# Adelaide Strikers

The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL). Their home ground is the Adelaide Oval, and they play in a cornflower blue uniform. The Strikers were formed in 2011 to play in the BBL, succeeding the Southern Redbacks, who played in the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash competition. Their sole victory in the BBL came in 2017–18.
Over their 11-year history in the BBL, they have had many effective and popular players on their team, from all-rounders such as Johan Botha, Michael Neser, Kieron Pollard, Ryan ten Doeschate and Chris Jordan, to high-scoring batsmen Travis Head, Colin Ingram, Chris Lynn, Mahela Jayawardene, Jonathan Wells, Michael Klinger and Jake Weatherald, to effective bowlers Ben Laughlin, Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Adil Rashid and Kane Richardson, and finally keepers Alex Carey and Tim Ludeman.
The Strikers are currently coached by former Australian cricketer Tim Paine and captained by Matthew Short.

## History

The Adelaide Strikers were formed in 2011, as a result of the formation of the Big Bash League. When the competition was first formed, each team had an opportunity to sign up players and build their lists. The contracting window opened on 30 June 2011 at 9 am and closed on 22 July 2011. Each team was allowed to sign up to 18 players, including up to two from overseas. The team's inaugural captain was South Australia captain, Michael Klinger, and the inaugural coach was Darren Berry, the then coach of the Southern Redbacks.
In the 2016/17 Big Bash, the Adelaide Strikers were rated the most entertaining team in the BBL, with a BBEI of 2177.

## New Year's Eve match

Since BBL03, Cricket Australia started hosting a Strikers home match on 31 December night every year against different oppositions. It quickly gained popularity among the fans, turning into a tradition and attracting big crowds at the Adelaide Oval throughout the years. It is popularly termed as the New Year's Eve Match or NYE Clash in the media. Up until BBL08, the Strikers had maintained a clean 6–0 win record in the NYE Big Bash clashes. In season 3, Travis Head scored a brilliant century to take the Strikers home against Sydney Sixers in the NYE clash, which remains one of the most memorable NYE matches in the short history of BBL to date. Though, in BBL09, the Strikers finally fell against the Sydney Thunder by 3 runs, the Strikers' first defeat on New Year's Eve.
The Strikers haven't won a New Year's Eve game since 2018, currently going on a 5-year losing streak.

### List of New Year's Eve matches

| Year | Winner | Loser | Margin | Attendance | Player of the match |
| 2013 | Strikers | Scorchers | 6 wickets | 26,030 | Michael Klinger |
| 2014 | Strikers | Hurricanes | 8 wickets | 43,288 | Tim Ludeman |
| 2015 | Strikers | Sixers | 5 wickets | 46,389 | Travis Head |
| 2016 | Strikers | Sixers | 48 runs | 45,471 | Sean Abbott |
| 2017 | Strikers | Heat | 56 runs | 46,594 | Michael Neser |
| 2018 | Strikers | Thunder | 20 runs | 41,987 | Peter Siddle |
| 2019 | Thunder | Strikers | 3 runs | 41,414 | Callum Ferguson |
| 2020 | Scorchers | Strikers | 7 wickets | 21,636 | Jhye Richardson |
| 2021 | Thunder | Strikers | 22 runs | 9,555 | Jason Sangha |
| 2022 | Stars | Strikers | 8 runs | 40,373 | Marcus Stoinis |
| 2023 | Stars | Strikers | 7 wickets | 42,502 | Marcus Stoinis |
| 2024 | Scorchers | Strikers | 7 wickets | 41,624 | Cooper Connolly |

## Season Summaries

| Season | W–L | Pos. | Finals | Coach | Captain | Most Runs | Most Wickets | Most Valuable Player |
| 2011–12 | 2–5 | 6th | DNQ | Darren Berry | Michael Klinger | Michael Klinger – 198 | Aaron O'Brien – 6 | Michael Klinger |
| 2012–13 | 4–4 | 5th | DNQ | Darren Berry | Johan Botha | Michael Klinger – 242 | Kane Richardson – 10 | Johan Botha |
| 2013–14 | 2–5 | 7th | DNQ | Darren Berry | Johan Botha | Michael Klinger – 223 | Shaun Tait – 11 | Michael Neser |
| 2014–15 | 6–1* | 1st* | SF | Darren Berry | Johan Botha | Tim Ludeman – 253 | Ben Laughlin – 13 | Adam Zampa |
| 2015–16 | 7–1* | 1st* | SF | Jason Gillespie | Brad Hodge | Travis Head – 299 | Adil Rashid – 16 | Adil Rashid |
| 2016–17 | 3–5 | 6th | DNQ | Jason Gillespie | Brad Hodge | Ben Dunk – 364* | Ish Sodhi – 9 | Ben Dunk |
| 2017–18 | 7–3 | 2nd | C | Jason Gillespie | Travis Head | Alex Carey – 443 | Rashid Khan – 18* | Rashid Khan |
| 2018–19 | 6–8 | 7th | DNQ | Jason Gillespie | Travis Head | Jon Wells – 359 | Rashid Khan – 19 | Rashid Khan |
| 2019–20 | 8–5 | 3rd | KF | Jason Gillespie | Travis Head | Jon Wells – 478 | Peter Siddle – 19 | Jon Wells |
| 2020–21 | 7–7 | 5th | EF | Jason Gillespie | Travis Head | Jake Weatherald – 433 | Wes Agar – 22 | Wes Agar |
| 2021–22 | 6–8 | 4th | CF | Jason Gillespie | Peter Siddle | Jon Wells – 501 | Peter Siddle – 30^ | Matt Short |
| 2022–23 | 5–9 | 7th | DNQ | Jason Gillespie | Travis Head | Matt Short – 458 | Wes Agar – 18 | Matt Short* |
| 2023–24 | 5–4 | 4th | CF | Jason Gillespie | Matt Short | Matt Short – 541* | Jamie Overton – 16 | Matt Short* |
| 2024–25 | 3–7 | 8th | DNQ | Tim Paine | Matt Short | Alex Ross – 256 | Lloyd Pope – 15 | |
Legend :
| DNQ | Did not qualify | CF | Lost the Challenger | * | Led the league |
| EF | Lost the Eliminator | SF | Semi-finalists | ^ | League record |
| KF | Lost the Knockout | RU | Runners-up | C | Champions |

## Captaincy Records

There have been nine captains in the Strikers' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
| Span | Captain | M | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W–L% |
| 2011–12 | Michael Klinger | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| 2012–15 | Johan Botha | 23 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 57.14 |
| 2014 | Phillip Hughes | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2015–17 | Brad Hodge | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 58.82 |
| 2017–24 | Travis Head | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 60.71 |
| 2018 | Colin Ingram | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 35.71 |
| 2019–25 | Alex Carey | 16 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 46.66 |
| 2020–23 | Peter Siddle | 27 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| 2023–25 | Matthew Short | 21 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| 2024–25 | Alex Ross | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |

## Home grounds

| Venue | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season |
| Venue | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Total |
| Adelaide Oval | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 75 |
| Melbourne Cricket Ground* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ninja Stadium* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| People First Stadium* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TIO Traeger Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, these neutral venues were used to host games.

## Current squad

The squad of the Adelaide Strikers for the 2025–26 Big Bash League season as of 19 February 2025.
* Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| S/N | Name | Date of Birth | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Additional Info. |
| Batters |||||||
| 31 | Thomas Kelly | 14 December 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 49 | Alex Ross | 17 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| All-rounders |||||||
| 2 | Matt Short | 8 November 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Captain |
| Wicket-keepers |||||||
| 5 | Alex Carey | 27 August 1991 | Left-handed | — | |
| 4 | Harry Nielsen | 3 May 1995 | Left-handed | — | |
| Bowlers |||||||
| 13 | Cameron Boyce | 27 July 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 21 | Jordan Buckingham | 17 March 2000 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | |
| 24 | Lloyd Pope | 1 December 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 58 | Henry Thornton | 16 December 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | |

## List of overseas players

| Player | Nationality | Period | Role | Batting | Bowling |
| Johan Botha | South Africa | 2011/12–2014/15 | All-rounder | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
| James Franklin | New Zealand | 2011/12 | All-rounder | Left-handed | Left-arm medium fast |
| Alfonso Thomas | South Africa | 2011/12 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Kieron Pollard | West Indies | 2012/13–2016/17 | All-rounder | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast |
| Saeed Ajmal | Pakistan | 2012/13 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 2013/14 | All-rounder | Left-handed | Left-arm orthodox |
| Alex Hales | England | 2013/14 | Batter | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Ryan ten Doeschate | Netherlands | 2014/15 | All-rounder | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 2015/16 | Batter | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Adil Rashid | England | 2015/16 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Chris Jordan | England | 2016/17 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Ish Sodhi | New Zealand | 2016/17 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Colin Ingram | South Africa | 2017/18–2018/19 | Batter | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 2017/18–2022/23 | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Phil Salt | England | 2019/20–2020/21 | Batter | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Danny Briggs | England | 2020/21 | Bowler | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox |
| George Garton | England | 2021/22 | Bowler | Left-handed | Left-arm fast |
| Ian Cockbain | England | 2021/22 | Batter | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Colin de Grandhomme | New Zealand | 2022/23 | All-rounder | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Adam Hose | England | 2022/23-2023/24 | Batter | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Jamie Overton | England | 2023/24-present | All-rounder | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| David Payne | England | 2023/24 | Bowler | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium |
| Ollie Pope | England | 2024/25-present | Wicket-keeper | Right-handed |
| Fabian Allen | West Indies | 2024/25-present | All-rounder | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox |

## Records
### Team records
#### Result summary v. opponent

    As of 26 December 2024
| Opposition | M | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W–L% |
| Brisbane Heat | 22 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 47.62 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 25 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 58.33 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| Melbourne Stars | 19 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 47.37 |
| Perth Scorchers | 27 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Sydney Sixers | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Sydney Thunder | 24 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 54.55 |
* Source: CricInfo

#### Highest innings score

    As of 22 December 2023
| Score | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| 5/251 | Brisbane Heat | Adelaide Oval | 11 January 2024 |
| 3/230 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 5 January 2023 |
| 8/207 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 26 January 2020 |
| 4/205 | Sydney Thunder | Adelaide Oval | 19 December 2023 |
| 2/202 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 4 February 2018 |

### Batting
#### Most career runs

    As of 12 January 2025
| Batsman | Years | Matches | Runs | High score |
| Jake Weatherald | 2016–present | 93 | 2,176 | 115 |
| Matthew Short | 2018–present | 79 | 2,073 | 109 |
| Alex Carey | 2017–present | 59 | 1,890 | 101 |
| Jonathan Wells | 2017–2022 | 71 | 1,740 | 73 |
| Travis Head | 2013–present | 57 | 1,394 | 101 * |

#### Highest scores

    As of 12 January 2025
| Batsman | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| Jake Weatherald | 115 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 4 February 2018 |
| Matthew Short | 109 | Brisbane Heat | Adelaide Oval | 11 January 2025 |
| Travis Head | 101 * | Sydney Sixers | Adelaide Oval | 31 December 2015 |
| Alex Carey | 101 | Brisbane Heat | Adelaide Oval | 21 January 2021 |
| Matthew Short | 100 * | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 5 January 2023 |
| Alex Carey | 100 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 17 January 2018 |

#### Highest Averages

As of 22 December 2023
| Batsman | Years | Innings | Average |
| Jamie Overton | 2023–present | 9 | 90.50 |
| Ian Cockbain | 2022-2022 | 6 | 59.75 |
| Ben Dunk | 2016-2017 | 8 | 52.00 |
| Chris Lynn | 2022-present | 20 | 43.88 |
| Adil Rashid | 2015-2016 | 4 | 43.00 |

#### Highest Strike Rate

| Player | Years | Innings | Strike Rate |
| Rashid Khan | 2017–2023 | 49 | 150.37 |
| Chris Lynn | 2022–present | 20 | 130.40 |
| 2019–2021 | 30 | 146.50 |
| Matthew Short | 2018–present | 73 | 141.51 |

#### Most Sixes

As of 22 December 2023
| Player | Years | Innings | Amount |
| Jake Weatherald | 2016–present | 89 | 85 |
| Matthew Short | 2018–present | 73 | 84 |
| Travis Head | 2013–present | 55 | 61 |
| Alex Carey | 2017–present | 55 | 46 |

#### Most Ducks

| Player | Years | Innings | Amount |
| Rashid Khan | 2017–present | 49 | 7 |
| Matthew Short | 2018–present | 60 | 6 |
| Peter Siddle | 2017-2023 | 22 | 5 |
| Jake Lehmann | 2016-2019 | 25 | 5 |

#### Highest partnerships by wicket

    As of 11 January 2025
| Wicket | Runs | Batters | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| 1st | 171 | Alex Carey & Jake Weatherald | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 17 January 2018 |
| 2nd | 140 | Jake Weatherald & Travis Head | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 4 February 2018 |
| 3rd | 107 | Jake Weatherald & Alex Carey | Hobart Hurricanes | York Park, Launceston | 15 December 2020 |
| 4th | 104 | Matthew Short & Jonathan Wells | Melbourne Renegades | Adelaide Oval | 23 December 2018 |
| 5th | 115 | Brad Hodge & Alex Ross | Melbourne Stars | Adelaide Oval | 18 December 2015 |
| 6th | 59* | Travis Head & Adil Rashid | Sydney Sixers | Adelaide Oval | 31 December 2015 |
| 7th | 44 | Johan Botha & Michael Neser | Melbourne Renegades | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | 2 January 2013 |
| 8th | 55 | Michael Neser & Kane Richardson | Perth Scorchers | WACA Ground, Perth | 23 December 2016 |
| 9th | 84* | Cameron Boyce & Brendan Doggett | Perth Scorchers | Adelaide Oval | 31 December 2024 |
| 10th | 61* | Daniel Worrall & Danny Briggs | Hobart Hurricanes | Blundstone Arena, Hobart | 13 December 2020 |

### Bowling
#### Most career wickets

    As of 30 August 2023
| Bowler | Seasons | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling |
| Rashid Khan | 2017–2023 | 69 | 98 | 6/17 |
| Peter Siddle | 2017–2023 | 72 | 91 | 5/16 |
| Wes Agar | 2017–2024 | 52 | 68 | 4/6 |
| Michael Neser | 2012–2021 | 62 | 62 | 3/24 |
| Ben Laughlin | 2014–2019 | 50 | 60 | 4/26 |

#### Best bowling figures

    As of 30 August 2023
| Bowler | Figures | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| Ish Sodhi | 6/11 | Sydney Thunder | Stadium Australia, Sydney | 18 January 2017 |
| Rashid Khan | 6/17 | Brisbane Heat | The Gabba, Brisbane | 12 January 2021 |
| Henry Thornton | 5/3 | Sydney Thunder | Stadium Australia, Sydney | 16 December 2022 |
| Peter Siddle | 5/16 | Hobart Hurricanes | York Park, Launceston | 15 December 2020 |
| Peter Siddle | 5/23 | Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 5 January 2022 |

### Fielding
#### Most Catches

| Player | Seasons | Matches | Catches |
| Matthew Short | 2018–present | 75 | 41 |
| Jake Weatherald | 2016–present | 90 | 33 |
| Michael Neser | 2012-2021 | 62 | 30 |
| Jonathan Wells | 2017-2022 | 71 | 24 |

## Honours

* BBL:
** Champions (1): 2017–18
** Runners Up (0):
** Minor Premiers (2): 2014–15, 2015–16
** Finals series appearances (7):2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
** Wooden Spoons (1):2024–25