Thunder prevail in Knockout after Strikers' late collapse

Sydney Thunder prevailed in the Knockout clash against Adelaide Strikers © Getty

A couple of stunning fielding efforts backed up by a nerveless bowling display orchestrated the late turnaround that saw Sydney Thunder prevail in the Knockout clash over Adelaide Strikers on Saturday (February 1). From a comfortable position in the chase, the Strikers lost seven wickets for 24 runs to fall short of the target, thereby crashing out of the tournament. On the other hand, this win takes Thunder through to the Challenger round where they will play Melbourne Stars for a spot in the final.

Chasing a modest 152, hosts Adelaide were cruising on the back of a 50-run fourth-wicket partnership between Jonathan Wells and Alex Carey. They were only 37 away from victory with 31 balls left when Thunder captain Callum Ferguson produced a direct-hit to send Carey packing. Ferguson threw himself forward after charging in from extra cover, releasing the ball while still airborne and nailed the one stump he had in sight.

It proved to be the inspiration that his bowlers needed as they rallied to trigger a late collapse. Rashid Khan and Matthew Short both fell for ducks before Michael Neser's threat was snuffed out quickly by an excellent recovery under a high ball from Arjun Nair after he had initially misjudged the catch. The final nail came with the dismissal of Wells right at the start of the 20th over in which the Strikers needed 13.

Daniel Sams, Chris Morris and Jonathan Cook were all brilliant in those final five overs, off-setting the underperformance of their batsmen on what was a decent pitch at the Adelaide Oval.

After being put in to bat, Alex Hales had set things up wonderfully for the Thunder with 59 off 35 balls before falling in the 12th over. The middle and lower orders though just weren't up for it. Alex Ross ate up 20 balls for his 12, while the rest weren't far better as the innings lost its way leading to an underwhelming finish, scoring just 62 off the final nine overs.

The Strikers didn't have a great start in response, stuttering along to 65/3 around the nine-over mark. It was only when Wells and Carey joined hands did the innings find momentum. It should've been enough to see them through. But the nerves of a knockout clash kicked in with devastating effect to derail their hopes.

Brief scores: Sydney Thunder 151/7 in 20 overs (Alex Hales 59; Peter Siddle 2/21, Michael Neser 1/21) beat Adelaide Strikers 143/9 in 20 overs (Jonathan Wells 34; Jonathan Cook 2/16, Daniel Sams 3/26, Chris Morris 2/22) by eight runs.