Adelaide Strikers produced a stunning late-game surge to seal a six-run win over the Sydney Thunder, ending the visitors’ playoff hopes despite a fighting half-century from David Warner.
Set 166 to win, Thunder were cruising at 73/0 before Jamie Overton flipped the script with a fiery spell that triggered a collapse. Warner battled through to an unbeaten 67*, but wickets kept tumbling around him as Lloyd Pope and Hassan Ali kept the pressure on at the death. Luke Wood then held his nerve in the final over, denying Thunder the 13 runs they needed to stay alive in the tournament.
Earlier, Liam Scott anchored the Strikers’ innings with a composed unbeaten 49*, while Mackenzie Harvey chipped in with 38 to help the hosts post 165/8. Wes Agar was brilliant with the ball for Thunder, claiming 3/16 and closing the innings with real authority.
But when it mattered most, the Strikers’ attack stood tall. Overton finished with 3/25, Pope grabbed 2/37, and Warner’s frustration told the story as Thunder slumped to their fourth straight defeat, and out of the finals race, with just one win from seven games.
For the Strikers, the win keeps their season alive. For the Thunder, it marks the end of another campaign that promised plenty, but delivered heartbreak once again.
