Twitter Reactions: Perth Scorchers open their account courtesy of Adelaide Strikers' lifeless performance

Going into the 21st clash of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021 against the winless Perth Scorchers, who are tottering at the bottom of the table, the Adelaide Strikers must have sensed a chance to gain some momentum and pouch a couple of crucial points. However, momentum is what their innings with the bat missed the most. After being inserted to bat by Scorchers’ skipper Ashton Turner, no more than three Strikers’ batsmen managed to stretch their score into double digits.

Amidst an order falling like nine pins, Alex Carey batted his heart out, putting in everything that he had to somehow take his team to a score of substance. His singlehanded, valiant 59-ball 82 somehow did take the Strikers to 146/9, who had their second-highest run-scorer of the innings in Matt Renshaw, who scored 19 from 17.

There was no point during the Strikers’ innings – barring a brief 6-over period when Carey and Renshaw added 48 for the third-wicket – where they were not losing wickets, however, Carey unflinchingly held his ground and led from the front. For the Scorchers, Jhye Richardson bagged three, Aaron Hardie two, whereas Andrew Tye and leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed picked one wicket each.

Perth Scorchers’ easy outing 

Chasing a below-par score, Jason Roy blazed his way right from the start as he managed to connect almost everything with the bat. Slamming a couple of boundaries against Daniel Worrall, Roy had made his intentions clear in the third over. While he kept picking boundaries without fail every over that followed, his partner Liam Livingstone looked content playing the second fiddle to him. The 57-run opening stand was brought to an end by Wes Agar in the 8th over when Roy’s (49 from 32) leading-edge flew straight to Rashid Khan at cover.

Agar infused a slight hope in the camp as he got Livingstone only a couple of deliveries later, when the batsmen edged one to Carey, who took a sensational catch behind the wickets, to bring his knock to an end. In the 11th over, Rashid Khan struck and trapped Colin Munto LBW cheaply, however, Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh rode on the platform set by Roy earlier to guide their team home. While Inglis slammed 6 boundaries in his 44 from 31, Marsh hit a solitary six and four boundaries in his 24-ball 38.

Their 67-run stand from 44 balls, for the fourth wicket, proved sufficient for the Scorchers to accomplish the chase with 14 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hands.