WHAT. A. GAME!! We were a bit worried there Stars fans but the boys did it! We almost couldn’t watch the last over we were so nervous but they’ve walked away WINNERS!!
Score
Melbourne 8-153 def. Adelaide Strikers 8-152 by 2 wickets.
Summary
With Dunk off to a flyer early and the Strikers sitting at 0-33 after three overs, our bowling attack needed to be on tonight and on they were!
Bolo snagged the wicket of Weatherald off his first ball of the game and then managed THREE more, finishing with 4-30 off his fours overs. Debutant Liam Bowe lived up to his nickname tonight – the Wizard sent danger man Dunk on his way for just 35 in his first ever over for #TeamGreen! Hilfy also snagged two wickets in his last over, NEARLY getting a hat-trick. Really it was just a super night for our bowlers!
So with 153 the target, Bobby and Wrighty took to the pitch. Bobby blasted out of the gates, smashing 20 runs off his first seven balls.
Dunk got the breakthrough wicket, picking up Wrighty for just nine runs in the fifth over. Bobby, Pete and Stoin all fell within four overs. The Hussler again looked in good touch but was caught out by Weatherald for 15 off his 8 balls, with KP the next to fall for a score of 32.
The Gobbler had a good run before he was bowled by Laughlin for 22, and Bolo was sent back to the bench for a duck, which meant it came down to Hilfy and Beery. But what a stand by Hilfy! Finishing with an unbeaten 32 from just 24 balls, Hilfy hit our winning runs in the very last over.
The Moment
LIAM BOWE YOU STAR! What a first over for the debutant! Coming in at the sixth over, the Wizard bowled a pretty good first five balls to Ben Dunk and Tim Ludeman, but we don’t think anyone predicted the outcome of the final ball! With Dunk on strike, Bowe charged in and the ball flew through the air. The Hussler took an amazing stretch catch to send Dunk on his way and gave the Wizard his first wicket in Stars colours. We reckon that’s a pretty good start to the Big Bash if you ask us!
The Player
HILFY YOU LEGEND!!! What a knock from this full-time bowler/almost-never batter! Finishing 32* off 24 balls, Hilfy hit our winning runs to get us over the line. Smashing three boundaries and a six, Hilfy played his role beautifully tonight and really dug in when the team needed him to. We know we were a bit nervous there for a while, especially in those last two overs, but Hilfy performed under pressure tonight in front of more than 40,000 people. What a star!
The Next Game
Our boys next face the Scorchers at the WACA on Saturday 14 January. It will be a tough contest for our boys but we know they’re up for the challenge! You can catch them in action LIVE on Channel 10 from the Furnace at 9.15pm.