Darren Lehmann cut a forlorn figure in the home dressing at the Gabba. He had lost his captain and batting talisman Chris Lynn before a ball was bowled in this game against the Adelaide Strikers. Now in a chase of 150, his side was down in the doldrums at 68/8 and tumbling rapidly towards their third straight defeat of BBL 10. Jimmy Pearson, who deputised for the hamstrung Lynn, produced a remarkable turnaround, summoning boundaries at will. Unfortunately, needing another six to tie the game, he could manage only a boundary off the final ball bowled by Daniel Worrall. He finished unbeaten on 69 off 36 and on his haunches at the end of a most thrilling of games in the BBL.
How did Heat comeback after being 68/8?
The rearguard was actually led by No. 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who launched a stunning assault on Rashid Khan in the 15th over. With nothing to lose, the Heat took the Power Surge and saw their fortunes get a positive jolt. Mujeeb reverse swept Rashid for two fours and then his compatriot over his head for a six for a 20-run over.
Peirson made it 43 in two Surge overs as he scooped his opposite number, Peter Siddle, for two sixes over fine leg and followed that with two more boundaries. He completed a 25-ball half-century of the following over from Wes Agar, bringing the equation down to a very gettable 23 off the final 3.
The pendulum swings again
Despite their resurgence, one wicket was always going to bring Brisbane crashing down. It is what happened when Siddle castled Mujeeb early in the 18th. That meant Peirson now had to farm strike and make sure he got a couple of boundaries along the way. The equation distilled down to 13 from the final over to be bowled by Worrall. After taking six off the first two balls, Peirson was unable to find a boundary or even an opportunity to run a two and was kept to three dots. His last chance was to find a six off the final ball, only for that quest to fall short.
