By eight wickets, Adelaide Strikers 169 for 2 (Weatherald 80*) defeated Hobart Hurricanes 167 for 6 (Wright 37, Boyce 2-17)
With an 80 off 32 balls, Jake Weatherald has emerged from the clouds to save the Big Bash League final prospects of the Adelaide Strikers and terminate the top-four aspirations of the Hobart Hurricanes.
Weatherald, who replaced the ailing Chris Lynn at No. 3, remained unbeaten as the Strikers closed in on 168 runs with eight wickets remaining and 25 deliveries remaining.
On Thursday night at Blundstone Arena, he scored double figures for the first time in four games this season with nine boundaries and five sixes.
Weatherald dismissed Paddy Dooley with disdain by concluding the match by utilizing the spinner for three fours and four sixes, including a maximum. Dooley concluded the match with figures of 0 for 53 off 2.5 overs.
Strikers ascended from fifth to fourth place on the standings with nine points, surpassing Melbourne Stars by one. With one game remaining, the Hurricanes are sixth, three points adrift of the top four.
The strikers will be anxiously awaiting Lynn’s fitness status in light of Sunday’s final regular-season contest against the Sydney Thunder. Lynn, who withdrew due to a hamstring strain, informed the broadcasters that his chances of starting against the Thunder were remote.
The 33-year-old will be participating in the ILT20 competition and will therefore be unavailable to participate in the finals.
Matt Short, captain of the strikers, initiated the run pursuit with a 39 off 25 balls before Weatherald and Adam Hose combined for 108 runs.
Prior to that, spinner Cameron Boyce had been particularly miserly, claiming two for seventeen from four overs when the strikers elected to field first.
Boyce tormented the Hurricanes for the second time in three days, having taken 3 for 13 in Tuesday’s victory as the player-of-the-match.
Mac Wright led the Hurricanes in scoring with 37 runs off 27 deliveries prior to Boyce stumping him in the thirteenth over with a line-ball stumping decision from the third umpire.
Tim David, who had struggled to score runs, lifted the Hurricanes in the late innings with a 22 off 10 balls. Matthew Wade returned from back issues, but he was limited to 14 of 12 deliveries. Following a sluggish start, the Hurricanes amassed 68 for 2 after ten overs.
