BBL 2022-23 | Sydney Thunder canes Scorchers via Alex Ross’ blitzkrieg
Alex Ross in action for Thunder (Twitter)
The Sydney Thunder hunted down Perth Scorchers’ total with ease at the Optus Stadium. The win by the Chris Green-led side gave Thunder their two points as they jump to number two in the ongoing BBL 2022-23 points table.
Alex Ross hits a 93-metre six at Optus Stadium, watch video
Alex Ross, Oliver Davies maul Scorchers in easy run-chase
The decision to bat first backfired for the Scorchers as they lost their top four within the first eight overs, with three of them falling within the powerplay. As many as five of their batters were dismissed in the single-digits, while four others made short contributions, all ranging between 11 and 17.
Captain Ashton Turner did the bulk of the scoring with his 61. The middle-order batter took guard as early as in the sixth over of the innings, and faced 37 deliveries to elevate his side to 142-9.
On the other hand, Thunder’s Nathan McAndrew snared three wickets and was ably assisted by his teammates, notably Usman Qadir and Chris Green.
The visitors never compromised their aggressive intent in the run-chase despite losing opener Alex Hales and number three Rilee Rossouw for ducks. Oliver Davies anchored the innings for the most part with his 58-run effort, while middle-order barbarian Alex Ross brought down the thunder through his 18-ball 41*.
Green and co. eventually won the contest with three overs in bank, and made rapid gains in their race for the BBL 2022-23 playoffs.
Brief scores:
Perth Scorchers: 142-9 (20)
Ashton Turner 61 (37), Matthew Kelly 17 (12);
Nathan McAndrew 3-29, Usman Qadir 2-36
Sydney Thunder: 143-4 (17)
Oliver Davies 58 (47), Alex Ross 41* (18);
Jhye Richardson 2-36, Jason Behrendorff 1-23
Sydney Thunder won by six wickets
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