Sydney Thunder were left stunned in the Big Bash League by Adelaide Strikers on Friday, bowled out for 15 in what is now the lowest ever score in a competitive men’s T20 match.
Adelaide Strikers elected to bat first and posted 139/9 on the board at Sydney Showground Stadium. If you had told them then that they would win by more than 100 runs, they would have probably laughed it off.
But what followed was scarcely believable as Thunder kept losing wickets at (very) regular intervals.
Henry Thornton finished with figures of 5/3 as the innings lasted just 5.5 overs. The top score came from the No 10 batter, who made four with the only boundary scored in the innings.
Lowest scores in men's T20 cricket
| Team | Score | Overs | Inns | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder | 15 | 5.5 | 2 | v Strikers | Sydney | 16 Dec 2022 |
| *Turkey | 21 | 8.3 | 2 | v Czech Rep. | Ilfov County | 30 Aug 2019 |
| *Lesotho | 26 | 12.4 | 1 | v Uganda | Kigali | 19 Oct 2021 |
| *Turkey | 28 | 11.3 | 1 | v Luxembourg | Ilfov County | 29 Aug 2019 |
| *Thailand | 30 | 13.1 | 1 | v Malaysia | Bangi | 4 Jul 2022 |
| *Mali | 30 | 12.3 | 1 | v Rwanda | Kigali | 24 Nov 2022 |
| Tripura | 30 | 11.1 | 1 | v Jharkhand | Dhanbad | 20 Oct 2009 |
| *Mali | 30 | 10.4 | 1 | v Kenya | Kigali | 20 Nov 2022 |
| *Turkey | 32 | 8.5 | 1 | v Austria | Ilfov County | 31 Aug 2019 |
Batting second and chasing a gettable 140, Thunder lasted just one ball shy of six overs – five batters failed to score and their top scorer was paceman Brendan Doggett with four.
Thornton was left scratching his head in bemusement afterwards.
“I honestly cannot believe what just happened,” he told Australia broadcaster Channel Seven.
“I think everyone here probably doesn’t know what is going on either. It was amazing. We thought they bowled really, really well considering what the wicket was doing. And we just thought if we hung in there long enough we’d create chances. That’s unbelievable.”
The previous lowest BBL score was 57 by Melbourne Renegades in 2015.
Thornton says he can hardly better that performance.
“I feel like I need to retire now. I don’t think I’m getting better than that.”
(With AFP inputs)
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