BBL 7, Match 12 Review: Strikers' bowlers defend paltry total against Brisbane Heat

The last ever T20 clash of 2017 ended on an exciting note as bowlers from both the outfits made their presence felt in a format considered ill-suited for them. Adelaide Strikers captain Travis Head won the toss and elected to bat first on the home turf expecting his batsmen to lead the side to a formidable total which would put the chasing side under pressure.

However, the Brisbane Heat bowlers led by new recruit Yasir Shah pinned the batsmen down with regular wickets on the back of some excellent performances. All-Rounder Michael Neser was the top-scorer for the Strikers with a 26 ball 40 with none of the other batsman able to score above 30 under pressure. A fighting aggressive knock by Neser with the outfit restricted to a score of 76/5 at the end of 13 overs helped them register a target of 147/7 at the end of their allotted 20 overs.

Khan, Laughlin deliver excellent performances yet again

The Brisbane Heat might have been quite confident of chasing down a moderately less formidable target of 148 considering the presence of heavyweights like Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn in the side. However, Afghanistan teen sensation Rashid Khan and fast-bowler Ben Laughlin never let them off the hook with some tight spells putting the batsmen under pressure and forcing them to play loose shots.

After losing their first wicket with just 8 runs on the board, the Brisbane Heat never seemed to be in the game after Chris Lynn was castled for a golden duck by Rashid Khan sparking wild celebrations.

McCullum who has been in a poor run of form failed to deliver the goods yet again disappointing in a 15-ball 21 leaving the rest of the batsmen under intense pressure. Such a shoddy performance by the captain himself failed to inspire confidence in the rest of the batsmen who meekly surrendered their wickets for a shabby total of 91 sparking celebrations from the home supporters.

Brief Scores

Adelaide Strikers: 166/5 after 20 overs (Neser 40; Shah 2/18, Lalor 3/40)

Brisbane Heat: 91/10 after 16.2 overs (Gannon 23; Laughlin 3/11; Khan 2/19)

Result: Strikers win by 56 runs

Man of the Match: Michael Neser