Finn Allen’s 50 leads scorchers to victory over strikers

The Scorchers’ faith in Finn Allen has finally paid off, with the Kiwi batsman crushing a 23-ball 50 in the Big Bash League to power Perth to a seven-wicket win over the Strikers on Tuesday in Adelaide.

Having won the toss and elected to field first, the Scorchers struck early against the seventh-placed Strikers.

Top bookmakers had them as strong favourites heading into the match, and these cricket betting odds only shortened when Adelaide slumped to 6/35 after 7.2 overs.

D’Arcy Short (22 from 19) was the only top-order batsman to find success, with Ollie Pope (1 from 5), Chris Lynn (1 from 3) and Jake Weatherald (8 from 8) all failing to get going.

Captain Alex Ross (20 from 15) briefly held down the fort, but ultimately, bowlers Brendan Doggett (47 from 39) and Cameron Boyce (29 from 22) were required to save the day for the Strikers.

They did so brilliantly, putting on an unbeaten 84-run stand for the ninth wicket to take Adelaide to 8/142 from their 20 overs.

While the Strikers managed to post a competitive total, then took two quick wickets to have Perth at 2/5 after two overs, the match quickly slipped out of their grasp.

Allen, who had previously made scores of 6, 4, 0 and 0 this BBL, was brilliant, sending three deliveries over the rope and helping the Scorchers score 36 runs from overs four and five.

This drew a heated confrontation with Adelaide bowler Jamie Overton after the fifth over, which escalated when Overton ran out Allen at the non-striker’s end two overs later.

Overton eventually withdrew his mankad attempt before Allen went on to record his first half century in the BBL.

After Allen fell, Cooper Connolly (48 from 35) and Ashton Turner (35 from 18) took Perth over the line, with the Strikers reaching 3/146 from just 14.3 overs.

“They fought back nicely with the bat at the end there,” Connolly said after the match of the Striker’s efforts.

“But I guess coming out late on the over and joining the chasing on 140, I think we’re pretty happy at the halfway mark.

“To be pretty clinical was about, it was nice.

“Allen’s had a bit of a tough start, but we know what he’s capable of and he showed up tonight.

“It’s always nice to contribute.

“I just want to keep contributing and hopefully perform throughout this tournament and finish strongly.”

The win takes Perth to second on the BBL table, and shortens their odds of winning the 2024-25 title to $5 across most Big Bash bookmakers.

Next up, they will face they Sydney Thunder at home, with a spot in the semi-finals looking likely should they prevail on Friday.

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