In a nail-biting encounter at the Adelaide Oval, the Adelaide Strikers successfully chased down the challenging target of 200 set by the Sydney Thunder. The Strikers' victory was built on an outstanding opening partnership between Matthew Short and D'Arcy Short, followed by a decisive contribution from Adam Hose in the final moments of the match.
Winning the toss, the Sydney Thunder elected to bat first on a flat pitch. Alex Hales provided a blazing start with a superb cameo before his dismissal, closely followed by Matthew Gilkes. Cameron Bancroft then anchored the innings, forming half-century partnerships with Oliver Davies and Alex Ross to lift the Thunder to a competitive total. A late cameo from Nathan McAndrew further boosted their score to what seemed like a potentially winning total.
However, the Adelaide Strikers' opening duo, Matthew Short and D'Arcy Short, had other ideas. Their partnership reduced the equation to just 72 runs needed off the last 42 balls, a challenging task. Yet, it was the explosive batting of Adam Hose towards the end that proved to be the game-changer. With the match hanging in the balance, Hose delivered when it mattered the most and hammered Zaman Khan for a six to secure a thrilling victory, sending the local crowd into a frenzy of jubilation.
The final scores were as follows: Sydney Thunder 200-7 in 20 overs (Cameron Bancroft 74, Jamie Overton 2-29) was defeated by the Adelaide Strikers 205-4 in 19.4 overs (Matthew Short 82, Tanveer Sangha 1-33) by 6 wickets.