Ricky Ponting whacks Matthew Wade over stump-mic comment

Ricky Ponting has taken a dig at Matthew Wade over a comment that was picked up on stump microphones.

Wade was powerless to stop a Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey batting blitzkrieg on Thursday night, which saw the Adelaide Strikers bring Hobart Hurricanes down a peg.

The Strikers upset the ladder-leading Hurricanes in Launceston, chasing down the target of 170 with 13 balls to spare.

Weatherald smacked 82 from 42 balls, while Carey hit 54 from 35 to breathe new life into the Strikers’ season.

Wade (88 off 54 balls) was in fine form with the bat himself, but his form with his mouth was questionable.

After Weatherald teed off during one D’Arcy Short over, Ponting was baffled by a comment from Wade.

Weatherald had dispatched a half-volley to the extra cover boundary, but Wade was heard telling Short it was a good ball.

“It wasn’t a good ball,” Ponting said in commentary.

“It was a half-volley that could only go over extra cover.

“You don’t see Rashid Khan bowling a ball like that.

“Why reward it with a comment like that?”

Can the Strikers still make the finals?

The seven-wicket win means the Strikers are just two points behind the Melbourne Stars in fourth spot and remain a mathematical chance of making the finals with two games to play.

Hobart looked on track for a massive total in front of a home crowd of 13,846 but stumbled late, losing 5-19 within the final four overs.

Ben Laughlin (3-31) was the pick of the Adelaide attack, while Khan and Michael Neser picked up two wickets each.

The Hurricanes, who are a win clear atop the table, have now lost two of their past three matches.

with AAP