BBL: Fawad, Cockbain shine as the Strikers make playoffs

Renshaw and Cockbain scored match-winning fifties as the two-time defending champion Sydney Sixers missed an opportunity to seal a second-place on the points table.

Fawad Ahmed took 3 wickets to continue his good form. 

Sydney Sixers    20 overs     161-7

Avendano 52 (29)                Fawad 3-16                                                                                                                        Edwards 34 (34)                   Siddle 2-32       

Adelaide Strikers    17.3 overs    165-2

Cockbain 71*(42)                H. Kerr 1-37                                                                                                                       Renshaw 50 (31)                 Dwarshuis 1-37

The Adelaide Strikers confirmed a place in the playoffs of BBL with a comfortable eight-wicket win against the two-time defending champion Sydney Sixers.

The confident Adelaide Strikers convincingly chased down Sixers’ 7 for 161 with 2.3 overs left.

This was the fourth consecutive victory for the Strikers and this is also their longest match-winning streak in the BBL.

This 8 run victory moved the Strikers with 28 points into the Eliminator final that will be played on Friday between the fourth and fifth-ranked teams.

Sydney Sixers with 31 points remained equal in terms of points with the Sydney Thunder in the battle for the second position that will give a double chance in the playoffs.

Josh Philippe and Jack Edward gave a decent start to Sydney Sixers as they added 44 runs for the opening wicket.

Josh Philippe got out for 22 in the 7th over after playing a couple of beautiful straight drives. 

Fawad continues his brilliant form

Fawad Ahmed bowled another match-winning spell for his side in this BBL season.

Fawad will turn 40 next month but for him, age is just a number.

He has taken 7 wickets in three matches since the departure of Rashid Khan.

He picked the three top-order wickets of Sydney Sixers in this match. 

He first dismissed the opener Josh Philippe and then turned picked up back-to-back wickets of Jack Edwards and Daniel Hughes in the 13th over.

It was high-quality delivery in which Fawad cleaned bowled Edwards that came in and spun away.

Fawad Ahmed picked up 3 wickets for just 16 runs from his 4 overs. 

Avendano scores a crucial fifty

Sixers were struggling on 83-4 in the 13th over when Justin Avendano came in to bat at number 6.

Avendano has become the first player in Big Bash League history to represent two sides in the same season after playing for Covid-affected Melbourne Stars earlier this month.

He scored a crucial half-century to put a decent total on the board for his side.

He smashed 52 runs off just 29 balls that included a boundary and five superb sixes. 

The fiery start from Strikers

The Adelaide Strikers got a fiery start to their innings as Matt Renshaw played a wonderful knock in the absence of their regular and in-form opener Matt Short.  

Strikers lost Henry Hunt who got caught at short third man in the 4th over.

Renshaw continued to play aggressively and helped his side to score their highest Powerplay score of this season.

The Adelaide Strikers scored 66 runs for the loss of just 1 wicket in the Powerplay.

Renshaw departed after playing an excellent knock of 50 runs off 31 balls. 

Cockbain’s excellent knock

Renshaw was well supported by the Englishman Cockbain who was the top scorer for Strikers with an impressive and unbeaten knock of 71 runs off just 42 balls.

Cockbain is playing only his 3rd match of BBL but he has become an important part of the Adelaide Strikers middle-order due to his brilliant batting performance.