Hobart Hurricanes win by 71 runs to make the Big Bash final
What a performance from Hobart. “So much respect for this Scorchers outfit, we didn’t look one second past this,” says Hurricanes captain George Bailey. “We knew we had to play our best game of the season to beat them, and we’ve done that with bat and ball.”
They certainly did. Matty Wade started them off opening the batting, timing it beautifully with 71 from 45 and giving them Powerplay momentum. When he departed, it looked like Perth might just swing things back, but Ben McDermott and Dan Christian opened up with a sustained display of power hitting at the back of the innings.
Christian was 37 from 22, McDermott remained 67 not out from 30, and between them they hit eight balls over the fence. That carried the total past 200, and meant that Perth needed to construct the perfect chase.
Stacked as their batting may have been, the Scorchers couldn’t pull it off. Klinger fell early, Shaun Marsh looked in supreme touch but got a middling score, and the rest fell away. After those two openers, the next five batsmen made single figures. The next five. They made 13 runs between them. Bresnan and Richardson flattered their side with some late slogging, but really Perth was utterly smashed tonight.
Christian cleaned up with 4 for 17, and should be man of the match one would assume, but it was Tom Rogers who was perhaps the most important, taking out both those openers on his way to 3 for 31.
(Um, nope, Wade is man of the match on my screen right now. Set the tone. Not unreasonable.)
That brings to an end an era of Perth dominance in the BBL, making the final year after year. No doubt they’ll come back hard next season, but their first foray in their new stadium hasn’t worked tonight. They’ve been so familiar with the Waca, and so happy chasing their after suppressing the scoring of their opponents. But tonight they had no answers with the ball, and didn’t know how to use the conditions with the bat, a lot of top edges to the deep.
Wonder if they’ll want to go back to home turf, or how long it will take them to learn to play at this ground?
For now, enjoy the afterglow of a massive underdog triumph, as this jolly band of Purple People Eaters prepares to take on either the Melbourne Renegades or the Adelaide Strikers depending on who wins tomorrow.
Updated
17.5 overs: Perth Scorchers 139-10 (Johnson 4) Dan Christian wraps it up with his fourth wicket, but the important thing is that Mitch Johnson remains unbeaten at the end. Forever unbeaten in our hearts.
WICKET! Bresnan lbw Christian, 43 from 26 balls
Full, straight, hitting the ankle, and the finger goes up. It’s over!
17th over: Perth Scorchers 136-9 (Bresnan 41, Johnson 3) Mitch Johnson does face a ball in the Big Bash League! Left-hander, if you’ve forgotten, and he glides Rogers for a single. Then gets the strike back and pulls one more run to long-on, a muscular thwack that the crowd enjoys. What’s left of it. Most of the stadium has left. Bresnan pulls six off the top edge, then another one that’s almost caught at deep midwicket but Christian can’t get there.
Johnson facing. Full toss, pulled down the ground, caught by Archer running around... and it’s a no ball! Called for height as it reached the batsman. Archer didn’t know and was celebrating the win. Just as well he didn’t throw the ball over the rope. Johnson profits by a single, and Bresnan smears the extra ball to deep square leg.
16th over: Perth Scorchers 122-9 (Bresnan 31, Johnson 0) Now, this is interesting. Mitchell Johnson has never faced a ball in Big Bash cricket. I know he’s played something like 30 games. So it tells you two things: one, the Scorchers are very good, and two, he obviously doesn’t want to bat. Because he’s very good with the stick, he made Test centuries, so there’s no reason he should be batting 11 behind Matt Kelly and the like. But if Bresnan survives this over, Johnson will finally face a ball. Brsnan does, clubbing two down the ground and then glancing four. Christian has 3 for 14.
WICKET! Kelly c Milenko c Christian, 7 from 7 balls
Christian keeps mopping up; another short ball hooked to the deep, not fiercely struck, and Milenko takes a regulation catch at square leg. One wicket to go...
15th over: Perth Scorchers 115-8 (Bresnan 24, Kelly 7) Simon ‘Crazy Eyes’ Milenko comes on to unnerve Perth with the ball and his piercing stare. Only got to face one ball with the bat, but he can bowl six here. Bresnan pulls a couple, Kelly finds singles, then slaps the last ball over cover for four. A little late net for the tailenders.
14th over: Perth Scorchers 105-8 (Bresnan 20, Kelly 1) Dan Christian has 2 for 7 from his two overs, in a season where he’s bowled a lot at the death and been whacked around. Must be nice to have a change.
WICKET! Richardson c Paine b Christian, 16 from 12 balls
The entertainment ends, as Christian lets loose one as quick as he can muster, and Richardson’s cut shot only takes the timber at the top edge of the bat.
Updated
13th over: Perth Scorchers 102-7 (Bresnan 19, Richardson 15) Runs flowing now for Perth! Needed to happen in maybe the 2nd over, not the 13th, but it’s fun. Bresnan facing Archer, and he cuts him, flicks him off the pads, then edges past the keeper. All for four. Brings the hundred up. Small mercies. The last two overs have brought 29.
12th over: Perth Scorchers 88-7 (Bresnan 5, Richardson 15) Richardson facing the off-spin of Rose, and he’s much more comfortable here. Skips down the track to one, stays home and lofts another, and both of them sail straight for six. Another one is a chance to be caught by Christian at long-off, but he loses it in the lights coming forward, and hangs back so as not to concede a four. None of it matters, but it gives the local Perthlings something to cheer.
11th over: Perth Scorchers 73-7 (Bresnan 4, Richardson 1) Archer bowling, and Bresnan is nearly another run out as he goes off for a foolish single. Richardson can’t do much when Archer is on target, but the bowler also slips in a couple of wides. Five from the over.
Important nickname business. Could we perhaps call Optus Stadium the “basket case”?
— Melissa McMahon (@batsyblog) February 1, 2018
Sure can. Perth’s innings, as well.
WICKET! Cartwright b Rose, 4 from 8 balls
10th over: Perth Scorchers 68-7 (Bresnan 2, Richardson 0) It’s just chaos here. This time it’s Rose, nearly at the end of a quiet over, who darts a blockhole ball in and Cartwright misses it. That’s all there is to it. Sneaks through Cartwright as he tries to jam down, and his stumps light up.
WICKET! Voges c Paine b Meredith, 3 from 5 balls
9th over: Perth Scorchers 65-6 (Cartwright 3) Last ball of the over strikes again, and thanks to a wide! Meredith bowls a shocker from what should have been his last ball, a bouncer so short that it landed about two metres in front of him and then ballooned over the batsman. But it worked out for him in the end, as Voges tries to pull the next short ball, got a huge hanger of a top edge, and Paine had time to run around to backward square leg, settle under it with the gloves, and take the catch.
8th over: Perth Scorchers 59-5 (Cartwright 2, Voges 0) Another double-wicket over, and the game is all but gone. Still a couple of good operators at the crease, but they need better than 12 an over. Dan Christian conceded two runs and two sides from that set.
WICKET! Turner run out (Bailey), 2 from 4 balls
It’s carnage now! The Scorchers are rattled, and have spiked one of their big guns without firing a shot. Turner strikes to mid-off and runs with the shot, blindly. Bailey picks up, has plenty of time to steady and aim, and rips down the stumps with a flat throw. Dan Christian was jumping the air to avoid that ball, so fast was it coming in, but he didn’t need to worry. Bailey’s aim was true.
WICKET! Mitch Marsh c Archer b Christian, 3 from 5 balls
And another one. Mitch ends what has turned out to be a miserable comeback game, getting a length ball that he tries to lift with a flip-pull for six, but only gets it high behind square leg. Archer sprints in off the rope, misjudges the drop a bit, then surges in to take the catch on the tumble. Well held in the end.
7th over: Perth Scorchers 55-3 (Mitch Marsh 1, Turner 2) A double-wicket over hurts. The Canes take advantage of the lull to sneak through a four-run over from off-spinner Clive Rose. Perth need 156 off 78, so it’s 12 an over.
WICKET! Shaun Marsh c Meredith b Rogers, 30 from 18 balls
6th over: Perth Scorchers 51-3 (Mitch Marsh 1) And back to single Marsh five balls later. Bancroft is out first ball of the over, and the batsmen cross, so Shaun is able to essay a couple of perfect cover drives for four. It seems he’s going to wrest momentum back in no time, but the last ball of the over he tries a big pull shot, mistimes it toward the long square boundary, and Meredith is nervous under the high ball on debut, but keeps himself together enough to complete the catch. It’s going to take an Ashton Turner special from here.
WICKET! Bancroft c Milenko b Rogers, 1 from 6 balls
Bonus wicket for Hobart! One man at deep midwicket and Bancroft has picked him out, whipping that ball away in the air. Double Marsh time.
5th over: Perth Scorchers 41-1 (Shaun Marsh 21, Bancroft 1) It’s Jofra time! Archer comes to the wicket, bowling short and fast. Rips past Bancroft, then hits him for a leg bye, then hits Marsh in the ribs for none. Marsh comes back at him with a pull for four! Top shot, then Archer slips down leg and it takes a great save from Paine to prevent five wides. Short again, Marsh cuts, is setting off for the run assuming that Reardon won’t save it at backward point, but the fieldsman does brilliantly to reel it in, and would have run out Marsh cold had his throw hit. Marsh scrambles back into his ground, then pulls out that straight drive again and creams another one down the ground for four. What an over.
4th over: Perth Scorchers 31-1 (Shaun Marsh 13, Bancroft 1) Bailey keeps the faith with Meredith for another over. Marsh smokes the first ball, a gorgeous straight drive for four, but Meredith comes back with a good short ball that goes scoreless, a single, another dot, a single, then Marsh nails him again fom the last ball. Great contest. Bancroft is off the mark
3rd over: Perth Scorchers 21-1 (Shaun Marsh 4, Bancroft 0) Well, the Scorchers were at 10 an over for a second there, but Klinger goes and Rogers’ second over goes for three runs.
WICKET! Klinger c Reardon b Rogers, 15 from 11 balls
The early blow for Hobart! The man who can bat through an innings and so often does, but he gets a short ball and tries to lift it over short fine, but hits it flatter and straight to that position.
2nd over: Perth Scorchers 18-0 (Klinger 14, Shaun Marsh 3) Riley Meredith from the other end, even less experienced: one Shield game for Tassie, and he’s on Big Bash debut. Playing in place of the experienced T20 leg-spinner Cameron Boyce. So maybe Hobart’s tactic tonight was “bowlers that Perth players have never seen before”? Meredith starts well too, a few singles, but lets it slip from his fifth ball. Too short, and Klinger hooks for six while falling over. Inelegant but effective, and caught by a very effusive young man in the crowd at long leg. The last ball is laced through the covers for four. Perth is away!
1st over: Perth Scorchers 5-0 (Klinger 3, Shaun Marsh 1) The two senior stylists to open the batting for Perth, and the opposite to open the bowling for Hobart. It’s young Tom Rogers with the ball, an inexperienced cricketer who has played a couple of games this season after cracking Tassie’s Shield side. A bustling medium pacer, he gives Perth the perfect start with a wide, but comes back to concede only four from the bat. Klinger leaves the last ball. Leaves! Chasing 210! Alright then...
Perth must chase 211 to make the Big Bash final
What a performance from the Hobart Hurricanes, after being invited to bat first on a wicket that had never hosted a BBL game before. Perth won’t be feeling so good about that decision now, after Wade made 71 from 45 balls, McDermott 67 from 30, and Christian 37 from 22. A brilliant trio of big-hitting performances that lit up this ground. Not that the local fans voiced any enjoyment.
Still, Perth has a very powerful batting line-up, and the team will be liberated to just go out there and swing. We’ve seen this kind of total chased when that happens, rather than worrying about the tactical approach. Back with the pursuit in just a moment.
20th over: Hobart Hurricanes 210-4 (McDermott 67, Milenko 2) Just a single from the first ball of the over, a big result for Perth from the inexperienced Matt Kelly. But he bowls a high full toss next ball, and Christian has had a few minutes to recover from that Johnson blow to the head, and is able to squeeze that ball through cover for four. Misses the next ball though, as Kelly winds the length back and it soars through over middle stump. Kelly tries the same ball again, and this time DC is ready! Backs away, knows there’s a gap at cover, and hits it again with the cut shot for four. Finally, from the second-last ball, Christian misses the yorker, is thinking about running the bye anyway, but Cam Bancroft throws the stumps down from behind the wicket to run him out. Simon Milenko gets one ball to face, and smears it through leg for two runs as the throw comes back in wide to his end.
WICKET! Christian run out (Bancroft) 37 from 22 balls
I’ll give you the details in the over wrap.
19th over: Hobart Hurricanes 199-3 (McDermott 66, Christian 29) McDermott, with 12 balls to go, and... WHACK. Huge strike from Jhye Richardson’s first ball over wide long on. Flat bat clump. Drives a blockhole ball straight back to the bowler, but when Richardons tries to double up, McDermott anticipates it and scoops six more over fine leg! What a shot, stepping outside off and timing it. Richardson is wided next ball as he lands one right on the blue tram tracks, and rattled perhaps, he slips in a full toss on of stump. Want to guess whether McDermott smeared it for six over the leg side? Wanna? Should I give a spoiler alert?
He did.
Rattled now, Richardson. He bowls another wide, in the same spot. Then finally gets it right, meaning that McD can only squeeze a single, and Christian misses out from the last. That leaves McD on strike, which isn’t the worst outcome for the purple mob. What did I say about Hobart getting 200? That’s old news now.
18th over: Hobart Hurricanes 178-3 (McDermott 47, Christian 29) Mitch Johnson to try to change things. Gets away with a dot ball, as he bowls short and outside off, wide enough that Christian misses with his cut shot. Then Johnson goes short and full pace at the body, and Christian is cramped for room. That was smart bowling, the second one. Two vital dot balls. Then he’s hit in the helmet! Again, for Johnson, as Christian misses the pull and gets one in the noggin. The neck protector comes flying off, as has become common these days. Only a matter of time until someone is out hit wicket when one of those hits the stumps. They get through for a single, as Johnson ran down and tried to kick the ball into the stumps; would have had McDermott cold had he hit. But it’s good for Hobart that the rattled Christian isn’t on strike, because McDermott can give him a breather by smacking four down the ground, then six over square leg! What a display of hitting after a nervous start. The fifty partnership is up in quick time, and McDermott cleverly keeps the strike with a single to long-on. Action packed enough for you?
17th over: Hobart Hurricanes 166-3 (McDermott 36, Christian 29) Christian is setting up early for the short or length ball, looking to play a baseball swipe over or through the leg side. And Bresnan gives him two chances out of three to hit it, for a four and a six. The ball in between is a dot, in the blockhole. But Hobart keeps doin the damage. Bresnan finally changes up, going wide of off, but Christian slices two through backward point. Bresnan tries the bouncer but again is foiled by the umpire’s albatross signal, then Bresnan’s length ball outside off is teed away over cover for four! The bowler just shrugs. What else do you do when you’ve tried everything. A single to cover finishes the over, and it has cost Perth 18 runs. Hobart could hit 200 at this rate.
16th over: Hobart Hurricanes 148-3 (McDermott 36, Christian 12) McDermott skies a pull shot but it lands safe. Christian drives nicely through the covers and brings up another couple as the sweeper comes around and throws down the striker’s stumps from the deep. The batsman safely home. Short, at the body, and glided to short man for one by Christian, then McDermott shows what he can do. Short, waiting, asking for it, and McD drops his weight low and marmalises that with a flat pull shot over midwicket for six! Taken in the crowd. Then his next ball is outside edged, along the ground, past the keeper for four! The over goes for 14, and Mitch Marsh has come back into the side tonight to deliver four overs for 53 runs. Ouchhhh.
15th over: Hobart Hurricanes 134-3 (McDermott 25, Christian 9) McDermott in trouble again, this time coming from the non-striker’s end as Christian jammed one into the covers. But Voges was well awry with an ugly skew of a throw. They’re only getting singles from the Kelly over... at least until the fourth ball. Christian steps away to leg, gets a fuller slower ball, and thumps it over the fence dead straight for six! Into the sightscreen cloth down there with a pure and simple cricket shot. A couple more singles, 11 from the over, and the inning rate is just under 9. Would 180 be enough?
14th over: Hobart Hurricanes 123-3 (McDermott 22, Christian 1) Dan Christian the next in, who can and has hit many a long ball. The Bresnan over is a quiet one with Wade’s dismissal, four runs from it, and the Canes on a Jackson Five ABC, 123.
WICKET! Wade c Kelly b Bresnan 71
That’s the one Perth needed! And the one Hobart couldn’t afford. Bresnan short, Wade pulls, and Kelly has the low sun right in his eyes out there at deep backward square, with the ball coming flat, but took the tough catch.
13th over: Hobart Hurricanes 119-2 (Wade 71, McDermott 19) Johnson back, and he bowls too full outside off. There’s no one back at long-off, so McDermott belts the straight drive over that area for six. Then aims another one and inside-edges past his stumps for four! Throw in some singles and it’s 14 from the over, looking good for the Canes. “A quick question, Geoff. As a Gloucestershire fan, I have a deep and abiding man love for Michael Klinger. Is there a reason why he has constantly been overlooked by the Australian selectors?”
Oh. Don’t get me started, Richard Woods. Don’t bring it on. We’ve been asking this question for years, in Australia. One of those inexplicable unlucky ones, who for some reason just isn’t rated by those running things nationally. And for some players, the attitude among others becomes entrenched, passed on through different selectorial generations. It’s been an abiding frustration. I won’t go on about it, but here’s a piece I wrote on Klinger a while ago.
12th over: Hobart Hurricanes 105-2 (Wade 69, McDermott 7) Another clout down the ground, and nearly through for four, but again it’s Bresnan belting around to put in the dive. Cuts off and keeps Wade to two. But can’t do anything when Marsh puts one on the pads, and Wade swings it away over deep backward square for six! Clean strike. Glides another run, then McDermott finally finds his range via a classical straight drive for four. Fine shot. Goes again with one not as well timed, takes a single as Bresnan comes across. So much riding on Wade for Hobart at the moment. They need him to keep this going. He’s striking at around 160, the other end is striking at 80, says the TV coverage.
11th over: Hobart Hurricanes 89-2 (Wade 59, McDermott 2) Another wide, this one down leg from Richardson. And another terrible from from McDermott, who followed up a dot with a panic single to midwicket. Michael Klinger came in, picked up, and would have run him out by yards. But with a stump and a bit to aim at, it was a tough underarm throw. Wade gets a short ball, uppercuts it to third man, and is dropped in the deep! Tough one for Bresnan, who was placed well square of that ball, but he made good ground, got one hand out, and couldn’t stick it. He did well to stop the rebound from going for four behind him though. McDermott has one whiz past his outside edge, then gets blocked up by the next two at his stumps. Three from the over, and Perth hitting back.
10th over: Hobart Hurricanes 86-2 (Wade 58, McDermott 1) Bresnan continues, and draws the most extraordinary shot! Wade comes across outside off and goes to lap the ball, then sees it going too wide of off. So he changes his shot at the last second, reaching out for a little cut shot, placing the ball rather than hitting it, and manages to get it into a gap behind point for two. He takes the single next ball, and the Bailey wicket follows thereafter. Ben McDermott is next in, and he could be run out at the non-striker’s end but puts in a big dive to complete his hit-and-run single to mid-off. Bresnan bowls a wide, way over the batsman’s head, allowing Wade an extra ball to slash for four through third man, after nearly being caught! Short third is in the circle, and that wasn’t far away.
WICKET! Bailey c Johnson b Bresnan 17
A simple catch at cover, as Bailey comes down the wicket, gets cramped for room by a cutter that became a bit short for the forcing shot he was aiming at it, and in the end could only pop it up. Not the wrong move, he needed to attack.
9th over: Hobart Hurricanes 77-1 (Wade 51, Bailey 17) Mitch Marsh returns, and Wade finds mid-off before chopping another single. Bailey aims a big smear but only toes it for two through square leg, sprinting back for a well taken second. He backs away and tees off over cover point, and again there’s a sweeper but Bailey is able to race for the second. Good work finding his way back into an innings when the boundaries aren’t flowing. But they are now! Accidentally. A pull shot, a big top edge, and it tells you about the pace in this pitch that Perth’s medium-pace all-rounder can be top-edged for six. Wade nearly runs himself out at the non-striker’s end after backing up too far on the last ball, but gets back, and will have strike for the 10th over. They got 11 from this one.
Half century! Matthew Wade 50 from 31 balls
8th over: Hobart Hurricanes 66-1 (Wade 50, Bailey 7) The boundaries have dried up for Wade. Tim Bresnan is on, Perth’s only international player. Wade pulls a single, Bailey lofts another one straight but they have a man back for him on that shot now. Wade finally gets a ball he can punish, pulled behind square for four. Adds a brace, then a single for 50 from 31 balls.
7th over: Hobart Hurricanes 57-1 (Wade 42, Bailey 6) Kelly the bowler, and Wade gloves a couple of runs down to fine leg, then cuts a single. Bailey back on strike, misses another ball outside off for another dot, then finally gets onto one as he lofts an on-drive. The field is up, so it lands at long-on and rolls safely for four. Can be destructive when he’s going, but needs to find it. A couple more singles to close it out, and they’re going at 8.14 an over, which is probably just on par.
6th over: Hobart Hurricanes 48-1 (Wade 38, Bailey 1) Well, Bailey is still struggling. You can play yourself in, but one run off your first six balls isn’t good enough. At least find the single. He’s lucky that one of Richardson’s short balls is called wide, even though Bailey ducked and the call was wrong. There’s another wide down leg after Bailey finally gets off strike, and Wade takes advantage of the extra to work a single and keep the strike. He’ll want to hoard it tonight.
5th over: Hobart Hurricanes 44-1 (Wade 37, Bailey 0) The Kelly over does the trick for Perth, three runs off it and the wicket. Bailey has struggled this season. Team needs him now.
Updated
WICKET! Paine c M. Marsh b Kelly 4
Matt Kelly on for his first over, a skinny whipline kinda kid who sends it down at good pace, and after a couple of singles he uses that pace to draw a false shot from Paine. He’d barely faced any strike, and mistimed a pull. I didn’t think Marsh would get there, but charged toward midwicket like a steam train and put in a big slide to get hands to the ball. First strike.
4th over: Hobart Hurricanes 41-0 (Wade 35, Paine 3) Wade carries on. Decent fast length ball from Johnson, driven on the up and back over his head. Maybe a bit of cross-seam from Johnson but it was still travelling. He goes full pace with his next but it slips out as a full toss, and Wade is timing the glance perfectly for four more. This is top batting. Wade defends the next ball, wanting to drive but the pace was too much, there. Keeps it out. Johnson goes too straight again, on the pads, and though this one at least landed first, Wade glances again behind square for four! He’s got a short fine leg in the circle, but that one went square of the man there. Wade has hit eight boundaries so far, and keeps the strike with another glide from the last ball. Why not, when Paine has 3 runs to his name.
3rd over: Hobart Hurricanes 28-0 (Wade 22, Paine 3) He doesn’t lack courage, Matthew Wade, even if he’s a bit short on grace sometimes. Jhye Richardson is not quite Mitch Johnson, but he’s still very quick. He zooms one past the edge, crashes another into the splice so hard that the bat flies from Wade’s hands. So Wade’s response is to step across his off stump and ramp the ball over his head for four! Then backs up with an angled pull shot from a length ball, lifting it over midwicket for four more. Glides the single to close the set.
2nd over: Hobart Hurricanes 19-0 (Wade 13, Paine 3) Mitchell Johnson will open the bowling from the other end, a tad more brisk than the other Mitch I’ll wager. So he proves - short at the body, very quick, and there’s bounce from this pitch. It’s a drop-in, but very green with lots of grass left on to hold it together. So there’s left, and Paine can’t score from one, two, three deliveries. All balls that he can only get behind and force to the field. Fourth ball, he’s hit by Johnson! A glancing helmet blow, trying to pull but issing, and it flies away behind square as Paine nearly spins onto his stumps. he regaines composure and manages to call for a leg bye as the ball flew behind point. Shakes his head and settles down the non-striker’s end. Wade gets enough width to cut a ball over point for four, then glide to third man for a single. Spicy stuff.
1st over: Hobart Hurricanes 13-0 (Wade 8, Paine 3) So two Australian wicketkeepers (one current and one recent) will open the innings for Hobart. This is Paine’s first BBL game this season, having been in the Aussie Test and ODI sides, but Alex Carey is the Australian T20 keeper. And an all-rounder who has been in the Test and ODI sides is opening the bowling, in the shape of Mitchell Marsh. He doesn’t do so well, with a leg-side pie glanced by Wade for four, three through cover to Paine, a wide outside the left-handed Wade’s off stump, and another boundary slapped through midwicket.
Talk to me
As always, you can get involved with the OBO by tweeting @GeoffLemonSport, or emailing geoff.lemon@theguardian.com.
“I want to be a part of it, Perth Stadium, Perth Stadium...”
Perth won the WBBL semi-final earlier
A good omen for the men’s team, as the Perth women’s counterpart smashed the Sydney Thunder earlier this afternoon. This is what happened last year, when the Scorchers Women took out the Brisbane Heat before the men also made the final.
The absurd bit about this is that the semi-finals and finals of the women’s comp follow the locations of the men’s comp, so the games can be played as double-headers. This means that if Perth makes the MBBL final, the WBBL side gets a home final following on from a home semi-final, despite finishing third. Last year the Perth WBBL side got a home final against the Sixers even though the Sydney team finished top of the ladder, and that could repeat itself this year if results go the right way. It’s well past time for the women’s comp to go its own way, if you ask this correspondent.
The Sixers WBBL side plays the Adelaide Strikers tomorrow, while the Renegades MBBL plays the Strikers men’s side.
Scorchers win the toss and bowl
This is their MO: they like to restrict the opposition’s score, then knock it over in calculated fashion. Perth will chase. Tim Paine is back for Hobart, the Marsh brothers are back for the Scorchers.
Hurricanes:
Tim Paine +
Matthew Wade
George Bailey *
Ben McDermott
Dan Christian
Simon Milenko
Nathan Reardon
Jofra Archer
Clive Rose
Tom Rogers
Riley Meredith
Scorchers:
Michael Klinger
Shaun Marsh
Cameron Bancroft +
Mitch Marsh
Ashton Turner
Hilton Cartwright
Adam Voges *
Tim Bresnan
Jhye Richardson
Matt Kelly
Mitchell Johnson
Updated
The story so far: the Scorchers are the (ahem) hot favourites. They’ve hosted four out of six BBL finals, and would have hosted five had another one not been randomly sacked off to Canberra. They’ve won three titles. They have the Magic Pudding of squads, magically regenerating itself whenever their players are injured or stolen by the national selectors. They’ve burned through about 62 players in the past three weeks and they still have pace bowlers sending down accurate stuff at 152 km/h.
The Hurricanes are the Little Aussie Battlers of this scenario. They had one high-priced IPL millionaire, Tymal Mills, who has been so bad lately that he’s been dropped. They had one star batsman, D’Arcy Short, who has been poached by the green & gold. So they’re left with one real X-Factor player, the quick bowler and supreme athlete Jofra Archer, who has been sensational this season. But they have a far more modest squad, and are operating in hostile territory. It’s going to be a huge ask to get this task done.
Hello, fronds and ferns. Lovely to recline in your cool green shade once again. It’s Big Bash time. Yes, that time when the white cricket balls sling coolly down in slow motion from a bowler’s hand, before being launched high into the night sky by a powerful creature with a club.
Tonight, the Perth Scorchers versus the Hobart Hurricanes, from the new Perth Stadium on the far western edge of Australia.
Geoff will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how the first part of this Optus Stadium double-header panned out:
Updated
