ADELAIDE, Australia, CMC – West Indies and Jamaica stars Andre Russell and Stafanie Taylor played minor roles but their Sydney Thunder franchises still did enough to secure spots in the men’s and women’s final of the Big Bash League here yesterday.
Playing at Adelaide Oval, the Thunder men’s side trounced hosts Adelaide Strikers by 54 runs while at the same venue, the Thunder’s women eked out an eight-run victory over Perth Scorchers.
Both the men’s and women’s side will know their opponents in Sunday’s final following the second semi-finals in Melbourne today.
In the men’s, Melbourne Stars clash with Perth Scorchers while on the women’s side, Hobart Hurricanes featuring teenaged West Indies opener Hayley Matthews, take on Sydney Sixers.
Opting to bat first in the men’s semi-final, Strikers reached 159 for seven off 20 overs with Alex Ross top-scoring with 47 off 38 deliveries.
Seamer Clint McKay finished with three for 44 while Russell managed a single wicket for 31 runs from four overs of pace.
Left-handed opener Usman Khawaja then blasted a superb 104 off 59 balls as Thunder sped to their target in the 18th over.
Meanwhile, Taylor struck 24 as Thunder Women, opting to bat first, rallied to 118 for six off their 20 overs. She put on 30 for the first wicket with Rachael Haynes who made 15 and a further 21 for the second wicket with captain Alex Blackwell who top-scored with 39.
In reply, Scorchers were restricted to 110 for nine off their 20 overs, with opener Elyse Villani getting a breezy 23 from ten balls.
