Week 3 My Review (KFC BBL 2018/19)
It was an entertaining week of T20 cricket. Find out what happened.
Monday December 31st
Strikers v Thunder
Alex Carey and Colin Ingram combined for a solid partnership, which meant that the Strikers won the game; both batsmen managed to score half centuries. Alex Carey proved that he is going to be an important player for Australia at the very least at T20 level. Despite the Strikers batting well, Peter Siddle was the match winner for the Strikers; he took 3 wickets and conceded an average of just 5 runs per over. The Strikers won by just 20 runs with the Thunder batting reasonably well.
Tuesday January 1st
Heat v Sixers
Chris Lynn was outstanding for the Heat with 84 runs, helping them post what appeared to be an unassailable total. Tom Curran was a solid performer with the bowl for the Sixers taking 3 wickets. Moses Henriques and Jordan Silk helped the Sixers chase down a total with a required run rate of just over 8 runs per over.
Stars v Renegades
The Renegades managed to reach a reasonably total considering their top scorer accumulated 32 runs; all rounder, Dan Christian. For the Stars, Darren Bravo took 3 wickets, while Scott Boland and Marcus Stoinis took 2 wickets. The Stars chased down the target of 149 runs with over 2 overs left, mainly thanks to Stoinis who finished 78 not out.
Wednesday January 2nd
Thunder v Scorchers
Jos Buttler and Callum Ferguson combined for an 82 run partnership for the 2nd wicket for the Thunder, yet the Thunder only reached a total of 142 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Despite the average total that the Thunder posted they managed to defend that target successfully by the smallest of margins; 1 run. Ashton Turner led from the front for the Scorchers with 60 not out; an outstanding performance in a losing side.
Thursday January 3rd
Renegades v Strikers
Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald got the Strikers off to a good start with a 60 run partnership. The Strikers were restricted to a total of 158 for the loss of 6 wickets thanks to some good bowling from Cameron Boyce and Dan Christian. Boyce took 2 wickets, conceding an average of just 4 runs per over, while Christian conceded just 3.5 runs per over from the 2 overs that he bowled. It was strange that Christian only bowled 2 overs as he slowed the Strikers run rate down. The Renegades were disappointing in reply with all 6 Renegades bowlers used taking at least 1 wicket, including captain Colin Ingram.
Friday January 4th
Hurricanes v Sixers
The Sixers batted first and posted a more than respectable total of 8 for 161. Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques combined for a 67 run partnership for the 4th wicket, which meant that the Sixers had a solid platform to post a good total for the Hurricanes to chase. James Faulkner and Johan Botha both took 3 wickets each to help the Hurricanes restrict the Sixers score somewhat. Darcy Short was the standout with the bat for the Hurricanes with 64 runs. Sean Abbott took 2 wickets for the Sixers, however the Hurricanes chased down the total set to maintain their unbeaten start to the tournament.
Saturday January 5th
Stars v Thunder
The Stars dominated the game from start to finish; it was a thoroughly impressive performance by them, firstly with the bat and then with the bowl. Marcus Stoinis was the best player for either side; he took 2 wickets and scored 34 runs. It was a one sided contest in which the Thunder never looked like winning.
Scorchers v Heat
The Scorchers batted first with the Scorchers scoring runs at a slow rate, despite not losing early wickets, scoring at just over 6 runs per over. All of the 5 bowlers utilized contributed; either taking at least 1 wicket or keeping the run rate down. In reply, the Heat made somewhat hard work of the chase losing 5 wickets, but they reached the target and that’s all that matters.
Sunday January 6th
Strikers v Sixers
The Strikers would be disappointed with their performance. They posted a total of 150 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, which was a reasonably good target, but they relied to much on Rashid Khan with the bowl, who took 2 wickets at a reasonably respectable run rate per over. On the hand the Sixers would be pleased with claiming the victory; they lost just 4 wickets in their run chase. Joe Denly made 76 runs not out; Denly was the match winner for the Sixers with a dominant batting performance.