But the win did not come without controversy.

Scorchers quick Andrew Tye and wicket keeper Sam Whiteman appeared convinced they had Zampa caught behind off his glove from the first ball he faced — the first ball of the 19th over — only to have their appeal knocked back.

At that stage, the Strikers were 8-132, still needing 15 runs to win.

Zampa rubbed salt into the wounds of the reigning Big Bash champions, hitting 12 runs off the next seven deliveries to guide the Strikers to 9-147.

They remain unbeaten after two outings, following their convincing eight-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars last Thursday.

Perth had just three players on the park from last year's final – Whiteman, Jason Behrendorff and Adam Voges.

And one of them, Behrendorff, was the reason they got so close to winning.

The left-arm quick continued to push his claim for national selection and his 4-22 — his best return in the Big Bash League — would have done him no harm.

His scalps included the cruicial wickets of Adelaide openers Craig Simmons and Tim Ludeman, plus Kieron Pollard and Johan Botha.

The Strikers had cruised to 3-92 when Behrendorff started his final over — the 13th of the innings — and needed only 55 runs to win from 48 balls.

Behrendorff  knocked over the stumps of both Pollard and Botha during that over, putting the pressure on veteran Brad Hodge.

As he has done so many times in his career, Hodge did not let his teammates down.

He smashed 42 runs from 36 deliveries, including five boundaries, and one massive six from the bowling of Yasir Arafat.

However, when he was caught at long-on off the bowling of James Muirhead in the 18th over, the score was 8-126.

Adelaide required 21 to win from three overs and Zampa got that back to just eight before the final over, bowled by Arafat, began.

Kane Richardson was run out by keeper Whiteman off the second ball and the Strikers still required eight. But after Ben Laughlin had got a single off the third ball, Zampa smashed the fourth over the mid-wicket boundary fence to tie the scores.

The Scorchers battled to their tally of 7-146.

It could have been a lot worse if not for former Strikers batsman Michael Klinger, who hit 49 off 33 balls batting at number three.

Opener Marcus Harris got 26 from 19 deliveries in his first game for the Scorchers, but his partner, Michael Carberry, struggled.

The Englishman sent a Botha half-tracker to the boundary with the first ball of the game. But it took 47 balls — the start of the ninth over — before he hit his next boundary.

Perth meandered to 1-65 at the half-way mark of its innings, with only six boundaries and one six.

Carberry was dismissed in the 13th over for 27 off 35 balls, with only those two boundaries, and the score at 2-84.

Klinger and Ash Turner put on 32 off 19 balls to get the Scorchers on their way, but Richardson made sure Adelaide would not be chasing too big a score.

The big Australian paceman had conceded 24 from his first 2.3 overs – but turned the WA innings on its head with three wickets for just seven runs from his next eight deliveries.