Strikers, who had lost their last four games, chased down 153 with 23 balls to spare to move up from the bottom of the table

AAP05-Jan-2024Adelaide Strikers captain Matthew Short led the way as his side pulled off the upset, crushing the previously unbeaten Perth Scorchers by nine wickets.Strikers had lost their last four games, but chased down 153 with 23 balls to spare to move up from the bottom of the table.Short (76* off 51) and Chris Lynn (50* off 33)  put on 98 for the second wicket. Earlier, Matthew Short and D’Arcy Short (24 off 13) blasted 58 off the first 4.5 overs.Scorchers remained second, three points behind the table-toppers Brisbane Heat with a game in hand.The leading run-scorer In this season’s BBL, Short notched his fifth half-century of the season, hitting seven fours and four sixes. He also played a part with the ball, conceding just 11 runs from his three overs and dismissing Sam Whiteman with the second ball of the Scorchers’ innings.Two days after leaking 211 against Scorchers in Perth,  Adelaide fielded an extra spinner, bringing in legspinner Lloyd Pope.Taking pace off the ball paid off, with the spinners bowling 11 overs and taking three of the first four wickets, and the Scorchers notching just six fours to supplement their seven sixes.Three batters got a start, but no Scorchers player reached 40 as the side notched its lowest score of the season.Josh Inglis (39 off 25) and captain Aaron Hardie (35 off 27) hit two and three sixes respectively in their 60-run third-wicket partnership, but both were caught off Pope.Laurie Evans, who smashed 85 off 28 balls in the Scorchers’ win over the Strikers on Wednesday, was contained to six off his first 10 deliveries on Friday. Evans (29 off 21) didn’t get his strike rate up to 100 until his 13th ball.