BBL 2019-20 | Strikers vs Thunder - Ask Me Anything ft. Alex Hales’ crazy knock and Daniel Sams' 30-wicket season

Aakash Sivasubramaniam
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A nail-biting finish to the game saw the Sydney Thunder book their place in the 'challenger' against Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Thursday. The Strikers, on the other hand, have been knocked out of the tournament after being defeated comprehensively by Thunder, who were convincing on all fronts.

Who won the bat-flip?

The Strikers, led by Travis Head, won the bat-flip and naturally, they opted to bowl against the Thunder side led by Usman Khawaja. It was fairly simple as to why they did it for the first time in this tournament, to put the pressure on the Thunder straight away, who are known to be good chasers. 

Did the destructive duo perform well today?

Sorry to quash your hopes and dreams, they failed terribly in what could have been the game for them to fire away. Usman Khawaja failed early after having scored 3 beautiful boundaries, including one off the first delivery of the game. However, it had to be Michael Neser who got the better of the left-handed batsman with a nice delivery. 

Okay fine, Callum Ferguson would have saved us again, I think?

Oh, Thunder fan, hope is indeed the best of things, but remember that it does not always come true. This time, Ferguson was dismissed early, for 1 run, getting wrapped up right in front to Peter Siddle. But hold up! The ball was well beyond the stump, and since we do not have DRS, that was it for Ferguson in the game. Sorry, Thunder fan. 

Let’s get to business, should Alex Hales be picked for England?

Hold your horses, mate! Alex Hales has been brilliant and I could say that he has been one of the best openers in the competition. The reason I say one of them, is because he is second best to Marcus Stoinis in the tournament. 568 runs in the tournament, an excellent fifty yet again, and it looks like the right-hander’s form is on a high, as he continued to plunder the bowlers.

So, what exactly happened after they were 88/2?

Well, they kind of lost the plot and succumbed to 100/4 in the span of two overs, after Alex Hales holed out at the deep. After Hales' dismissal, they put themselves in a muddle losing the other Alex in the span of 12 deliveries. More importantly, it put the brakes to the innings after they were playing fluid-cricket. 

Ah, how did they end the innings?

Oh, they did end the innings pretty alright, but I reckon 15-20 short of the score that they would have been hoping for after being put to bat first. A late flurry from Chris Morris and Arjun Nair ensured that they got to 151 after 20 overs, which in Adelaide conditions is fairly a small total. However, if there was one side that could prevent the Strikers on the day, it could be the leading wicket-taker Daniel Sams. 

How is there no mention of Rashid Khan?

Rashid Khan was not so effective against the Thunder and the reason was that they played him out, unlike other teams in the league. While Rashid only picked up one wicket on the night, fellow Strikers bowler Peter Siddle was effective in three dismissals, including a freak run-out to get Arjun Nair out. Siddle ended up picking 2 wickets for 21 runs in his four overs. 

Any word on that Siddle dismissal?

Siddle’s run-out to dismiss Arjun Nair was freakish, how he even managed to get a spike on the ball, we will never know. It surely did prevent another 20 runs being added to the total for the Thunder, which could have made a huge difference chasing for the Strikers. Siddle made it worse by apologising to the non-striker Nair, some call it sweet, the others plain devilish. 

Did the opening partnership click at least for the Strikers?

Nah, nope, once again, you are on the wrong side. Phil Salt and Jake Weatherald have been exceptional in the tournament but never have been on the consistent side of things. It did not change this time around too, where they only scored 7 runs for the opening wicket before Salt was dismissed by Daniel Sams. 

Did the ‘golden boy’ Daniel Sams take any wicket?

Of course, the cliched, there are three things certain in life: life, death and taxes. However, after this Big Bash season, it would now read as, life, death, taxes and Daniel Sams taking wickets. Such is the left-arm bowler’s influence on the game and today, he picked up the early wicket of the dangerous Phil Salt early in the innings. It was another slower delivery which got the left-hander a wicket, a well-deserved one. 

What about my skipper, Travis Head?

Oh, home-boy Travis Head certainly showed the home crowd what he is capable of, which is breathtaking shots. He smoked the ball around the corner for four boundaries, including a late slice on the off-side. All of this brilliance gave the home side an upper edge over the Thunder before it came crashing down when he was bowled by Jonathan Cook. 

Are you serious about Jon Cook?

Absolutely, Jonathan Cook dismissed the Strikers skipper with a bang-average delivery just outside the off-stump. The length, however, cramped the left-hander for width as he smashed the ball back onto the stumps. Pin-drop silence at the Oval, shattered stumps and possibly a shattered end to Strikers season? Furthermore, he bowled some incredible lines throughout the game. 

I feel gutted, please tell me if Wells and Alex Carey performed?

Almost. They stitched up a winning partnership, almost! It was once again Carey’s wicket that triggered a mini-collapse, just like the Australia vs India ODI in Rajkot. This time around, it was down to some pure brilliance from Callum Ferguson on the field, a pin-point throw to find a diving Carey short of his crease. Until then, the duo played brilliantly. Carey scored 28 off 32 balls, which is slow by his standards, but such were the conditions. 

So, how many wickets did Daniel Sams pick in his final spell?

Daniel Sams was brilliant and at his best when it mattered, killing the game for the home side. They could only get to 143 at the end of 20 overs, falling short of the score by 9 runs. It was gutting to see the Strikers go home in such fashion after their never-say-die attitude. 

What’s next for Thunder?

Ah, the obvious question we were waiting for. They play the Melbourne Stars at the MCG, the home for the Stars. Guess what momentum can do to you, four wins on a trot vs four losses in a row, take your pick for the team to reach the final against Sydney Sixers. However, to reach there, the Thunder have to defeat the Stars at the Mighty G. 

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