Ashton Turner. (Photo Credits: X)
Perth Scorchers’ captain Ashton Turner was denied a well-deserved hundred against Sydney Thunder in the BBL fixture in Sydney. Turner was unbeaten at 86 at the end of the 19th over and took the strike in the start of the final over of the innings.
The skipper then hit a couple of maximums to reach 98 and then took a single on the third delivery. With three balls still left in the innings, it was expected that he will get the strike back and complete his maiden ton. Ashton Agar who was at the other end hit a boundary on the fourth ball but then got out after being caught by Matthew Gilkes off Daniel Sams on the penultimate ball.
Joel Paris faced the last ball and he was caught by Sam Konstas for 0. Scorchers lost a few early wickets but Turner and Cooper Connolly provided the resistance with steady stand. Later, Aaron Hardie joined the captain. Hardie struck a quick-fire 28 off 16 while Turner left unbeaten at 99 off 41. Daniel Sams returned with figures of 4/51 in 4 overs.
“In T20 cricket there’s really no time to rest on your laurels. You can lose a couple of early wickets and suddenly you have to throw caution to the wind a bit and take some calculated risks. I thought the changes the curator made to the surface made a big difference for us, and once Cooper Connolly and I started building that partnership, you could feel the momentum shift. Then when Aaron came in and we got going together, there was a clear change in intent and execution. Probably last game we gave the fielders too much respect, but tonight we were more willing to go over the top and take the game on. That’s just how T20 cricket is sometimes — things can change very quickly,” Turner said after the innings.
Later, Sydney Thunder also lost early wickets and were left struggling at 81/4.
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