Perth Scorchers batsman goes ballistic at ‘The Furnace’.
He might not have been well-known before but he is now.
Perth Scorchers batsman Craig Simmons created history when his side took on the Adelaide Strikers at The WACA, after he blasted eight fours and eight sixes on the way to his 39-ball ton, easily eclipsing the previous record of 44 balls set by Melbourne Stars blaster Luke Wright in 2012.
The blistering knock of 102 lifted Perth to 7-203, and the Strikers were in the hunt for an upset five-run win after quick-fire knocks from Phil Hughes (58), Alex Hales (31), Nathan Reardon (30) and Jono Dean (29).
The Strikers needed 17 runs for victory off the last over – bowled by Pakistan paceman Yasir Arafat.
That equation became six off the final ball after Tim Ludeman cracked two boundaries.
But Ludeman couldn’t land the winning blow, scuffing Arafat’s straight full toss to square leg as Adelaide finished at 6-198 in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,495.
The win guaranteed the Scorchers (5-2) a spot in this summer’s finals, but Adelaide need to win their last two games if they are to join Perth in the top-four.
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