Left Arm Around

Adelaide Strikers comprehensively defeated defending champions Perth Scorchers by 50 runs at Optus Stadium to secure a place in the Challenger.

They will face Brisbane Heat at the Heritage Bank Stadium in Carrara on Monday, with final qualification at stake.

Well here we are.

Despite the hysteria, their reputation and the well-rounded nature of their team, Perth Scorchers are eliminated. And in some style, too.

After winning the bat flip and opting to field, the hosts began fantastically as runs came slowly and the wickets tumbled.

Harry Nielsen was ran-out courtesy of a quick release from skipper Aaron Hardie running in from mid-on.

Reduced to 48-4, the Strikers then fought back valiantly as Jake Weatherald dominated a partnership of 43 with Ben Manenti- Ashton Agar suffering gruesomely at the hands of Weatherald when he crunched two stunning sixes down the ground.

Weatherald was then bowled for a fine 56 when he missed an attempted reverse lap, before Hardie struck again when James Bazley edged behind for 4.

Manenti was later stumped for 23 as Cooper Connolly continued his impressive spell, but lower-order cameos from Henry Thornton and English import David Payne propelled them to a decent total of 155-7.

The Scorchers began well as BBL debutant Sam Fanning hit his straps and Marcus Harris played the anchor, but Fanning’s dismissal for 31 lead to a stunning collapse.

From 38-0, the men in orange soon found themselves teetering at 70-5 as spin twins Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce ripped through the heart of their line-up- Hardie’s departure a highlight as Pope cannoned into middle and off-stump.

Matt Short returned to take a brilliant caught and bowled shortly after, but it was the work of Pope, 24, and Boyce, 34, that did the potent damage and decided the final outcome.

Boyce has 12 wickets in 10 BBL matches this season, while Pope’s figures of 4/24 are the second-best of his T20 career so far.

Connolly hit a late-innings 31 to showcase his all-round abilities, though he soon ran-out of capable partners as the hosts whimpered to a horrific defeat in front of a devastated Western Australia crowd.

It would be fitting that Boyce claimed the final wicket, Bazley taking an outstanding catch on the long-on boundary edge as the Scorchers ended 105 all-out.

Only Connolly, Inglis and the young Fanning managed to reach double-figures- a sorry affair as the Scorchers will be left to rue the absence and experience of the in-form Laurie Evans.

Adelaide Strikers, nonetheless, were not deterred by the losses of Adam Hose, Chris Lynn and Jamie Overton- the trio heading to the illustrious riches of the ILT20.

Wednesday will be the first BBL final without Perth Scorchers since the 2019/20 season.