Phil Hughes was the star as Adelaide Strikers opened their Big Bash account with a solid six-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers at the WACA with four balls remaining.
The Scorchers won the toss and chose to bat, and a target of 170-plus was clearly the goal for Adam Voges and his men.
Some tight bowling and excellent fielding by the Strikers restricted Perth at key moments.
Shaun Marsh opened strongly for the Scorchers, hitting three fours and three sixes in his 57 off 45 balls, while Adam Voges held the innings together with 58 off 41 deliveries, and a cameo innings of 14 off five balls by Nathan Coulter-Nile helped Perth to 6 for 162 off their 20 overs.
For Adelaide, Gary Putland took 2 for 39, while Nathan Lyon, Saeed Ajmal and Johan Botha chipped in with a wicket each.
Adelaide started slowly, with just 24 runs off their first four overs, then Michael Klinger began to hit out before falling for 19 in the sixth over off Joe Mennie.
Hughes then took charge, flaying the bowling with nine fours and one six in a stellar knock of 74 off 48 balls - which took the game away from the home side - before he was out to Brad Hogg in the 15th over, leaving the Strikers at 3 for 111, still needing 52 runs to win.
Big-hitting Nathan Reardon then took over, with a powerful knock of 42 off 26 balls.
The critical moment was Reardon and Theo Doropoulos (12 off 11 balls) taking 19 runs off Ben Edmondson (1 for 35) in the 18th over.
Adelaide ticked off the total with a boundary from Doropoulos, with Hughes named man of the match.
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, perth-6000, wa, adelaide-5000, sa, australia First posted December 10, 2012 01:19:04
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