A JAW-DROPPING knock from powerful opener Chris Lynn set the tone for a fantastic run chase and ultimately dragged his Adelaide Strikers team across the line against Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium last night. In his biggest innings in five years, Lynn’s 88 off 51 balls earned him Player of the Match, and the Strikers a five-wicket win in the BBL|14 match.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the South Australian side, with Lynn’s incredible innings one to behold. He looked unstoppable throughout, surviving a until the end of the 12th over where he was finally caught by Laurie Evans off Adam Zampa. At that stage, teh score was 2-116, and the bulk of the damage was done.

Once he was back in the stands, it was clear the Strikers did not quite have the same reliability from the middle, but did enough to surpass the 142-run total set by the Renegades, losing three more wickets in the last five overs to finish on 5-143.

Lynn’s remarkable innings included 10 boundaries and four over the rope, ending after 51 balls just 12 runs short of a century. He and fellow opener D’Arcy Short (27 off 20) set the win up for the visitors, putting on 104-run opening wicket partnership in just 11 overs, with the duo both dismissed during the Strikers’ Power Surge.

Not many stuck around once the two bowed out, with Ollie Pope‘s 12 runs off 10 balls – that included a six – the only knock to reach double-figures. It proved the right call though, with the Strikers up to 116 off just 12 overs. While Renegades bowlers Zampa (2-29) and Tom Rogers (2-31) did their best to stem the flow, it was a case off too little, too late.

Earlier in the night, the Renegades started strongly, putting on 2-80 through the first 10 overs highlighted by a strong opener’s performance from Josh Brown. He whacked 66 runs off 41 balls, which included a ridiculous half dozen sixes, and five boundaries which accounted for 56 of his runs. But again, once he fell at 4-100, the going was tough.

Jacob Bethell put up a run-a-ball effort with a second-highest knock of 21, while captain Will Sutherland finished with a blaze of glory thanks to a quick-fire 18 off 11. The rest of the seven batters put up a combined 32 runs though, with wickets falling fast once the triple-digits came up. Adelaide took 6-35 to just about end the innings, of which the final score of 9-142 proved to not be enough.

The result moved the Strikers back into sixth spot, regaining it from the Brisbane Heat, and on the same amount of points as the sixth placed Renegades. Melbourne will have a chance for redemption at the MCG on January 4 when taking on rival the Stars, while Adelaide Strikers head down to the Apple Isle to face Hobart Hurricanes on January 5.

SCORECARD

RESULT: Strikers won by 5 wickets with 17 balls remaining
POTM: Chris Lynn (Adelaide Strikers)
BAT FLIP: Strikers won and elected to bowl

Melbourne Renegades
Josh Brown 66 (41), Jacob Bethell 21 (21)
Henry Thornton 3-22 (4), Jamie Overton 2-30 (4), Lloyd Pope 2-34 (3)

Adelaide Strikers
Chris Lynn 88 (51), D’Arcy Short 27 (20)
Adam Zampa 2-29 (4), Tom Rogers 2-31 (4), Jacob Bethell 1-20 (3)

INNINGS BREAKDOWN:

Power Play (1-4):
Renegades: 1-20
Strikers: 0-37

Halfway (10):
Renegades: 2-80
Strikers: 0-91

Power Surge:
Renegades: (15-16): 4-101 to 6-122 (2-21)
Strikers: (11-12): 0-91 to 2-116 (2-25)

Totals:
Renegades: 9-142
Strikers: 5-143 (17.1)

SQUADS

Melbourne Renegades: Jacob Bethell, Josh Brown, Laurie Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tim Seifert (wk), Mackenzie Harvey, Will Sutherland (c), Fergus O’Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Adam Zampa

Adelaide Strikers: Jake Weatherald, D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Ollie Pope (wk), Alex Ross (c), Jamie Overton, James Bazley, Henry Thornton, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Boyce, Lloyd Pope