IF Bathurst cricket product Jono Dean wanted to end 2014 with a bang, he could not have planned to do it in much better fashion than what played out at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.

Dean was a late addition to the Adelaide Strikers starting line-up as they hosted the Hobart Hurricanes in their third match of the 2014-15 Big Bash League season.

While Dean had big shoes to fill as he replaced the injured Brad Hodge, he more than rose to the occasion as he helped steer the Strikers to their third consecutive win.

Not only did the former Rugby Union Cricket Club player notch up his first half century of the Twenty20 competition, he brought up the milestone by blasting a six which also sealed an eight-wicket win for the Strikers.

That was his sixth six of the match – an effort which rates as a record for the Strikers – and saw him finish with an unbeaten 54 off 35 deliveries.

After playing a support role to team-mate Tim Ludeman (54 off 33) early in his innings, Dean ended the evening with a display of aggression.

The last three deliveries he faced were sent sailing over the boundary to cheers from the 44,288 strong crowd – a record for a domestic match at Adelaide.

“I went in and thought I’d just tick over the strike and get Ludes [Ludeman] on strike, but I managed to get a few in the slot late in the piece,” Dean said.

“It’s an amazing venue and the crowd is awesome.”

While Dean was named in the 13-man squad for the match against the Hurricanes, he was not initially going to be included in the starting 11.

However, after a ball struck Hodge in the arm as he warmed up which ruled him out, Dean got his chance.

“He came in very late, 10 minutes before I walked out the team sheet had to be changed,” Strikers’ skipper Johan Botha said.

“But credit to him, he came in and he played well.”

Having lost the toss the Strikers were first to bowl, but the Hurricanes were unable to get the flier with the bat that they were looking for.

The visitors lost their first wicket off the second ball of the match and from there struggled to make an impact. They finished their 20 overs at 8-136, Jonathan Wells the man responsible for getting them to a reasonable score with his unbeaten 58 off 36.

Dean played a role in one of the dismissals as he took the best catch of the evening, a diving effort to have Tim Paine out for 12 off Ben Laughlin’s bowling.

“That’s a great catch by Jono Dean, it’s never easy coming forward,” commentator and former Australian representative Mark Waugh said.

The Strikers began their chase confident of scoring the 137 needed for victory on a batting friendly deck and Dean watched on as openers Ludeman and Craig Simmons made a good start.

But when Simmons fell for 22 on the fourth ball of the fifth over to make it 1-37, number three Dean strode to the crease with plenty of work left to do.

He began his knock in watchful fashion, hitting six singles off his first 10 deliveries faced as he tried to give Ludeman as much of the strike as possible.

The Bathurst product did have one interesting moment in these early stages as one of the shots he middled saw his bat break in half.

Together with Ludeman, Dean helped the Strikers into a winning position and the longer he was at the crease, the more aggressive he became.

Spinner Cameron Boyce was the man Dean targeted, hitting one 89-metre and then a 90-metre six off his bowling.

Ludeman finally fell at 2-112, but Dean saw his side home in the 15th over.

His unbeaten 54 was easily his best score in the competition and almost doubles his Big Bash League career runs – last season he scored 59 from three innings.

Dean hopes it will be enough for him to retain his place in the 11, but given Hodge’s talent he may be shuffled around in the batting order.

“He’s [Hodge] a class player. I’m available if needed and I’m just thankful I did the job for the boys,” Dean said.