PS vs AS

17:56 PM IST|| That is all from our live coverage of this exciting game between the Perth Scorchers and the Adelaide Strikers in which Perth keeps the upper hand. I am Samanvaya Sharma signing off on behalf of Bidipto as we will take your leave now. See you soon with another exciting contest, till then goodbye!

Jason Behrendorff (Player of the Match, 3/21 off 3.1 overs): We are happy to get it done tonight in front of such a lovely home crowd! We are still alive, so, let's see what happens in the next 24 hours. We don't know what the squad is going to look like next season, let's see! If we do get through to the finals, Cooper Connolly will be sorely missed. But he is a big crowd favourite, so he has a big future with this team. 

17:46 PM IST|| Match Summary|| Perth Scorchers won by 5 wickets.

Liam Scott 67(43) | Cooper Connolly 39*(21)
Mahli Beardman 3/17 | Jason Behrendorff 3/21

The Perth Scorchers' victory over the Adelaide Strikers was a thrilling encounter that showcased the team's batting prowess and bowling depth. After winning the toss, the Scorchers opted to bowl first, and their decision paid off as they restricted the Strikers to 161 runs.

The Strikers' innings was marked by aggressive batting, with Alex Carey and Matthew Short attacking right from the start. Carey, in particular, was severe on the Scorchers' bowling, hitting several boundaries in the opening overs. However, his innings were cut short when he fell to Lance Morris in the second over.

Despite Carey's dismissal, the Strikers continued to bat aggressively, with Matthew Short playing some exquisite shots. Short's innings were marked by some clever footwork and powerful hitting, and he looked set to take the Strikers to a big total.

However, the Scorchers' bowling unit, led by Mahli Beardman and Jason Behrendorff, was able to stem the flow of runs and pick up regular wickets. Beardman, in particular, was impressive, taking three wickets and conceding just 22 runs in his four overs.

The Scorchers' chase began with Sam Fanning and Finn Allen attacking aggressively, scoring 21 runs off the first over. Despite losing Finn Allen early, the Scorchers continued to bat positively, with Ashton Turner playing a crucial role.

Turner's innings was marked by some clever shot selection and powerful hitting, and he looked set to take the Scorchers home. However, his dismissal in the power surge left the Scorchers needing 31 runs from 36 balls.

It was then that Cooper Connolly took center stage, hitting two magnificent sixes in the 18th over to seal the win for the Scorchers. Connolly's innings were a testament to his team's batting depth, and it ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams.

The Scorchers' victory was a thrilling one, and it has kept them alive in the playoffs race. The team will be looking to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches, and they will be confident of making a deep run in the tournament.

The Strikers, on the other hand, will need to regroup and reassess their strategy if they hope to make a comeback in the tournament. Despite some positive performances, including Matthew Short's 40-run innings, the Strikers were unable to capitalize on their strong start.

The team will need to work on their batting consistency and bowling discipline if they hope to turn their season around. They will also need to find a way to counter the Scorchers' batting depth, which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams.

16.2 D'Arcy Short to Cooper Connolly, THE SCORCHERS ARE ALIVE IN THE FINALS RACE, STILL! THE RENEGADES ARE OUT OF IT NOW! Tossed up on the off-and-middle line. Clobbered from down on one knee over long-on yet again, for a maximum! 

16.1 D'Arcy Short to Cooper Connolly, over the wicket, SIX RUNS! Length ball bowled with some air on middle-and-off. Slammed off the front foot way over long-on for a maximum! 

The Adelaide Strikers are leaking some extras from the past couple of overs and this is going against their way only. The crowd is cheering every single run scored by their home side and now it looks like a comfortable task for the Perth Scorchers as they require 11 more runs from the remaining 24 deliveries.

15.6 Lloyd Pope to Matthew Spoors, short and slow on middle-stump. Punched to the short cover fielder off the wrong 'un on the back foot, no run. 

15.5 Lloyd Pope to Cooper Connolly, HMMM! Good length ball on leg-stump. Connolly goes across, tries to pull it over short fine but gets a glove on it for just a single. 

15.3 Lloyd Pope to Matthew Spoors, back of a length on middle-and-leg. Pulled around to the deep square-leg area off the back foot for a couple. 

15.2 Lloyd Pope to Cooper Connolly, AH HA! FOUR WIDES! Good length ball bowled outside leg-stump. Connolly missed the sweep, the keeper missed his collection and the batters ran three byes! The Strikers are knocked out of the finals race! 

15.1 Lloyd Pope to Cooper Connolly, over the wicket, full on off-stump. Connolly moves across and laps it to the left of fine-leg for a brace. 

The Short Brothers are trying their best to keep their side in this contest. But Perth Scorchers are scoring those crucial runs in each over.

14.6 Matthew Short to Matthew Spoors, FOUR RUNS! Length ball on leg-stump. The reverse sweep gets enough bat on it to make the ball go over the short third fielder for a boundary eventually! 

14.5 Matthew Short to Matthew Spoors, short and slow on middle-and-leg. Pulled around off the inside-edge to the left of the keeper for a brace. But had Carey not collected it, could have gone on to be a direct hit and a run out! 

14.4 Matthew Short to Matthew Spoors, over the wicket, good length ball around off-stump. The attempted lap-sweep by going across, gets missed. No leg-bye.