McSweeney Guides Heat to Thrilling Win After Test Omission
Nathan McSweeney put his recent Australian Test snub behind him, leading Brisbane Heat to a thrilling 3-wicket victory over Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba on Sunday (December 22). McSweeney, dropped from the Test squad just 48 hours earlier, remained unbeaten on 78 and held his nerve in the final overs to steer the Heat to a dramatic win, despite a late fightback from the Strikers.
The Heat were chasing a target of 175 after the Strikers had struggled for most of their innings. McSweeney came in early, with Heat’s openers dismissed cheaply by Henry Thornton. While he took a moment to settle, Matt Renshaw exploded at the other end, smashing a rapid-fire 50 off just 24 balls, including two huge sixes off Cameron Boyce.
Renshaw’s aggressive approach gave the Heat momentum, but the Strikers clawed back with a couple of quick wickets from Lloyd Pope, removing Renshaw and Max Bryant in quick succession. That left McSweeney with the responsibility of seeing the team home. He did not disappoint, taking the game deep and reducing the equation to 55 from the final 5 overs.
McSweeney then turned the game on its head, taking on Thornton for four boundaries in an over, bringing up his own fifty and reducing the chase to 13 off 12 balls. Even when the Strikers kept him off strike in the final two overs, McSweeney remained calm, setting the stage for Mitchell Swepson to hit the winning run off the last ball of the penultimate over, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Earlier, the Strikers had struggled to build partnerships. Early wickets from the Heat had them in trouble, and despite Chris Lynn and Ollie Pope stabilizing the innings, the run rate barely exceeded six an over. Jamie Overton’s late fireworks, including a six over long-off, helped the Strikers finish strong with 174/6. Overton remained unbeaten on 45 from just 24 balls, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Heat from clinching the win.
