STRIKERS SEND OFF RASHID WITH WIN

RASHID Khan signed off from BBL10 in style as Adelaide Strikers jumped to third with a crucial win against Melbourne Stars at Adelaide Oval last night.

Playing his 50th BBL match and last of the campaign because of one- day international duties with Afghanistan, Rashid captured two key wickets in consecutive balls to set the Strikers on their way to a fivewicket victory.

He was then at the crease when Ryan Gibson ( 22 not out)_ struck the winning runs with six balls left.

A year after taking a hattrick to dismantle the Sydney Sixers, spin wizard Rashid turned the match against the Stars on its head by bowling Nick Larkin ( 18) and then having game- breaking captain Glenn Maxwell caught at backward point playing a loose shot from the first ball he faced.

It sent Melbourne spiralling to 3/ 52 in the ninth over and while Marcus Stoinis avoided Rashid’s hat- trick attempt by smashing a boundary, much of the damage had been done.

The Stars managed to conjure a competitive 7/ 149 from their 20 overs following sixes from the final two balls of the innings by Nic Maddinson ( 48 not out).

But Adelaide ran the target down in the 19th over for the loss of five wickets.

Rashid finished with 2/ 29 from his four overs, giving him 16 wickets this season.

Wes Agar ( 2/ 19) was the pick of the Strikers bowlers while fellow quick Daniel Worrall also claimed two wickets.

Adelaide’s much- needed win consolidated a top- five berth and put it back in top three calculations.

In contrast, the Stars are in deep trouble, having lost five of their past six games and slumping to seventh.