FULL GAME REPLAY and match report: Larkin dominates with the bat to see City Cyclones beat Tide and surge into T20 Strike League final
City Cyclones’ BBL batsman Nick Larkin dominated against Northern Tide in a thriller to see his side surge into the TIO Strike League T20 Tournament. And we were there to LIVE STREAM EVERY BALL for you. WATCH THE FULL GAME REPLAY here.
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DEVASTATING batting from Melbourne Stars’ Nick Larkin helped his City Cyclones side breeze past Northern Tide and climb into the T20 Strike League final against all odds.
The Cyclones came into the encounter needing a huge win to make the final after losing their first two games of the series.
But Larkin’s incredible knock of 106 from 43 balls propelled his side up the table into the final in one of the most entertaining games in Strike League history.
It also sent a strong message to Friday night’s rival outfit for the competition final, Southern Storm.
It was the Tide which batted first, mostly contained during the opening overs, with Jackson Edmondstone and Ryan McElduff each grabbing two wickets throughout the innings.
STRIKE LEAGUE FINAL
WATCH T20 Strike League Grand Final LIVESTREAM: Southern Storm and City Cyclones
However, through Matthew Gilkes (26), and later Jason Sangha (50) and Lachlan Bangs (62), the tide turned and they wrestled back control.
Their total of 4-178 was the highest set in the competition so far and one they would have been confident to defend.
But Cyclones came out determined to play and nothing showed their intent better than captain Jack Edwards knocking a big six off the first ball of the innings.
That inspired one of the big batting performances of the Territory season with Edwards (14) and Dylan Hunter (15) hitting hard and fast.
But it was the appearance of Larkin that truly changed the game, with the Melbourne Stars player showing real Big Bash League pedigree to head the innings.
It took just 15 balls for the 31-year-old to hit his half-century, and over after over he kept at it with cameos from Campbell Kellaway, McElduff and Yash Pednekar.
And after reaching his ton off 42 balls, it took one final knock of the wood to hit a six, finishing the innings just as Edwards had started it, to seal the deal at 4-179 in a mere 13 overs.
“It’s a bit of a miracle to get that win. Halfway mark of the bowling we were doing quite well and then they scored 120 in the final 10 overs,” Larkin said.
“That showed what was possible when you put your foot down, so when we got the chance we just threw everything at it and got over the line.
“Our team has taken a little while to warm up, but we have some really good players and hopefully we can have a bit of a dig in the final as well.
“When Jack hit that first-ball six I thought ‘we might just do this’. Everyone who came out just swung as hard as they could.
“The nicks went through the gaps and the middles went over the fences.”
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THE Northern Tide and City Cyclones faced off in Game Eight of the TIO Strike League T20 Tournament on Thursday, and we were there to LIVE-STREAM EVERY BALL for you. WATCH THE FULL-GAME REPLAY here.
The NT News and Cricket NT have come together in a partnership to live-stream the TIO Strike League T20 Tournament, with Friday night’s final being played at DXC Arena from 6pm.
“We’re excited to partner with News Corporation Australia to livestream all 17 matches and we look forward to showcasing the best of the Territory on and off the field,” said NT Cricket chief executive Joel Morrison.
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News Sport Network Managing Director Michael Wilkins said the company was thrilled to be partnering with NT Cricket on the T20 component of the Cricket 365 program.
“At News we are committed to bringing more sports content to our readers nationally,” he said.
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