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In the 13th match of the ongoing Big Bash League 2020-21, Adelaide Strikers defeated Brisbane Heat by 2 runs at The Gabba on Wednesday.
Chasing 151, Heat started horribly after losing opener Sam Heazlett for a duck on the second ball of the first over. As if the trouble wasn’t enough, left-armer Danny Briggs removed Simon Milenko in the very next over.
Max Bryant (12) and Daniel Lawrence (13) did show some fight by adding 24 runs for the second wicket, but Rashid Khan broke the partner✤ship by dismissing Br▨yant in the fifth over.
The wicket of Bryant opened floodgates as Heat🌄 were soon reduced to 68/8 after their batting c﷽ollapsed in front of quality bowling of Strikers.
It looked like the game was almost over for Heat but their stand-in captain Jimmy Peirson had some other plans. The wicketkeeper-batsman formed an unbelievable stand of 60 runs for the ninth wicket with tailender Mujeeb Ur Rahman (18).
Pacer Peter Siddle removed Rahman in the 18th, but Peirson stayed at his end and reached a gutted half-century. The game went to the wire as Heat needed 6 off the last ball with Peirson on strike. But the batsman only managed to hit a fou✤r and Heat fell short by 2 ruღns. Peirson remained unbeaten on 69 off 36 deliveries with seven fours and two sixes.
Renshaw, Nielson drive Strikers to 150/6
Earlier, Heat skipper Chris Lynn won the toss and opted to bowl first, but before he could come on the field to lead the team, Lynn got injured during the warmup session and got ruled out of the game. Peirson was named the stand-in captain while Simon Milenko was taken as a replacement for Lynn.
The Strikers’ batsmen got the starts, but none of them converted it into a big inning. Matt Renshaw top scored with 32 runs off 28 balls, while Jonathan Wells smashed 31 from 26 deliveries.
The wicketkeeper-batsman Harry Nielson made some valuable contribution down the order with a quickfire 28 to take his team’s score to 150/6. He smashed three fours and a six while scoring runs at an impressive strike-rate of 140.
For Heat, Xavier Barlett was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs. Apart from Barlett, Mark Steketee bagged two scalps, and Jack Wildermuth picked up one wicket.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
I’m sure we all want to give Jimmy Pierson a socially distanced hug right now. That was a stunningly bonkers knock that surely deserved a w. Well bowled by Worral🐓l, mind.
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell)
Jimmy Peirson and Mujeeb Ur Rahman now hold the record for highest 9th wicket partnership 🐻in the BBL (60).
In 2018-19, they put on 45 against the Adelaide🐼 Strikers which was the biggest 10th wicket stand in BBL until Briggs-Worrall pair broke it this s𓄧eason.
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats)
/♑/twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1341710342980775940
What an unbelievable finish to the v game.
Heat dead and buried at 67-8 but Jimmy Peirson and Mujeeb's stand was extraordinary & they almost pulled it off. Should he have trusted in that final over though? I would have!
— Martin McConachie (@HamdonMart)
Looks like Matty Renshaw is using a retꦐro Powerspot. Thought he was more a Hayden man than a Slater man. Early Xmas pressie perhaps
— Adam Burnett (@AdamBurnett09)
Jimmy Pierson has turned int♚o a cross between Chris Gayle and Kevin Pieterson in this game 🏏🔥
— Mark Dignam (@MarkDignam_84)
//twitter.com/P1105K/status/1341716595517747200
The Power Surge chan♓ges the momentu🍨m of the game yet again
— Martin Smith (@martysmith1987)
//twitter.com/iEatCricket/status/1🦹341709659250413577
Phew! Snuck that one home. Well done
— Jono Haysom (@JonoH)
Jimmy Peirson made the right call to not take the singles gave them the best chance of winning good on the bloke at least 𓄧he showed some guts unlike the weak top order
— jake (@jaketh14)
Got t𒅌o feel for Jimmy Peirson.. brave knock but bad luck to end on loosing side.. Good game of cricket this except ꦕthe umpiring error 🙂
— Bishal Pattjoshi (@bishalpattjoshi)
Jimmy Peirson … so close! Great courage.
— Cameron Bell (@CameronBell)
Tough luck.. 💔
— Rashid Farook (@rashidtweetzzz)
