That's it for today's action! Thanks for tuning in as always. Rashad Mahbub here, signing off alongside Harshith Gowda. Have a great night, everyone.
David Warner: "[Let the game slip through your fingers?] Yeah, most definitely. I think getting early wickets was obviously the key. The two main men up top, I felt like we sort of bowled a boundary ball every over. The condition is quite fast, but we just didn't execute as well as I'd like. This wicket is actually a lot slower than the traditional Adelaide wicket. I felt, as we were just speaking off air to Ferg [Ferguson] about five or six years ago, it's probably that old wicket where you get 160 on the board and you could defend that. Then obviously batting through the middle, I think we played some silly shots. Again, that's been our tournament so far. We haven't really played that complete game at all. It's frustrating. It got down to the last over and I misexecuted, but I felt like we shouldn't have got down to the last over, to be fair. We should have won it and closed it out earlier if we played some smart cricket. You know that the best bowlers are going to come on and you've got to try and take that. Regarding Sams' dismissal, you hit a boundary, and being smart for us is to then try and put pressure and get the left-hander on strike. We can pinch probably 11 off that over without him getting another boundary. So look, it's about just being smart and playing the game properly. I think all of us haven't done that well enough this year. [Stacked squad with all-rounders] Yeah, look, it's been upon us at the top to try and get to the back end for those guys to come in and finish, and it hasn't worked out for us at the moment. These are senior players; they're not guys who have just played a handful of games. They've played well over 200 games each. I'm sick of using the word adapting because we're experienced enough to play the long game. If we've got wickets in hand, we should be closing out those games earlier. [Balance of the game] It's about being a sponge around the group. It's not by chance that we've all played a lot of cricket; you can change your gears at any time. Look at Steve Smith; he's 100 not out for Australia, but he comes back to the Big Bash and plays his own way. You've just got to back yourself. Any kid that's out there, you don't need to change your game. If you get off to a flyer, bring it in a little bit and then you can start again. It's not hard; it's just basics. Sometimes as a senior player, you can err away from that as well. Experienced bowlers still get tapped at the front end, but they'll come back well. It's just having that knowledge to be able to do that. [Where to from here?] We're playing for pride. I think it's about real moral victories now. It's about trying to knuckle down and get ready for next year. There are a few guys coming off contract and I want them to feel like we've got some momentum going into next year. We could try a few different players as well, but all in all, I think we've got a complete game around the corner. We've torn the house down and the boys are still upbeat. It's just not happening out there. I'm on contract, but I'm 40 this year, not quite there yet. [Desire to keep playing?] I do. I have the desire. I'm a competitive person, and once I get on there, I just feel like that's my space and my backyard; nothing phases me. We'll see how it goes. We've got to build for the next three to five years. If there's enough in the salary cap, let's see what happens. And Candice and the girls also saying keep doing it; it's probably home games only! No more traveling. I'll stay home with the girls or we'll go over and have a bit of a beach holiday."
Matt Short: "[Last couple of overs] It was a bit of a madhouse. We had so many options with the ball; we had a couple of huddles to decide who was going to go on. Luckily, it worked out pretty well. They got onto a couple of dropped catches, and with a few sixes and boundaries, it was all happening. [Versatile bowling lineup] As I mentioned before, we've just got so many options with the ball, which is really good this year. As a captain, it's tough when you're almost not sure who to bowl because you have so many choices. For that game against the Scorchers, we went spin-heavy; that was the plan, and we think it worked really well. Here at Adelaide, the quicks and the change of pace work better, so having Jamie [Overton] and Hasan Ali back in really helped. [First innings total] Traditionally, probably not [enough] here at Adelaide. We saw how they bowled, taking a lot of pace out of the ball, so we looked at that closely, but we stuck to our hard lengths. We just stayed at it and made them come to us. I didn't feel like we were chasing the game too much, even though they got off to a nice start. It was just nice to drag them back. [Middle overs] It's been a tough start for some of those younger boys. The middle is one of the hardest spots to bat, but massive credit to them; they pretty much won us the game. We were struggling early and didn't have to rely on myself or Lynny [Lynn]. It was awesome to see guys who have been struggling get some runs and set a decent total. [Liam Scott] Absolutely. He's had a tough couple of years being in and out of the side, but we've really stuck with him. He's had a big 12 to 18 months at the domestic and Shield level, so he was my tip for most improved this year. He's on track and we're loving it; he's winning games for us. [Pressure of captaincy] I'm definitely keen on the captaincy. I love the Big Bash and playing here in Adelaide. I'm very happy with the role. [Bat flip] It just didn't roll! I think Davey [Warner] saw it hadn't even made one revolution and just landed on the roof, so he had time to see which way it was going to land. He called 'flats'; hopefully, I'll have better luck next year!"
Player of the Match, Jamie Overton: "Good win. A bit tighter than we would have liked it to be but good to get over the line after that run of losses. [Last two overs] It's not the easiest time to bowl. But I felt like it was one of those where I just tried bashing a length, which worked for us throughout the whole innings. Dave [Warner] got one away, but it just felt like the angle was a bit different, so I changed up. Obviously, it worked, but it was just about trying to stay calm and composed in those moments. Fortunately, it came off for us. [Stranding Warner in many ways] Yeah, kind of. We obviously know what kind of player he is, so we were almost trying to keep him off strike. For him to bat the whole innings and face fewer than 50 balls; that worked for us tonight. He's obviously a class player. [Bowling 145+ regularly] I don't know, really, probably just a bit of freshness. I keep saying, I'm not giving up red-ball cricket, but putting it on hold for a little bit makes me feel like a fresher person. I don't have to bowl 15 to 20 overs here and there; I feel like I can put my real energy into just bowling four overs a day. It was nice to just bowl four today, rather than the five I accidentally bowled last game! But I'm feeling really good and it's nice to get the speed up again. Fingers crossed, we get to the finals. It'll be three years in a row that I've had to leave before the finals, but the international calendar does that occasionally. I'll put in all my effort for the rest of the four games I've got here, and then fingers crossed the boys can go on to the finals."
Andrew K: "Mystified why Warner ran a single off 19.4! It never looked like being more. 19.3 was the ball to snatch a single if he'd given up on slogging. If he hadn't, turn it down again and try to hit two sixes for a super over! Lost the match by taking that run, if it wasn't lost already."
Nooru: "This contest reminds us of the good old saying : it is never over until it is really over ! "
Varshini : "At a point , there was a comment that the hosts have to bowl the visitors out (containing wasn't possible) at the end , the visitors have been contained despite the strong opening partnership "
Vasumathy : "Not denying that Warner couldn't hit wood but he did the bulk of the scoring.. other batters (gilkes excluded ) should have stepped up"
10:12 pm In a do-or-die clash for their playoff survival, the Sydney Thunder fell agonizingly short, losing by just six runs. The chase began promisingly with David Warner and Matthew Gilkes laying a rock-solid foundation. Their 73-run opening stand kept the scoreboard ticking through consistent strike rotation and timely boundaries. The breakthrough finally came when Gilkes was caught behind off Jamie Overton for 43, sparking a sudden mini collapse. Sam Billings followed in the very next over, miscuing a lofted shot to long-off, and when Konstas holed out to deep square leg in the 12th, the Strikers were firmly back in the contest. Warner and Nic Maddinson managed to keep the Thunder in the hunt, picking up 24 runs during the Power Surge, but back to back wickets shifted the momentum yet again. A few late dropped catches by the Strikers added to the drama. Warner carried his bat through the innings, finishing unbeaten on 67 from 51 deliveries. Despite his valiant effort, the required rate ultimately proved too high for the Thunder captain, as he was unable to steer his side across the finish line. The Strikers' win was boosted by exceptional spells from Overton, Hasan Ali, and Lloyd Pope, but it was an extraordinary final over from Henry Wood that ultimately sealed the win and ended the Thunder's season.
Zubair Islam : "Mistake by Warner for not running those singles "
Jigar: "Warner has overestimated his ability to play the finisher. "
Kannadachi : "Wood kept his cool while Warner lost it ! Extraordinary that a set batter couldn't get bat on ball !"
Adelaide Strikers won by 6 runs