With a single round of fixtures remaining, five teams are competing for three places in the playoffs
With a single round of fixtures remaining, this is the situation: three places left in the top five, five teams after them.
Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers are safely through to whatever comes next, while Melbourne Renegades have long been nothing more than passengers in this year’s Big Bash.
As for the rest, there is a winner-takes-all clash between Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder; they are playing each other back-to-back, with Strikers coming out on top earlier today. Whoever wins the return fixture will definitely qualify, while it is far from implausible that the loser might also join them in the playoff phase.
Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars both face tough challenges against the joint-leaders; Heat face Perth Scorchers who have been phenomenal after a slow start, while Stars – seventh in the table and the least likely to clamber into the top five – have to beat Sixers.
In theory, Hobart Hurricanes have the most appealing route: they face Renegades, who have won just three times all year.
Adelaide Strikers secured a crucial victory over Sydney Thunder
Adam Milne has disappeared from the international radar in recent years; his last appearance for New Zealand came in November 2018. But the decision from Shane Bond – a countryman of similarly express pace and injury trouble – to add Milne to his Sydney Thunder ranks has proven interesting.
He hasn’t been a regular wicket-taker this season, but his figures of 1 for 6 from four overs are the third-best of all time in the competition. Remarkably, Mitchell Johnson took 3 for 3 in a four-over burst in a 2017 semi-final.
Milne’s spell in full? .wd....lb...1..1.W..lbW...12
The ultimate ignominy befell Jake Weatherald, albeit an unusual fate, in his side's win over Thunder: run out at both ends, which can’t have happened often.
First, he fell victim to the fingertips of Chris Green after Phil Salt drilled a straight drive back at the off-spinner. The ball flicked Green on the way onto the stumps, with Weatherald’s bat hovering in the air.
Then, Salt set off for a run as it deflected away from mid-off via the stumps, for which Weatherald – the victim in all this – belatedly obliged. The throw went to the wicketkeeper’s end, with Weatherald short of his ground.
Getting run out at both ends. Tremendous work 😅pic.twitter.com/mFCN8XqWGx
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) January 24, 2021
On the face of it, Hobart Hurricanes’ decision to swap out Peter Handscomb midway through their innings might have seemed unusual. The former Australia batsman has captained the side at times this season in the absence of Matthew Wade, but with Hobart flying without loss after 10 overs, they called upon Tim David as their X Factor substitute to replace him.
“I'm batting five to control the middle order, but we're none down after 10 overs,” he said afterwards. “I'm potentially going to face six balls at the end of the innings so why not bring out someone who might hit a couple of sixes?”
Such were the combined efforts Wade and D’Arcy Short, David only came to the crease in the 19th over – in line with Handscomb’s expectations.
It felt like the most interesting use of the innovation, which was brought in ahead of the start of year’s tournament.
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