A 47-ball 78 from Ben Duckett set the platform for Brisbane Heat's victory against Adelaide Strikers © Getty
Brisbane Heat managed to squeeze into the top 4 despite a turbulent start to their campaign following a comprehensive win over Adelaide Strikers on Thursday (December 23). Heat put up a mammoth 208 on the board after opting to bat, and their bowlers backed up that effort to secure a 39-run win.

Chris Lynn signalled his intentions with a couple of boundaries in the very first over but Wes Agar got his revenge immediately to land an early blow. That didn't deter Heat as they kept going for the kill with regular boundaries. Tom Cooper hit a 5-ball 16 whereas Max Bryant smashed 32 off just 20 balls. Heat, who raced to 74 in just seven overs, were further boosted by a massive century partnership.

Ben Duckett plundered 10 boundaries in his 47-ball 78 while Sam Heazlett chipped in with a 30-ball 49 to give Heat a big push. The two batters were dismissed off successive deliveries by Rashid Khan and that triggered a mini collapse. Heat still ended up posting 208 on the board which proved to be more than enough.

Matthew Kuhnemann and Mark Steketee then stuck early with the new ball to add to the opposition's woes. Matt Renshaw and Jonathan Wells resurrected the innings with a half-century stand but with the required rate constantly mounting, the task was getting harder. In search of quick runs, Strikers kept losing wickets at regular intervals to eventually throw in the towel.

Brief scores: Brisbane Heat208/7 in 20 overs (Ben Duckett 78, Sam Heazlett 49; Rashid Khan 3-34) beat Adelaide Strikers169/8 in 20 overs (Jonathan Wells 55; Mark Steketee 3-27, Matthew Kuhnemann 3-47) by 39 runs.