STR vs HEA Ball by Ball Commentary

FOUR! Happy New Year, say the Strikers in front of their faithful. A genuine half volley, outside off, Liam Scott leans across and creams it through the cover and point gap for a boundary. ADELAIDE STRIKERS BEAT BRISBANE HEAT BY 7 WICKETS, AND 35 BALLS TO SPARE!

We will have the 15th over then. Full and straight, Liam Scott pushes this down to long on for a run. 20 from the over, and unless the next over is a maiden, Matthew Kuhnemann will finish off this game with bowling figures of 3-0-28-0.

Around off, worked towards deep mid-wicket for a single.

Nope. Boos from the crowd. Kuhnemann fires in a yorker, around off, Chris Lynn only jams this back to the bowler.

SIX! This is getting wrapped up quickly now! A hattrick of sixes for Lynn. Another low full toss, on the stumps, Lynn slogs it powerfully and parks it into the crowd behind deep square leg. Just 3 runs needed for the Strikers.

SIX! Batting of the highest quality! Slower through the air, trying to keep it away from the wheelhouse of Lynn. The veteran shuffles across off, and slogs it over deep square leg for a six again.

SIX! He has picked the bones out of it! A juicy full toss, drifting in, Chris Lynn accepts the gift with open arms and smokes it over deep mid-wicket for a massive six. Just 15 needed more.

Full and down the leg side again, Chris works it towards deep mid-wicket for another run. Moves to 60 (36).

WIDE. Down the leg side, Lynn misses his flick. 100 UP FOR ADELAIDE STRIKERS. Just 22 needed more.

On middle and leg, Liam Scott chips it aerially, but to the right of short mid-wicket for a run.

Full and straight, Chris Lynn works it through mid-wicket for a single.

A slight appeal for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head. A bit of tail into the batter, full and on the leg stump. Scott tries to flick, but the ball deflects off the inside edge on the pads and rolls on the leg side for a single.

Slowish delivery around off, on a length, Liam waits for it and taps it on the surface with soft hands.

WIDE! Way too short and over the head height. Wide called.

OUT! TOP EDGE, AND CAUGHT! A bit of a rush of blood from the youngster and Wadia's short stay comes to an end. Balkin bangs it short and pushes it across the latter, on the off pole, Jerrssis Wadia weighs back and tries to pull it over square leg, but the ball seemingly gets big on him and balloons up off the top edge. Thomas Balkin calls for his catch and settles under it to gather it safely. Wadia goes for 1 (2) and the Strikers are 95/3.

FOUR MORE! Slightly fuller than the previous one, once again Lynn throws his bat at it and gets it to the left of mid off. 13 from the over, 26 in the last 2!

FOUR! Stand and deliver. On a length, outside off, Chris Lynn just stands still, does not move his feet and only with quick hand speed, brings the bat down quickly to send the ball crashing through cover.

On a length, outside off, Chris throws his bat at it but misses.

Gets off the mark with a gentle nudge through point for a single.

OUT! CAUGHT! Bartlett gets a wicket. A good bouncer, around middle, looks like Harvey had already made up his mind on coming down the track. Hence, got surprised by the bouncer, but still, went through with his shot. Got it off the top half of the bat and the ball flew towards deep square leg. Hugh Weibgen charged in from deep backward square leg and nearly overran it, just about managing to cling onto the ball in the end. Harvey departs for 11 (11) and the 35-run stand is broken. Adelaide Strikers are 86/2 and need another 36 from 52 balls.

FOUR! Good shot. On a length, around off, angling away, Mackenzie Harvey opens himself a bit and drives this through the covers for a boundary. 36 more needed from 53 balls.

A quick length ball, around off, skidding through, Chris goes for the pull but gets an inside edge onto his pads.

FOUR MORE! A bit short, around off, skids through, Lynn swivels and pulls it behind square leg for consecutive boundaries. 50 UP FOR LYNN, IN 30 BALLS! The stand moves to 31 (22).

FOUR! UP AND OVER! On a length, around off, Chris Lynn swings it over mid-wicket and finds the fence.

Misfield and that will be another brace. Wildermuth goes fuller and Lynn goes straighter. Backs away and muscles this back towards the bowler. Wildermuth tries to stop it with his right hand, but can only succeed in taking some of the pace off as the ball skims through. Mid on and mid off chase it in pairs with the latter getting to the ball. 48 more needed from 57 balls.

A short ball, outside off, Chris Lynn swats the pull through mid-wicket. It is a big boundary on that side and the batters get a couple. Lynn moves to 40 (27).

Full and outside off, Mackenzie Harvey goes down on a knee and creams the drive through the covers where a half stop is made. Single taken.

Full and straight, curling in a touch, 135 kph, Chris works it behind square leg for a couple.

Another slower ball, 111.3 kph, on a length, down the leg side, Mackenzie gets down on a knee and pull-helps it towards long leg for one.

On middle and leg, 134 kph, Harvey nudges it to the leg side.

Short, outside off, 104.2 kph, rolling his fingers over the ball, Lynn backs away to the leg side and smashes it hard. Nearly finds deep cover who comes running in but gets it on the bounce. A run taken.

A good bouncer, outside off, Chris Lynn goes for the pull, more like a forehand shot in tennis, but is beaten.

On a length, outside off, Mackenzie Harvey punches it on the rise to sweeper cover for a single.

Full, outside off, punched towards cover.

Around off, pushed towards cover.

FOUR! BOSH! Not all that bad a ball. Fractionally short, around off stump, Lynn goes back down the leg side and like an axe, swooshes his bat down to curl the cut behind point for a boundary! 58 more needed from 68 balls.

Big appeal for LBW, not given. The Heat have reviewed this. My initial reaction was an inside edge. It was a full ball outside off and Chris Lynn got down to sweep. He missed it and was hit on the pads. Nothing on UltraEdge when the ball is close to bat or gloves. However, Ball Tracking shows the impact to be outside off. That's the end of the reviews for the Heat in this match.

Full again, around off, punched back to the bowler.

A full toss, outside off, driven through point for a single.

FOUR! BOOM! Short and wide outside off, Chris Lynn slaps it through the covers. Sweeper gets to the ball at the ropes and even dives to his left, but the power on the shot takes the ball into the ropes, despite the half stop.

On middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for a single.

LBW appeal, but turned down. On a length, around middle, angling in, Harvey looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. Patterson appeals but the umpire shakes his head. The keeper and captain ask the youngster regarding the review but he denies, indicating that it was going down leg. And indeed, Ball Tracking confirms. Good decision by the umpire and excellent from the youngster, not to waste the sole review.

On a length, around off, pushed towards point.

A bit too straight, Mackenzie Harvey clips it through mid-wicket and gets off the mark with a couple.

WIDE. Down the leg side, flick shot missed.

OUT! CAUGHT! Just like that, a gift for the Heat. MAIDEN BBL WICKET FOR OLLIE PATTERSON. A nothing ball, to be honest and an even more ordinary short, to be more honest. Short and wide outside off, Matthew Short slaps it hard but straight to Matthew Kuhnemann at cover, who leaps a bit to take the catch. Another start not converted by Short as he departs for 19 (27) and Adelaide Strikers are 51/1, needing another 71 from 77 balls.

The arm ball, around middle and leg, Chris Lynn defends.

Full, outside off, Short stays leg side of the ball and drives it to the left of long off for a single.

Short, outside off, slapped through the covers for a run. 50 UP FOR ADELAIDE STRIKERS. 72 more needed from 80 balls.

Around off, pushed towards cover.

Tossed up, outside off, driven towards long off for a run.

A short ball, outside off, Matthew Short looks to cut but gets a bottom edge.

Length-delivery, outside off, Short rises with the bounce and cuts it behind square, towards backward point. The fielder dives to his left but misfields and parries the ball in the deep for a single.

Outside off, on a hard length, punched off the back foot to the cover fielder.

Another pace-off delivery, outside off, Short is way early in his shot, but manages to clear the mid off fielder for a couple of runs.

Rolls his fingers on the leather, does Balkin. It is the leg cutter, on the leg stump line. Lynn tries to heave, but misses and the ball seems to have gone off his glove towards the square leg region for a single. Oh, dear! A No Ball is signalled by the umpire as Thomas has overstepped. Free Hit coming up...

Length ball, just outside off, Chris Lynn covers the stumps, weighs on the back foot, and punches it away, straight to the cover fielder again.

Spears it full, outside off, Lynn slaps it to get it through the gap, but finds the cover fielder in the way.

SIX! BOOM! Welcome, mate. Fractionally short, around off, Chris Lynn swings it massively and clears the mid-wicket fence with ease!

Straight on the pads, on a length, Short misses to whip that away, and the ball goes off the back of the bat, dropping in front of the keeper.

Another short ball, on the bodyline, Lynn pulls it along the ground to the deep square leg region for a single.

Shortish delivery, angling in, Chris Lynn pulls it off the back foot to the right of deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Fuller in length, around off, pushed off the front foot to extra cover.

A bit too straight on the leg stump, Lynn tickles it fine, but cannot get it past the keeper's dive to the left.

He misses steering that length ball to the leg side, and wears it on the thigh pad as the ball rolls into the square leg region. The keeper, Jimmy Peirson, is after it and they get a leg bye.

SIX! BLUDGEONED! 4000 BBL RUNS FOR CHRIS LYNN! The first player to get there. A length ball, around middle, Lynn displays some Lynnsanity, backs away a touch and swings it with aplomb over deep mid-wicket! The crowd rises as one for its star and he acknowledges the applause. End of the Powerplay, Strikers 33/0.

Fractionally fuller, outside off, Matthew Short is half forward and creams it through extra cover. But the timing is not so perfect as it looked initially, and the ball loses its steam in the outfield. Three taken as it is mopped up.

Another big swing, and a miss! Keeps the line of attack on the stumps, and hits the hard length, does Xavier. Matthew Short attempts to wind that with a pull shot, across the line, only to miss. Matthew Short is on 11 off 17 balls now. Itching to get one away.

Cramps the batter for room, on middle and leg, on a hard length. Short stays leg side, and punches it back to the bowler.

Length ball, on off, worked into the off side.

Hits the deck hard, on off, nipping in a bit. Matthew Short misses pulling as the ball grazes his body, probably his inner thigh, and half volleys the keeper.

Spotting Lynn advancing down the track, Jack Wildermuth slams one on a shorter length, on middle. Chris Lynn pulls it like a tennis shot, but finds the fielder at mid-wicket.  For those interested, the Australian Open starts from 18th January, 2026.

Slants it onto the pads, full in length, Short flicks it to deep square leg for a single. Just two runs off the over, with a ball to go.

Just a little nip into the batter, on a length. Short presses forward and bunts it on the bounce to the bowler.

Skids through the length, on middle, Short hangs back and knocks it to short mid-wicket.

Swing and a miss! A slower one by the looks of it, on a good length, on top of middle. Matthew Short tries to pull it to the leg side, only to get deceived by the pace.

Touch full, around off, Short presses forward and laces it away, but straight to mid off.

WIDE! Wildermuth follows what Ollie Patterson and Xavier Bartlett did on their first ball. Down leg, on a length, Short misses on the glance. Wide called.

Back of a length, in and around middle and leg, Matthew Short tucks it wide of mid-wicket and they hustle for a single.

FOUR! CLASSY! He is just so strong square of the wicket. On a length, outside off, Matthew Short comes forward and punches it square on the off side. That shows what a good surface this still is, for batting.

BEATEN! Top seed from the skipper. Angles in and then curves away from the batter, on a good length, in that fourth-fifth stump corridor, inviting the batter to play with the angle. Matthew Short is sucked on the front foot to block, but gets beaten on the outside edge. A slight appeal from Bartlett for caught behind, but he was the only one interested. UltraEdge later shows a flat line.

At 134.2 kph, Bartlett bangs it short and angles it in, Chris Lynn hops across and nudges it through square leg for an easy single.

SIX! It took the Heat 69 balls to hit their first six. The Strikers have hit their first on the 8th ball. Not the biggest six hit by Lynn in his entire career by any means, but he will take it. On a length, around middle and off, Chris Lynn heaves it over mid-wicket. Might have got it off the toe end of the bat because while the ball got the elevation, there was not enough distance. Just about landed outside the ropes. 106 more needed from 112 balls.

This one comes back in on middle and leg, Chris Lynn hits it off the inner half and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.

WIDE! Like Patterson, the skipper too starts off with a wide. But it is down leg, on a fuller length. Lynn misses his flick. Collected by the keeper to his left.

Fuller ball, on the fourth stump line, Matthew Short carves it on the bounce to mid off. Decent start for the Strikers. 7 off the opening over. They need 115 more.

Deception from Patterson! A back-of-the-hand slower ball, at just 104 kph, swinging away from the batter, on a fuller length. Matthew Short is beaten all ends up due to the lack of pace.

Lynn gets off the mark, featuring in his 300th T20 match. He flicks this full ball off the pads to widish mid-wicket and hurries to the other end for a single.

Around off, on a good length, Short waits back and steers it behind to deep third for a single.

Hits the deck hard, outside off, driven on the up to the extra cover fielder by Short.

FOUR! That ball does not depend on ANY surface. Patterson goes for the outswinger, but cannot land the ball. It comes in as a full toss outside off and Matthew Short reaches out, to drive it through the covers, marking the first boundary of the chase. 117 more needed from 119 balls.

WIDE! Not an ideal way to start for the debutant. He bowls it miles outside off, beyond the tramline. Probably trying to swing the ball back in, but he doesn't get any movement. Matthew Short liberates his arms to slap it through covers but misses.