Perth Scorchers pulled off a superb late-match surge to seal a 33-run victory over Adelaide Strikers at Optus Stadium, climbing to second place on the BBL table after a night where spin dominated early before Joel Paris and Ashton Turner flipped the script with the ball.
Defending 153 for 8, the Scorchers appeared under pressure as the Strikers moved steadily to 48 for 1 and later 86 for 5, with Lloyd Pope (4 for 23) and Tabraiz Shamsi (3 for 30) earlier ripping through Perth’s batting in a relentless spin assault. But the match turned dramatically when Paris stormed through the Strikers’ middle and lower order, taking 3 for 22, including two wickets in the first over of the Power Surge, to trigger a collapse of 6 for 34.
Paris’ night had already included a priceless 20 not out with the bat, but his decisive spell arrived in the 16th over when, with 49 needed off 30, he removed Jerrssis Wadia and Luke Wood to leave Adelaide reeling. Turner (2 for 1) also delivered key breakthroughs, removing Matthew Short and Jason Sangha in quick succession to halt the chase just as it was gathering momentum.
Earlier, Perth were rocked by the withdrawals of Finn Allen and Laurie Evans, and the Strikers’ spin-heavy plan appeared to break the match open. Shamsi dismissed Mitchell Marsh and Cooper Connolly in the space of four balls, celebrating with his trademark shoe-phone, before Pope dismantled the middle order to leave Perth 87 for 5. Late strikes from Turner and Paris lifted the total to 153, which initially looked vulnerable but ultimately proved more than enough.
The Strikers’ chase never fully recovered from the Scorchers’ counterpunch, folding for 120 in 18.1 overs, with Thomas Kelly and Harry Nielsen unable to spark a late rescue after a promising start from Short and Jake Weatherald.
With three straight wins, the Scorchers now look every bit the title contenders again, while Adelaide will rue letting a dominant position slip through their fingers on a night when their spinners almost stole the show.
