cyclones in Darwin
A four-wicket haul from Desert Blaze captain Tom Andrews has helped his side to a win and set the bar for the T20 Strike League.
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An outstanding all-round performance from captain Tom Andrews has handed Desert Blaze the opening win in the T20 Strike League and pegged them as competition favourites.
Andrews took four wickets and scored 21 runs in the Blaze’s seven-wicket victory over the City Cyclones in a true captain’s knock.
Gold Coast product Hugo Burdon was also outstanding, guiding his side to victory in the 17th over with 52 off 46 balls after his partnership with Andrews came to an end.
Watch the live stream of Monday’s T20 Strike League match here.
Defending a total of 126 after being bowled out in the 20th over, the Cyclones needed quick wickets if they were to put pressure on the Blaze and while both openers had departed by the end of the fourth over, they had also racked up 40 runs, with Hayden Kerr’s 23 (12 balls), setting the tone for what was to come.
T20 STRIKE: WATCH THE REPLAY OF CYCLONES AND BLAZE IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Kerr’s quickfire start was followed by a steady partnership between Andrews and Burdon, with the Gold Coaster doing his chances of earning a Big Bash League contract no harm with a classy half-century.
Strike League one-day champions, the Blaze have set the bar for the competition in the T20 opener.
Northern Tide and Southern Storm play in Monday’s match from 6.30pm (AEST), with the game streamed live on News Corp websites.
Earlier, Andrews’ haul helped the Blaze bowl the Cyclones out for 126 runs in the final over at Darwin’s DXC Arena in the first Strike League match to be held under lights.
Territory product Andrews was outstanding, taking four scalps and three catches, while former international Chris Tremain chipped in with three wickets and Hamish Martin took two.
The Blaze won the toss and decided to bowl, a good call in tricky conditions just before sunset as natural light faded and the floodlights took over.
The move paid dividends early, with the Cyclones losing both openers within the first four overs, bringing Melbourne Stars player Nick Larkin to the crease.
The likely lockdown extension in Victoria could rob the competition of the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades who were initially slated to play the full competition and could still join next week if Victoria’s restrictions are lifted later this week.
But Larkin beat the lockdown to arrive in the Territory ahead of the competition and took his place in the Cyclones team after completing his quarantine period just hours before the match.
Larkin was left to rebuild the innings with little support around him and played a patient knock until the 15th over when he fell for 39 (45 balls) attempting to push the pace.
His departure triggered a collapse from the Cyclones and while all-rounder Ryan McElduff finished on 22no (15), he ran out of partners in the final over when Chris Tremain picked up his third wicket to end the innings.
Top 10 players to watch in T20 Strike League
The rising stars of Australian cricket will take the spotlight in Darwin over the next fortnight in an exciting show of potential ahead of a possible showdown with Melbourne’s Big Bash teams.
Organisers remain hopeful Big Bash sides the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will be able to travel to Darwin for the second week of competition if the city’s lockdown is lifted at 11.59pm on August 19.
But in their absence the stars of tomorrow are set to step up, with a mix of first class players, Big Bash contract holders and those looking to catch the eye of cricket’s powerbrokers set to bring their A games.
T20 STRIKE: WATCH THE REPLAY OF CYCLONES AND BLAZE IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
And in a boon for fans, all 13 games will be streamed live on News Corp websites, with every ball of the tournament to be broadcast.
Heading to England in the southern hemisphere winter is no longer the only avenue for young Australian players looking to take their game to the next level.
WATCH LIVE: News Corp is streaming the T20 tournament from 15-27 August. For access, sign up here!
Using the Northern Territory’s outstanding winter weather, top facilities and Covid-free status, Australia’s rising stars can work on their game year-round and the T20 Strike League is set to show off their advances.
Here are 10 players to watch from the Northern Tide, Desert Blaze, City Cyclones and Southern Storm over the next fortnight in live action on News Corp websites.
News subscribers will be able to exclusively stream the T20 tournament action from 15-27 August through the app, website and mobile platforms. Sign up for access here.
Jason Sangha – Tide
A former teen prodigy — he signed a contract with NSW while still at school and captained Australia’s U19s — Sangha’s rise through the senior ranks has not quite matched the hype that surrounded his junior career, apart from an early century against England that put him alongside Sachin Tendulkar as one of the youngest to achieve the feat.
Sangha will open the batting and bowling for the Northern Tide, where we remains the key man, and heads into the tournament in strong form after finishing fifth in the batting averages in the Strike League one-day tournament with a highest score of 72 and strike rate of almost 78.
Mac Wright – Storm
Wright’s handy leg spin just about tips him into the all-rounder category but it’s his stellar batting that has been a feature of his northern sojourn so far this year.
He led the batting tables after the Strike League’s one-day competition with 222 runs from six innings at an average of 55 and an unbeaten century.
Playing in the Strike League under the Southern Storm banner, the 23-year-old Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes representative has also taken on a leadership and mentoring role in Darwin to further develop his game.
Noah McFadyen – Tide
A freakishly talented young all-rounder who is as comfortable with a Sherrin in his hands as a Kookaburra.
Among the competition leaders in both the batting and bowling averages in the one-day competition, the Queenslander has 266 runs in 12 games so far this season at an average of just over 44, with a top score of 60.
His figures with the ball are equally impressive, with 21 wickets at an average of 19.29 and best figures of 4/45.
Chris Tremain – Blaze
An Australian ODI representative, Tremain will test the best batsmen in the Strike League with his pace as he continues to build form ahead of a southern summer campaign with NSW and the Sydney Thunder.
The 30-year-old is enjoying a mentoring role with the Blaze but that doesn’t mean he will ake pity on opposing batsmen — expect him to steam in and create havoc in his short T20 stints.
Josh Kann – Storm
Kann is one of the success stories of the Cricket 365 program, having signed a Big Bash contract with the Hobart Hurricanes following his performances in the Strike League one-day competition.
His 142 was the highest score of the recent one-day competition but the Australia U19 representative has been just as handy with the ball, with his eight wickets at an average of just over 21 showing the ferocity of his pace bowling.
Jack Edwards – Cyclones
The NSW and Sydney Thunder all-rounder is among the rising stars of Australian cricket and is making the most of a winter in Darwin that helps him avoid Sydney’s strict Covid lockdown.
Attempting to cement a permanent place in the NSW line-up by bringing consistency to his mercurial form, the clean-hitting Edwards is likely to be among the top echelon of players over the next two weeks.
Hayden Kerr – Blaze
At 25, Kerr is a little older than many of the rising stars he will play alongside over the next fortnight.
But if his time in the top end is any indication, his cricket only continues to improve.
The all-rounder sits in the top six in both batting and bowling averages after a strong one-day showing and will look to push his way further up the rankings as the Blaze press their title hopes.
Arjun Nair – Storm
After losing his contract with the Sydney Thunder at the end of last summer, Nair headed for the Territory to press his claims for another Big Bash gig knowing plenty of eyes would be on the Strike League and the performances of the players involved.
With eight wickets, including a spell of 3/31, in the one-day competition Nair is primed for another strong showing in the T20s.
Matt Gilkes – Tide
The young wicketkeeper is considered among the best glovemen in the country and many consider his eventual elevation to international duties a matter of when, not if.
For now though, the 21-year-old is content to work on his craft ahead of another Big Bash season with the Sydney Thunder.
Ryan McElduff – Cyclones
Coach Brad Murphy nominated the young all-rounder as one of his go-to men in the competition and he will gain a wealth of experience from those around him.
The batting all-rounder cannot be underestimated and if he gets going, expect some clean striking and big, crowd-pleasing hits.
Watch every ball of the T20 Strike League live on News Corp websites from 6.30pm (AEST) on Sunday.
Big Bash giants could be Darwin bound
Organisers remain hopeful Melbourne’s Big Bash sides will play a part in the second week of the T20 Strike Series to be streamed live and exclusive on News Corp websites from Sunday.
The extension of Melbourne’s Covid-enforced lockdown means the Stars and Renegades will be unable to join the Darwin-based league until the second week of competition but organisers have adjusted the schedule to accommodate the inclusion of stars including Glenn Maxwell.
Action begins from Sunday when the City Cyclones and Desert Blaze face off at 6.30pm (AEST) in the first of 13 games over 13 days to be streamed on News Corp websites.
The first week will feature games between the Cyclones, Blaze, Northern Tide and Southern Storm but hopes remain high the Stars and Renegades will be able to fly to Darwin if lockdown is lifted as planned next Thursday.
The teams are now scheduled to face each other in a Big Bash showdown on August 22.
NT Cricket chief executive Joel Morrison said it was disappointing the arrival of the Stars and Renegades had to be delayed.
“But living in a world with coronavirus requires flexibility and we have contingency plans in place,” Morrison said.
“The amended fixture provides certainty for week one of the tournament while also affording the Renegades and Stars every chance of joining the competition in time for the second week.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in Melbourne closely and work towards the Renegades and Stars arriving next Saturday.”
A Cricket Victoria spokesman said the Melbourne teams were not willing to give up yet on the chance to play in the Strike Series.
“They still want to find a creative solution to getting up to the NT but that depends on whether restrictions are eased or not,” he said.
“There is a lot of energy and passion from a lot of people in wanting to make it happen one way or another, it’s just a matter of how.”
A revised tournament fixture will be issued on August 21 if Melbourne’s lockdown continues, preventing the Stars and Renegades - whose sides also feature T20 internationals Nathan Coulter-Nile and Cameron Boyce - from heading to the Territory.
The T20 Strike League is the final chapter in this year’s Cricket 365 program in Darwin, with all 13 matches streamed exclusively on News Corp websites.
The Stars looking to light-up Top End
- Todd Balym
Australian star Glenn Maxwell will look to press his World Cup claims this weekend headlining the T20 Strike series in Darwin that will be broadcast live and exclusive on News Corp websites.
Maxwell joins experienced Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile in a quality Melbourne Stars outfit while spinner Cameron Boyce is another T20 international who will lead the Renegades side during the tournament.
The action begins on Sunday with four games back-to-back from 11.30AM (AEST) as six teams prepare to play 17 games across 13 days.
Big Bash outfits the Stars and Renegades will clash in their final round robin game on Tuesday August 24, before a preliminary final on August 26 and the final on Friday evening August 27.
There had been concerns the Victorian BBL teams would be unable to attend the tournament due to Covid, but Stars coach Clint McKay confirmed the teams were locked in to play in Darwin as Melbourne emerged from their latest lockdown and restrictions.
Maxwell’s inclusion ahead of the T20 World Cup in October, plus Coulter-Nile’s decision to play ahead of the IPL, shows the type of quality that will be on display in a tournament that will be exclusively live streamed on News Corp websites from August 15.
“Glenn Maxwell is going to come as well as a bit of a leader and on-field coaching sort of role for the younger players coming through,” McKay said.
“They can gain great experience having one of the world’s best ever Twenty20 players to actually showcase his skills but also to help develop these young guys who have the opportunity coming through.
“I think he needs to get out and play some cricket at this time of year instead of hitting balls at the indoor centre in Melbourne all the time.
“It’s also important for the Stars program … they will learn out there in the middle batting with one of the world’s best Twenty20 players.”
The T20 Strike series will feature six teams playing 17 games in 13 days in Darwin, with some of Australia’s best young talent getting the chance to further press their claims for domestic BBL contracts.
McKay said the tournament would be a stepping stone for many younger players who were getting their chance out of club cricket in Victoria to prove themselves in the Stars development system.
“That is what this whole thing is about, if you see the way we’re setting up and the players we’ve selected it’s a couple of young guys who are on contract and still trying to find their way in Twenty20 cricket but also too some guys off-contract like a Jon Merlo or James Seymour who we see actually replacing some of the guys in our squad over the next couple of years with the ageing list,” he said.
“Our whole Academy is an eye to the future and to make sure they continue to develop we do need these guys to come into our squad to play in the Big Bash to be exposed to similar level and similar situations they will be expected to play come the big time.”
News subscribers will be able to exclusively stream the T20 tournament action from 15-27 August through the app, website and mobile platforms. Sign up for access here.
Originally published as Cricket 365 live stream 2021: Blaze win T20 Strike League opener over Cyclones in Darwin
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