Adelaide Strikers

Adelaide Strikers

The Strikers are in choppy water. Two wins from their last six matches leaves them searching for consistency across the board.

Their sole bright spot came against Melbourne Renegades, where they dismantled the opposition by eight wickets with 49 balls unused. That was a statement of intent - the kind of dominant display that suggests the squad has the tools to compete. They backed it up with a narrow six-run win over Sydney Thunder, showing they can grind out results when it matters.

But the losses have been heavy. Perth Scorchers have beaten them twice in succession, winning by 32 runs and then 33 runs, which hints at a structural problem rather than bad luck. Melbourne Stars got the better of them by six wickets with 29 balls remaining, another chase completed with ease. Hobart Hurricanes then put them away by 37 runs in a performance that suggested Adelaide's bowling or batting - or both - had gone missing.

The pattern is clear: they can beat the mid-table sides convincingly, but the stronger teams are exposing them. Perth have done it twice now. That's a concern heading forward. The Strikers need to find a way to tighten up against the top four, because right now they're leaking runs and losing matches they should be competitive in.