Strikers fall short in NYE run-fest
Despite the return of Lynsannity to Adelaide Oval, the Adelaide Strikers have fallen to the Melbourne Stars at the turning of the calendar as the visitors emerged from a genuine run-fest on New Year’s Eve with a seven-wicket victory in front of 42,504 fans at Adelaide Oval, the largest crowd of KFC BBL|13.
A massive 416 runs were scored across the contest, with Player of the Match Marcus Stoinis (55* off 19) and Beau Webster (66* off 48) putting the finishing touches on a win for the Stars with six balls to spare.
Stars captain Glenn Maxwell won the flip as the huge crowd flocked through the Adelaide Oval gates and sent the Strikers in on a deck that proved perfect for batting. The Short pairing at their top of their order continued their prolific start to the season with a 44-run partnership at well over a run-a-ball, but when Lynn made his entrance the innings went into hyperdrive.
Striking a remarkable four sixes and ten fours, Chris Lynn bludgeoned an unbeaten 83 runs from just 42 deliveries in support of another half-century at the top of the order to skipper Matt Short to drive the Strikers to an imposing total of 4-205 that ultimately proved just short to take out the honours at the country’s biggest New Year’s Eve Party.
In just 41 balls together, Lynn and Matt Short added 93 runs, hitting seven crowd catches and hitting the boundary rope 14 times. Passing 50 for the third time in four games, Short became the tournament’s leading run-scorer before departing and handing the reins to Lynn.
English internationals Adam Hose and Jamie Overton joined the party with boundaries of their own in the dying overs, but nothing could take away from the star of the show, Chris Lynn. Climbing to second in the standings behind Short, Lynn was unstoppable throughout his knock, finishing in the middle with 83* and taking his tournament average past 60 and the Strikers score past 200.
Playing in his debut game as a Striker, Brendan Doggett opened the bowling as the Strikers set about defending the mammoth total but it was the Stars who got off to a strong start, taking 24 from the opening two overs.
Long-time Striker Wes Agar then stepped up to the plate to dismiss Tom Rogers and get the bumper crowd back into the contest, before Dan Lawrence and Beau Webster steadied the Stars ship with a 59-run stand.
A bright light in a disappointing night with the ball, leg-spinner Cam Boyce produced the best bowling performance of the game, returning figures of 1-15 from his four overs, including the prized wicket of Maxwell, a remarkable economy rate in a game where runs flowed faster than a kookaburra across the pristine Adelaide Oval turf.
With Maxwell gone, it came down to the twin towers of Webster and Marcus Stoinis for the Stars, and the pair regularly cleared the boundaries at the perfect time, combining for six maximums and 12 fours in an unbroken partnership of 74 from just 37 deliveries to drag Melbourne over the line.
The Strikers have little time to rest after a huge evening, jumping on a flight to Perth tomorrow for a Wednesday evening clash against the Scorchers at Optus Stadium.
