BBL10 | Strikers vs Scorchers: All-rounder Rashid Khan shines as Adelaide humble Perth

Rashid Khan would be on cloud nine today as, apart from getting the T20I Player of the Decade award from the International Cricket Council (ICC), he also led his BBL side Adelaide Strikers to a huge 71-run win over the Perth Scorchers at the Adelaide Oval.

Spin Twins Strike Hard

Although the last two wickets were picked up by pacers Peter Siddle and Daniel Worrall, it were the spinners that did all the damage before that, rendering Scorchers helpless in the middle. Between leg spinner Rashid Khan and left-arm orthodox tweaker Danny Briggs, the Strikers had four important scalps from the Scorchers' lineup.

While Briggs, 29, picked up dangerous Mitchell Marsh and lower-order hitter Jhye Richardson very cheaply, the man from Afghanistan was instrumental in dismissing overseas star Colin Munro and all-rounder Aaron Hardie.

The two of them gave away just 26 runs in six overs to account for the four wickets. Briggs, the man from England, was simply unplayable as he conceded just eight runs in his three-over spell.

Perth and the Art of Failing Miserably

In the three matches so far this season, the Scorchers have given up the game well before they were actually over. Even in this game, after doing well in the bowling department and then being 40-1 in four overs, the Scorchers just let it go, and that was the biggest mistake with no batsman hanging around or trying to build a partnership. From 40-1 to getting all out for 94 tells that the issue at hand is deeper and requires a transformative change to be dealt with.

Rashid, the Basher with the Bat

Earlier in the day, Scorchers, after winning the toss, had sent Strikers in to bat first. The opening pair of Jake Weatherald and Phil Salt made good use of the short of length bowling by the Perth bowlers at the start. But soon, the introduction of Mitchell Marsh changed things a bit for the team. The all-rounder started bowling a bit fuller and thereby, forcing batsmen to commit mistakes.

As a result, he got the wicket of Weatherald. Inspired by him, the others too started bowling a little fuller then short of a length. From 57 for none, the Strikers were reduced to 95-4 and then to 110-5. It was at this moment that Rashid Khan, full of excitement after being announced the T20I Cricketer of the Decade, started teeing off with the bat, scoring a quickfire 13-ball 29 with the help of three sixes and one four, taking the team total past the 160-mark.

Phil Salt was the only other batsman that looked solid as the opener scored 51 off 31 balls. Khan was adjudged Man of the Match for his all-round effort.

What's Next?

A repeat of this encounter will be witnessed on 31st December where the Scorchers would like to get a win to get off the mark as well as to avenge this humiliating loss. Strikers, on the other hand, would be looking to consolidate their position in the top half of the table.

Discover more

Inside out | Always rising as bowler, Bumrah now blossoming as leader of the attack

It's the 19th over of Australia's second innings, but for a change from the first innings, Mohammed Siraj has already bowled 21 balls in his first spell. This opportunity too, of bowling with a relatively new ball too arrived through an injury to his senior partner Umesh Yadav who could not bowl a longish spell with the new ball due to a calf injury. Siraj is working a nice rhythm while Ravichandran Ashwin was playing tricks with the ball to keep Marnus Labuschagne what was to happen on every next ball and eventually dismissing him with one that kept going on with the arm. For the hosts, Matthew Wade was looking in no mood to give his wicket away like in the first innings and batting vigilantly against Ashwin, until one delivery off Siraj moved off the pitch to hit him on his pad. Siraj showed all his exuberance and pleaded hard enough to the skipper Ajinkya Rahane to go for the review albeit very reluctantly. The ball-tracking showed the ball had pitched way outside the leg stump and it was evident in the Rahane’s reluctance in going for the review. On the face of it, the decision of going for the review looked awful, Siraj’s adamant demand for it looked ever so ridiculous. Siraj would be forgiven for his passion on his Test debut, but Rahane got sucked into that pleading from Siraj and India lost that review. The display of the ball tracker on the big screen would have been seen by all including Siraj and it must not have been a great spectacle for his cricketing acumen while he was calling on his captain to call for the review. It could have stuck in his mind, and he could have felt the heat of a bad error in judgment, but the only pacer who was left for the tourists on the pitch and their talisman with the ball—Jasprit Bumrah patted Siraj’s back more than once as the young man was walking towards the end of his bowling mark with his head down in guilt of wasting a review and disappointment of not getting a wicket he thought he had in his pocket. In Siraj’s spell, Bumrah was fielding at the mid-off position, where players standing play an important role as bowlers go through long spells where they set a batsman up. At the same venue, Bumrah was at the receiving end of wise words from Rohit Sharma standing at mid-off which led to him bowling a slower ball on the last before the lunch interval that had left Shaun Marsh to look like a student who saw a question from part of syllabus he did not even touch before appearing for the examination. It was critical for Siraj to come good on the third day as the pitch was only getting better to bat with the sun coming out and India were also without one of their three seamers. Ashwin was bowling with superb control but he could not bowl for forever while Bumrah had finished his first spell and there the seamer who has grown more rapidly than the number of his playing days in Test cricket though the inputs from id off will be critical. In his short playing career, Bumrah has shown all the qualities of being a thinking cricketer, but on the third day of the MCG Test, he understood that Siraj needed a bit of comfort that he belonged to this level to ease up and bowl according to his strengths. It was not the first time Siraj got the back of Bumrah, as the current spearhead of the Indian pace bowling had also spoken very highly of his performance in the first innings and especially the confidence is shown by Siraj in trying to execute all his plans on his debut Test received special mention in Bumrah’s word of appreciation. “He has worked really hard and come up the ranks. He was eager to bowl in the first session itself. There wasn’t a lot happening after lunch and he (Siraj) bowled with a lot of control. Suddenly he started getting some movement and wanted to make the best of it. Playing his first Test match, he bowled really well and had the confidence of using all his skills. It’s a heartening sign for us and hopefully, he will continue doing that,” Bumrah had said at the end of the first day’s play. Bumrah’s move of comforting Siraj paid off as he moved on from that horrible review call and the focus to bowl in the channel outside off stump was regained by the time he return with his second spell after the fall of Steve Smith at the hands of Bumrah and Wade through a faster spinner off Jadeja. Siraj was brought back into the attack and on cue, his first delivery was shaping away from Travis Head after pitching around the off stump line and lured the left-hander into pushing away from the body. The outside edge was found and so was the transformation of Siraj from a situation of putting his head down with disappointment and a bit of embarrassment to a certain delight of eliminating yet another hurdle in the path of his country’s character-defining win at the MCG. It must not have been easy for Bumrah to lead such a raw bowling attack where he with a 15-match long career is the most trusted pacer in the lineup but if the first two Tests of the ongoing series are any sort of evidence to go by on the maturity of Jasprit Bumrah, it can be fairly said that the gap the retirement of Zaheer Khan or the absence of Ishant Sharma has left in terms of guiding the younger players in the line up to prosper, has been started to be filled by the new talisman in the form of Bumrah.

Captaincy is all about trusting your instincts: Ajinkya Rahane

Australia are leading by just two runs but have only four wickets in hands to post a challenging total for the India team to chase, and once again the limelight was on Rahane's captaincy who marshalled his troops well to keep the pressure going on the Australian batsmen who are yet to hit their form this series. Discussing the aspect of his captaincy and the fact that he did not look alien in the situation of leading the team, Rahane said that trusting one’s gut feeling holds the key in clarity of decision making. "Captaincy is all about backing your instinct. You’ve got to back your gut feeling. Sometimes it goes your way but sometimes it doesn't," Rahane told Fox Cricket after the end of second day's play at the MCG. India closed in on a fantastic victory at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test on the back of bowlers’ fantastic day out angst the Australian batting line up to help Indian reach this position. He credited the bowlers for their relentless approach while defending the lead of 131 runs they secured in the first innings. "Credit to the bowlers, they bowled in the right areas,” Rahane commended his bowling line up. Before bowlers came back to run riots amongst the hosts' batsmen, Ajinkya Rahane, the batsman had to step up and he played possibly the innings of his career. However, Rahane still rates his century at the Lord’s on the tour of England in 2014 as the best innings of his career. Rahane was run out early on day three and it led to the exposure of Indian long tail which could not wag for a long period of time, and India squandered the advantage they could have had bowling on the third-day pitch. Rahane was answering to Jadeja’s calls when he was found short of the crease in pursuit of a quick single but showed a sign of being a great leader by going to the southpaw and consoling him to regain focus after his dismissal. Rahane would have known what Jadeja might be feeling after running him out, as he too was the cause of a Virat Kohli’s run out in the Adelaide Test. “I initially thought I was in. I told Jadeja not to worry about my run out and to do keep doing well. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it big (after the Kohli run out). I said sorry to him after the day. It happens in cricket,” Rahane added in his quick interaction with Fox Cricket.

Sixers looking to retain top spot against deflated Renegades

Melbourne Renegades had a forgettable last match where they got bowled out for a paltry 80. Their opponents in the next game, to be played on Tuesday, Sydney Sixers, had an equally memorable match in their last outing. As a result of their heart-stopping, final over win against Melbourne Stars, Sixers are at the top of the table. Renegades, on the other hand, are second from the bottom. With contrasting forms in this season so far, the two teams will face off in Carrara. While Sixers are unlikely to change anything as far as their team composition is concerned, Renegades might have to look at a few things. Renegades Look to Regain Form Despite being at the seventh position in the points table, Renegades are not looking completely out of sorts. Their batting line-up looks relatively good despite the collapse in the last match. Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh are the best opening pair in the league - at least on paper. Even the no. 3 and 4 in the batting order - Sam Harper and Rilee Rossouw got a fifty each in the second game. So, no great concerns there. The presence of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nabi adds depth to their batting. The bowling department is also likely to remain relatively unaltered. Kane Richardson would remain the lead bowler but whether Josh Lalor plays or Will Sutherland, or both, remains to be seen. The spin department looks very solid with the 15-year old Noor Ahmed showing some talent. However, it would be the more experienced Mohammad Nabi whom the team would be relying on more. Peter Hatzoglou is an interesting option but he, like most leg-spinners, can go the distance as well. Overall, the bowling attack has potential but is yet to fully find its form. They haven't followed up their good performance in the first match with good results in the next two. Sixers Soaring High For Sixers, it will be a case of hoping for more of the same. Their batting line-up is performing well with the captain Daniel Hughes playing a majestic innings in the last match. With Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite batting at no. 7 and 8, there is a lot of depth and firepower that this team has. Players like Jordan Silk and James Vince are very dangerous, as it Daniel Christian. The only problem is the lack of runs from the openers as a pair. While both Josh Phillipe and Jack Edwards have looked good at times, they haven't given their middle order the solid platform to build on. This could become a headache if they fail again tomorrow. Edwards, especially, has failed in his three last innings. This may tempt the team management to shift Hughes to the opening slot. Among the bowlers, Carlos Braithwaite has shown good control while his West Indian teamamte Jason Holder is getting into his groove. However, the real power lies in the spin bowling department with Steve O'Keefe proving to be very effective, both as a wicket-taker and run-stopper. Benjamin Manenti has been complementing him brilliantly. The off spinner and left arm spinner have formed a formidable duo. There is a problem with Gurinder Sandhu. His place in the team may be in danger. Renegades vs Sixers: Match Details Venue Carrara Oval, Carrara Date and Time: December 29, 12:50 PM IST, 5:20 PM Local, 7:20 AM GMT Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report The Carrara Oval hasn't been used for cricket in a very long time. As a result, there is complete suspense as to what the pitch would be like. Most probably, it would be a flat track, the default option for pitches these days. But, who knows? There might a surprise or two for the players. Weather and Toss There is a danger of rain on the day of the match. This, coupled with the fact that the ocean isn't very far, could provide seamers some help. If the rain comes before the match, the captain who wins the toss may decide to bowl first. Probable XIs Sixers: Josh Phillipe (Wk), Daniel Hughes (C), James Vince, Jack Edwards, Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Ben Manenti, Steve O'Keefe, Ben Dwarshuis Renegades: Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (C), Sam Harper (Wk), Rilee Rossouw, Jason Fraser-McGurk, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Zak Evans, Peter Hatzoglou

Bowlers lead India's prance into ascendancy

India tightened their grasp on the Boxing Day Test by dismantling Australia to 133/6 in the second innings after procuring a 131-run lead earlier in the third day.