Brisbane Heat 154 (Labuschagne 46, Conway 3-36) beat Adelaide Strikers 137 for 9 (Short 39, Bazley 3-30) by 17 runs
Brisbane Heat revived their struggling BBL season and spoiled the returns of Travis Head and Alex Carey with a 17-run victory over Adelaide Strikers in sweltering conditions.
After being sent in, under-pressure Heat mustered a modest 154 in temperatures nudging 40 degrees celsius at the Adelaide Oval.
Johnson’s rapid pace again impresses
There was intrigue if the left-arm quick could back it up and Johnson did just that with a maiden over to start, where he hit speeds of 150kmh to fluster Lynn. So impressive was Johnson that Australian great Adam Gilchrist on the Fox broadcast likened the 27-year-old to his namesake Mitchell Johnson.
But Johnson, who played in the 50-over Marsh Cup previously for South Australia and was on Adelaide Strikers’ list last season, was brought back to earth in his next over by a typically fearless Lynn.
He returned in the 16th over amid the power surge and impressively held his nerve. Johnson then claimed his maiden BBL wicket with a perfect yorker to knock over Wes Agar to cap another fine performance.
Strikers’ star-studded batting order fail to fire
New batter Lynn was keen to finish his strong first campaign with Strikers on a high and started with a gorgeous drive to the boundary off Kuhnemann. But he was bogged down by Johnson before falling to Kuhnemann for 22 off 24 balls. It was a disappointment for Lynn, who finished with 416 runs at a strike-rate of 141 from 11 matches.
Returning from Test duties, Alex Carey fell in the next over for just two and Strikers’ chase never recovered.
Labuschagne falls short of maiden BBL half-century
They hoped to cash in at the traditionally batting-friendly Adelaide Oval, but Khawaja fell for two in the third over before Labuschagne and Renshaw turned things around with a 42-run third-wicket partnership.
Renshaw looked in sweet touch, but for the second straight game couldn’t kick on. With inventiveness, including well executed scoops, Labuschagne anchored the innings as he eyed a maiden BBL half-century in his 19th match.
Boyce winds back the clock
He came into the attack in the sixth over with Strikers under pressure from big-hitting opener Josh Brown. Boyce smartly took pace off the ball to lure Brown into a false shot for his first wicket of the season.
He then bowled well during the middle overs and broke a dangerous partnership between Renshaw and Labuschagne.
Boyce fortunately picked up the wicket of Renshaw with a half-tracker, but was rewarded after building pressure through mixing up his speed.
Having once been a much-hyped prospect, playing seven T20Is from 2014-16, Boyce’s career was derailed by injuries before he spectacularly re-emerged late last season with four wickets in four balls for Melbourne Renegades against Sydney Thunder.
It led to being recruited by Strikers, who wanted suitable cover for Rashid which has proven prophetic so far. After he finished his four-over spell, Boyce went off the ground with a suspected calf niggle and Strikers will be hoping it is not a serious injury.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth