There’s little doubt Friday night’s BBL game between the Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers was the most bizarre the competition has ever seen, with the home side skittled for just 15 runs.
The Thunder, chasing Adelaide’s total of 9-139, were bowled out for the measly total inside six overs.
The performance shattered records. It’s clearly the lowest total ever seen in the BBL, some 42 runs short of the previous worst set by the Melbourne Renegades back in 2015.
It’s also the lowest T20 total by a men’s team anywhere in the world, falling short of Turkey’s 21 against the Czech Republic in 2019.
Flick on the Big Bash for the first time this season and it is 8/10. Turkey, the Thunder are coming for you. #BBL pic.twitter.com/8yiu1pvvmO
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) December 16, 2022
Just 35 balls were bowled. The innings lasted less than 40 minutes. Marquee players Rashid Khan and Peter Siddle didn’t even bowl, such was the dominance of the opening quicks.
Henry Thornton took 5-3 off 2.5 overs in perhaps the most deserving Man of the Match performance seen in the league, while Wes Agar wasn’t far behind with 4-6 from his two overs.
Thornton’s spell is the fourth-best figures seen in the BBL and the best figures by a bowler with five wickets seen in competition history.
Spinner Matt Short took 1-5 off his opening over and also sparked the collapse with an early contender for catch of the summer to dismiss Rilee Rossouw for three.
WHAT A LEAP!!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 16, 2022
Matt Short gets vertical to kickstart an incredible collapse from the Thunder! #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/3no1FN73uE
Number 10 Brendan Doggett top scored for the Thunder with four, with Rossouw and the extras the only others to pass two.
There were five ducks in the innings, including both openers Alex Hales and Matthew Gilkes. Nine of the 11 dismissals were caught behind.
Thunder captain Jason Sanga, who’s in his first season in the role, said: “I don’t have much to say about it, to be honest.
“It’s not like we went out to be crazy… we nicked off too many times.
“I don’t want to dive into it. But end of the day it’s just not good enough for a professional team to be bowled out for that many runs.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t like guys were out there trying to throw their wicket away.”
Strikers captain Siddle earlier won the toss and elected to field at the Sydney Showgrounds. Chris Lynn top scored with 36, while Colin de Grandhomme put in a solid knock of 33.
Outside of Harry Nielsen (13 off 10), that duo was the only Strikers to go at over 100 strike rate on the side’s way to a total that was believed to be below par.
But Thornton and Agar proved the total some 124 runs enough.
SEN Cricket’s Liam Pickering chose against placing the blame on Thunder, instead praising the remarkable performance of Adelaide.
“I watched some of the most extraordinary bowling, catching and batting I’ve seen at that level of cricket,” Pickering told SEN’s Off The Bench of the performance.