Chris Lynn has unleashed on the Melbourne Renegades, belting his highest BBL score in six seasons and powering the Adelaide Strikers to their first win in four games.
Moved up from No.3, Lynn dominated the 104-run opening stand with D'Arcy Short that ensured Adelaide's five-wicket win on Thursday night at Marvel Stadium.
Lynn belted 88 from just 51 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes, as Adelaide romped to 5-143 from 17.1 overs in reply to Melbourne's 9-142.
It is Lynn's highest BBL score since the 2019-20 tournament and his first half-century in this campaign.
"I was due for a few runs, but as I keep saying, 'you miss out don't change your game plan'," Lynn said.
"It was good to just spark the boys up. I was more than happy to open ... we've found on this wicket, you can sometimes be a bit of a sitting duck if you stay still."
Lynn added there had been no panic during Adelaide's run of losses.
"We could easily have been 3-0 before Christmas, but Painey (coach Tim Paine), at no point, panicked," Lynn said.
"We've been preparing well ... at no point have we gotten desperate. We're not playing bad cricket."
Adelaide were second-last before Thursday's game and the badly needed win improved their record to 2-4, while the Renegades are fifth on 2-3.
After four overs, Lynn had belted 37 and Short was yet to score, having faced just three balls.
Short finally scored a single in the fifth over and was the first wicket to fall, bowled by Tom Rogers in the 11th over for 27 from 20 balls.
A century went begging for Lynn in the next over when he belted Adam Zampa straight to Laurie Evans at cover.
Lynn threw his head back in frustration.
Wickets fell steadily for Adelaide, but Lynn and Short had scored so heavily that the result was never in doubt.
After losing the toss and looking shaky at 2-40 after five overs, Melbourne consolidated behind opener Josh Brown and put the pressure on the Adelaide bowlers.
Brown had belted 66 from 41 balls, with five fours and six sixes, and at halfway the Renegades were looking solid at 2-80.
But leg-spinner Cameron Boyce had Brown caught at long-off in the 14th over and that proved a massive turning point.
From a solid-enough 4-100, Melbourne lost all momentum and no other batsman scored more than 21.
Opening bowler Henry Thornton was the pick of the attack with 3-20 and after being smacked for 20 off one over, spinner Lloyd Pope rallied and finished with 2-34 from his three overs.
Sutherland looked promising at No.7, hitting a six and a four in his 18, but Pope had him caught behind on video review in a significant blow.
Brown left the field early in the Strikers' innings because of illness and did not return, but is not expected to miss any games.
Alex Ross captained the Strikers after Matthew Short was ruled out again because of a toe injury.
The stadium surface, which came in for plenty of criticism after the Renegades' first home game on December 23, looked much better on Thursday night.
