Big Bash Daily: Alex Carey hits first century of BBL 10 as Strikers cruise to victory over Heat

Alex Carey struck 101 off 62 deliveries to guide his side to an 82-run victory over Brisbane Heat at the Adelaide Oval

Alex Carey stars with century hours after losing IPL contract

24 hours after losing his IPL contract, Adelaide Strikers captain Alex Carey hit the first century of BBL 10 to secure four valuable points for his side as their quest for playoff qualification intensifies.

Delhi Capitals head coach, Ricky Ponting, had to watch on from the commentary box as Carey his 10 fours and three sixes to score an impressive 101 off 62 deliveries. The wicketkeeper is just the sixth player in Big Bash history to hit multiple centuries in the competition, a stat which should do his IPL auction hopes no harm.

Playing on home turf, Strikers controlled proceedings from the off, racing past 50 inside five overs before Marnus Labuschagne removed Jake Weatherald to end his partnership with Carey on 66. However, the wicket did little to curb Adelaide’s momentum as Heat’s bowlers took a beating.

Only four overs were hit for fewer than six runs while Carey and co. crashed 18 fours and six sixes as they raced to an imposing total of 197/5. Carey was caught by Jimmy Pierson off Mark Steketee’s bowling with one ball remaining  but not before he’d notched up his highest career BBL score.

With the ball, Wes Agar struck early to dismiss in-form opener Chris Lynn inside the powerplay, removing Brisbane Heat’s chief run scorer. Labuschagne and Joe Denly laboured to 62, struggling to score more than a run a ball, before Agar struck twice in the ninth over to leave Brisbane 64-3.

💯 The magic moment 💯

Alex Carey was BRILLIANT on his way to 101 from just 62 balls #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/3ah9Ft03kI

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 21, 2021

After missing the Bash Boost point by 36 runs, Lewis Gregory and Joe Burns fell victim to Peter Siddle in consecutive balls to all but guarantee victory for Strikers. Maintaining the pressure, Adelaide took a wicket every over from the 14th onwards before a stunning one-handed catch by Michael Neser completed the kill with 16 balls remaining.

Agar and Siddle finished with figures of 4-27 and 3-13, respectively, as Adelaide leapt up to fourth in table with two matches remaining.

Welcome to Big Bash, Marnus Labuschagne

Making his first appearance of BBL 10 after returning from international duty with Australia, Labuschagne would have been looking forward to easing himself back into T20 life. Unfortunately, Carey was taking no prisoners and smashed the part-time spinner for two consecutive sixes to deliver an unconventional “welcome back” message.

Still licking his wounds from Australia’s defeat at the Gabba, Labuschagne then dropped a routine take from Carey to compound his miserable week. However, the 26-year old recovered quickly to dismiss Weatherald with the following delivery and later removed Travis Head to finish with figures of 2-20.

With the bat, he struggled to make the adjustment from Test to T20 and was pinned lbw by Agar for a disappointing 28 off 25 balls.

Playoff qualification heating up for Brisbane

Brisbane Heat have lost three of their last four matches and now sit seventh with just two matches remaining. Fortunately for the BBL02 champions, just three points separate them from second-placed Perth Scorchers, with only reigning champions Sydney Sixers beyond their reach.

However, there is no guarantee of points from their final two fixtures. Up first is a potential banana skin match against Melbourne Renegades on Saturday. Renegades have won just six matches since claiming the title in 2019 but pulled off a shock Melbourne derby victory on January 20. As the only team out of playoff contention, Renegades will be playing with nothing to lose.

Then, as part of a fixture triple-header on January 26, Heat face in-form Perth Scorchers. Playing in Adelaide works to Heat’s advantage as Scorchers are notoriously vulnerable away from home. However, when the two sides met earlier in the competition, Scorchers bowled Heat out for 115 to complete a 59-run victory.

A huge wicket for Marnus Labuschagne and isn't he pumped!?#BBL10 | @BKTtires pic.twitter.com/uhICdiOZls

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 21, 2021

Friday double-header: Hurricanes vs Scorchers and Sydney Smash Part II

Strap yourself in for six hours of BBL action. At 5am (GMT) Hobart Hurricanes take on Perth Scorchers at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium. It’s a battle of the big hitters, pitting Hobart’s Ben McDermott (96 v Sydney Thunder) against Perth’s Colin Munro (82 v Brisbane Heat) in what could become a boundary-fest. Add in the joined leader of the Golden Arm standings, Jhye Richardson (Scorchers), and you have a recipe for a titanic clash in Melbourne.

Over in Adelaide a few hour later, Sydney Sixers take on Sydney Thunder in Sydney Smash part II. Sixers triumphed in the rain-affected derby earlier in the competition and, sitting eight points clear of second with three games remaining, can all but guarantee top spot with victory.

For their opponents, however, the stakes couldn’t be higher.  Thunder have lost their last three fixtures, slipping from second to fifth in the process, and have lost talismanic all-rounder Daniel Sams for their final three group matches.