4th over: Sydney Sixers 14-2 (Maddinson 8, Henriques 1)
A captain’s knock is the least that this situation requires for Sydney now and their skipper Moises Henriques is at the crease. He gets off strike quickly, which allows Nic Maddinson to free his arms with an ambitious drive. He edges perilously close to his stumps on this occasion but it still runs away for a handy boundary. The Sixers will take them any way they can get them right now.
WICKET! Wessels b Behrendorff 2 (Sixers 7-2)
3rd over: Sydney Sixers 7-2 (Maddinson 2, Henriques 0)
Behrendorff prepares himself again and starts with a trio of dots, none of which are amiss in the shortest format. The third was angled in at the new man Nic Maddinson’s hip and he really might have gotten it away.
Maddinson is trying to break up the big left-armers’ length by moving down the track but again fails to get much willow on the fourth delivery and can manage only a single from the fifth. This is superb control again from Behrendorff.
And then a wicket! Wessels is feeling the pinch of all those dots and again it’s a horizontal bat stroke that is the undoing of the Sixers. It’s slightly short but skids low so when Wessels fails to make contact with a lusty pull towards cow the Zing bails go flying into the Canberra sky.
WICKET! Lumb b Coulter-Nile 3 (Sixers 6-1)
2nd over: Sydney Sixers 6-1 (Wessels 2, Maddinson 1)
He’s only got a single BBL performance under his belt but Nathan Coulter-Nile has timed his run pretty well to find a spot in this line-up and he’s thrown the new ball again here. He starts with dot and then Lumb nearly runs himself out by refusing to ground his bat to a direct hit. After a streaky single to Wessels, Lumb takes a huge heave at a ball that required more dilligence and he’s bowled neck and crop!
First blood to Coulter-Nile and the Scorchers. That’s a brilliant start from him; just 3 runs conceded and a big wicket.
1st over: Sydney Sixers 3-0 (Lumb 2, Wessels 1)
Behrendorff takes the first over for the Scorchers and hasn’t he been in form this season? Here’s his BBL04 stats: 9 games, 14 wickets at 16.57, economy rate: 6.44, BBI: 4-22 - a pretty decent effort by a player many wise judges - and myself - view as a genuine contender for an Ashes berth.
His first delivery is belted through cover by Michael Lumb but cut off well. The next shapes away from the outside edge beautifully and that’s followed by a streaky edge down to 3rd man to get the Sixers under way. That brings Riki Wessels on strike and he has a sighter before dabbing down towards 3rd man too. Lumb pinches the strike back with another single to finish.
Our first reader email has also arrived
“Lovely Russell,” says Robert Wilson, slurping away as he types. “Is it just me or does Silk, Carters, Abbott and O’Keefe sound like the worst law firm in the history of the world? Whereas, Whiteman, Coulter-Nile, Arafat and Tye sounds spookily like the line-up for a UN conference of doubtful value?”
Surely it’s good to have a Silk in a law firm?
It’s non-stop excitement here as the first ball approaches
I really want all of you folks sitting in offices - perhaps trying to paint a picture of the pageantry of this event - to revel in the full glory of a Big Bash broadcast, so here is the AC/DC-soundtracked intro that’s just sounded out.
Doesn’t it just make you want to dress up in a school uniform, eat an entire bucket of KFC hot ‘n spicy and blow something up? Or is that just me?
Wouldn't be a domestic Twenty20 final without a mascot race #bbl04 pic.twitter.com/cV4Ikox3cy
— Steve Zemek (@stevezemek) January 28, 2015
The Freddie Flintoff Variety Hour
There is a ‘a bit of weather about’ in Canberra tonight, as the saying goes, but hopes remain high that we’ll get through this final without the intervention of Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Channel Ten.
Speaking of Ten, they’re only cutting the game with a 10-minute preview window, so for now we have to make do with their news panel show ‘The Project’, which has found room in its roster tonight for renowned journalist Andrew Flintoff. International followers of this blog will be pleased to know that he just punctuated a debate about the death penalty with some more Elvis impersonations.
Stick to your strengths I guess.
Evening all
...and welcome to this 2014-15 Big Bash League final between the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers. This game is being played - logically enough - at Manuka Oval in Canberra. I’m sure someone met a KPI with that decision but the Scorchers and Sixers fans doubtless feel a little miffed. We’re about 20 minutes from the first delivery now so here’s what has happened so far...
The Toss
...has been won by the Sixers, who’ll have a bat. Their line-up is as follows:
Lumb, Wessels, Maddinson, Henriques (c), Silk, Carters, Abbott, O’Keefe, Lyon, Lee and Bollinger.
The Scorchers:
Klinger, Marsh, Voges (captain), Carberry, Turner, Whiteman, Coulter-Nile, Arafat, Tye, Hogg and Behrendorff.
You can get me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com with all your comments and quips.
i know it is all about tv but very disappointing that #bbl04 final could have smallest crowd of outstanding season
— John Townsend (@johnt237) January 28, 2015
Russell Jackson will be here shortly to take you through tonight’s proceedings in Canberra, but until he gets here, take a read of Mike Selvey’s piece on how Australia’s captain Steve Smith (not playing tonight) has blossomed as a batsman and shot up the Test batting rankings – and how he is a lesson in how an unconventional technique should sometimes be left well alone. Read it all here.
