3 minute read
AB de Villiers has lived up to the hype in his BBL debut, guiding Brisbane home against Adelaide after James Pattinson's maiden five-wicket haul.
AB de Villiers hasn't wasted a moment to make his mark on the Big Bash League, easing Brisbane to a comfortable win in his debut after James Pattinson's maiden five-wicket haul skittled Adelaide at the Gabba.
The South African recruit struck a serene 40 off 32 balls on Tuesday as the Heat chased down the Strikers' 110 with seven wickets and 28 balls to spare.
Entering at 2-11, his innings began with a crisp cover drive to the boundary off spinner Rashid Khan and featured calm strokes to all corners to the delight of the 19,681-strong crowd.
His innings ended anticlimactically when he picked out the deep mid-on fielder, but by then the win was in the bag.
But with the help of Matthew Renshaw (52 off 45 not out), the innings ensured a Chris Lynn golden duck didn't lead to another failed chase.
De Villiers only arrived in Australia on Sunday night but has already shown he can be a steadying influence as the Heat eye another title.
"There was quite a bit of hype coming in here, I wasn't expecting that," he said.
"I want to do well, but most important thing is for my teammates, I want to contribute and leave a legacy in the team room.
"If I entertain the crowds by doing that, it's a bonus."
Their victory improved the Heat (5-4) to equal third with five games to play until the finals, while the Strikers are now 4-4-1 and on the brink of the top five.
Earlier, Pattinson set-up the victory with his BBL-best 5-33, with the Australian quick at one stage boasting figures of 4-18 off just 14 balls.
His first four wickets came courtesy of catches from wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson, but only one was a regulation edge.
Travis Head squirted an edge off his hip that lobbed towards short-fine leg, while Philip Salt and Harry Nielsen were both caught down the legside.
De Villiers then pouched a sharp diving catch at short cover to claim the in-form Jonathan Wells and hand Pattinson his fifth.
The Strikers were eventually bowled out in the penultimate over.
The haul bettered Pattinson's 4-23 while playing for the Melbourne Renegades, and was just the 13th five-wicket haul in BBL history.
Pattinson's day out came after a night to forget in his first BBL appearance of the season in Perth, having been slammed for 52 runs in his four overs.
