Adelaide Strikers post second-highest BBL score in emphatic win

The Adelaide Strikers have kept their slim playoff hopes alive in emphatic fashion, recording the second-highest score in BBL history to beat the Brisbane Heat by 56 runs on Saturday night in Adelaide.

Their score of 5/251 was spearheaded by Matthew Short, who struck a 54-ball 109, alongside cameos from Chris Lynn (47 from 20) and Alex Ross (44 from 19).

Adelaide’s total is just the second time a team has passed 250 in the Big Bash League, with the Melbourne Stars making 2/273 in 2022.

The Heat made a valiant attempt at chasing down the record-breaking total, adding 195 of their own to make it the second-highest scoring BBL match in history, with 446 runs in total.

All of Brisbane’s top-order batsmen contributed, with Nathan McSweeney (43 from 24), Matt Renshaw (34 from 16) and Jack Wood (29 from 24), the primary drivers.

At 3/146 with seven overs to go, the Heat were in with a chance at top online bookmakers.

However, regular wickets throughout overs 14-16 meant the run rate ballooned, and new batsmen were forced to go for big shots immediately.

The result was four wickets for D’Arcy Short, with Brisbane losing their 10th wicket on the final ball of the innings.

Despite the victory, with just two games remaining in the regular season for Adelaide, cricket betting still have them at long odds to make the playoffs.

They currently sit in seventh place on the BBL table with six points, one point short of fourth-place but trailing both the fifth-placed Scorchers and sixth-placed Renegades on net run rate.

As a result, Marantelli Bet has them on the last line of betting to win the title ($26), and at $6 to make the playoffs.

Next up, they face top-of-the-table Sydney Sixers in a do-or-die match on Wednesday, January 15, where they are slight underdogs across the top betting apps.

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