Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder won big in Sunday's (January 2) double header in the Big Bash League 2021-22 to boost their play-off chances.
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The Big Bash League 2021-22 saw two high-scoring matches on Sunday (January 2). The first match of the day saw the Melbourne Stars take on the Perth Scorchers, with the latter side emerging victorious.
The second match of the day saw the Sydney Thunder register a thumping win over the Adelaide Strikers. All in all, it was a good day for both the Scorchers and the Thunder.
The Scorchers won the bat flip and had no hesitation batting first. A Kurtis Patterson half-century and a well-made 40 from Colin Munro saw them bring up 100 before the halfway mark.
Cameos from skipper Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar saw them post 180-8 at the close of the innings. And it would be a total that propelled them to an eventual win.
The Scorchers were helped by an all-round showing from their bowlers. Tymal Mills (3-28), Andrew Tye (2-11) and Peter Hatzoglou (2-27) all contributed impressively.
The @ThunderBBL strike twice! ⚡️⚡️ #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/hfdYZ8UBnw
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 2, 2022
It didn’t help the Stars that their middle-order collapsed. Openers Joe Clarke (52) and Tom Rogers (32) made respectable contributions, but the remaining batsmen failed. 7 players registered single-digit scores for the Stars.
As a result, the team find themselves 6th in the table and outside of the play-off spots. However, the Scorchers currently sit atop the standings.
The second match of the day also saw the team that bat first win the game. And again, Thunder captain Sam Billings opted to bat after winning the flip.
Thunder’s middle-order didn’t do much in the match, but it mattered little. Opener Matthew Gilkes scored a thunderous 93 in an innings that included 9 fours and 3 sixes.
As a result, the Thunder were able to put up a competitive total of 172-7 in their 20 overs. But there remained a thought that maybe it was a chaseable target, given the Thunder could have easily scored in excess of 200.
But an inspired bowling performance – led by Mohammad Hasnain, who returned figures of 3-20 – saw them close out the win. Jason Sangha (2-16) and Saqib Mahmood (2-44) also chipped in nicely.
For the Strikers, none of their batsmen got going. It is telling that their best score of the day came from Harry Nielsen, who only made 39.
As a result, the Adelaide-based side are currently second-last in the table. Thunder, on the other hand, are second in the table behind only the Scorchers.
