Strikers slam-Dunk Hurricanes in BBL

Jan 6, 2017 - 11:32 AM The Strikers have kept their BBL finals hopes alive, inflicting swift redemption on the Hobart Hurricanes with a five-wicket win at Adelaide Oval.

Opener Ben Dunk clubbed an undefeated 79 off 49 deliveries on Friday night against his old side to steer the Strikers to 5-164 and victory with 10 balls to spare, four days after being embarrassed by the Hurricanes at Bellerive Oval.

The competition's second-highest run-scorer, Dunk was at his belligerent best and combined well with skipper Brad Hodge (30) to resurrect the run chase after the early departures of Jake Weatherald (10) and Travis Head (nine).

English ace Stuart Broad was hammered for 15 in the opening over and grassed Dunk on 54 at short cover but returned to the attack to pick up Hodge and Jono Dean (duck), both caught behind.

Fresh off his match-winning 5-14 earlier this week, Dan Christian again was Hobart's best bowler with 2-24 but the visitors had no answers for Dunk. He was there at the end with Chris Jordan who clubbed a six off Cameron Boyce for the winning runs.

Earlier, counterattacking half-centuries to Beau Webster (67no) and Jon Wells (55) saved Hobart from embarrassment as the visitors recovered from a precarious 5-30 to post 8-161 after losing ther toss.

Webster - in his first BBL dig - and Wells put on 89 for the sixth wicket after Hobart's top order, who made short work of the Strikers' bowling in Tuesday's thumping eight-wicket victory, was dismantled in the return bout.

Jordan, the second-best wicket-taker in this BBL season, was the pick of Adelaide's bowlers with 3-24, including the scalps of former Test pair Tim Paine and George Bailey.

"I wasn't actually aware of that but it's nice to know," Jordan said when advised only Sean Abbott has taken more BBL wickets than him this summer.

"It's welcome news but more welcome news is the win - we really needed it.

"It was nice to get them (Paine and Bailey) early and get the team off to a good start which we did in the powerplay and then restrict them to 161."

"We got them in Hobart and to come out here was always going to be tough," Webster said.

"They got off to a good start and that's the key in these 160-170 run chases.

"Dunky ended up being too good and got away from us."

Source: AAP