If the Scorchers go on to win this year’s Big Bash, and they’re strong favourites to do so, they will be extremely deserving winners.
They topped the Group Stages comfortably and absolutely demolished the Sixers in the Qualifier.
That they bossed the Group Stages while missing a load of top-class players tells its own story.
Mitch Marsh, one of T20s most in-form batsmen was on Ashes duty, as was dangerous batsman Josh Inglis.
Colin Munro was injured for three games and they had to make do without last year’s BBL top bowler Jhye Richardson for all their Group games.
Against the Sixers, Kurtis Patterson and Josh Inglis both got fifties in rapid time and Mitch Marsh added a valuable 28 off 21.
They then took early wickets and never looked back. They look one of the more complete T20 teams we’ve seen in a while.
Team News
Not too much to report. Mitch Marsh had a bit of a hamstring niggle in that Qualifier match but seems to be fine now.
With no other injuries or Covid outbreaks, there’s no reason why they won’t field the same XI that beat the Sixers so convincingly the other day.
Player to watch: Jyhe Richardson
Richardson ended up only playing one Ashes Test and impressed with five wickets in the second innings, before getting a slight injury.
He then missed out on the other matches as players returned from injury and were preferred to him but he was kept on stand-by, much to the frustration of the Scorchers.
But he came good when he finally did play for them in the Qualifier.
He took two wickets for just 21 runs and they weren’t just any wickets: they were Philippe and skipper Moises Henriques.
His extra pace and bounce and aggression make him a lethal operator and he’ll be eyeing up another destruction of the Sixers’ top order here.
man-of-the-match.
Scorchers’ Likely XI
Patterson, Inglis, M Marsh, Munro, Turner, Evans, A Agar, Richardson, Tye, Behrendorff, Hatzoglou.
The Sixers are a good example of a side who just have a knack for winning. And the greater the pressure they’re under, the bigger the game, the more likely they are to edge a tight one.
And things were certainly tight in their win against the Strikers. With just one ball left in the Sixers’ innings, all three results were possible.
A dot ball and the Sixers were out, a single and they were going to a Super Over and two or more and they were through. It would have been tight for a two if the throw from the boundary had come in nicely to the keeper.
But it didn’t. There was a mis-field a metre or so from the rope, it went to the boundary and that was that.
The winning runs came from the bat of Hayden Kerr, who when it came to batting at least, almost single-handedly won them the game.
‘Almost’ because Sean Abbott played a gem of a cameo to get them back in the game.
His 98 not out was the difference between the two sides and even more remarkably, he did so as an opener.
Remarkable because he’s been batting at seven or eight all tournament and as an all-rounder, can’t have opened much in his career.
Earlier, Sean Abbott took three wickets.
The Sixers restricted the Strikers to what was a par score but given they took three early wickets, ended up chasing more than they should have.
Team News
The big news ahead of the game was that star batter Josh Philippe was out of it after getting Covid. It can’t have come at a worse time.
They were also without the experienced Daniel Hughes, who failed to recover from an injury in time.
In came Jake Carder and keeper Jay Lenton.
Lenton, believe it or not, is the Sixers’ assistant coach and only came in to play because, well, they didn’t have anyone else.
Carder played his part to an extent, making 13 off 10 with the bat.
Philippe won’t recover from Covid in time so Carder will keep his place. But Hughes should be ok for the game after having two more days to recover.
But now they have a new problem.
Jordan Silk got injured during the game and will probably miss out meaning either Carder will have to swap the bench for the field again or they’ll have to rope in another grade cricketer.
Player to Watch: Hayden Kerr
The 25-year old is a proper late bloomer, having only played one First Class game, two List A games and 21 T20 matches in his whole career.
He’s certainly making up for lost time.
What a tournament he’s had. With 24 wickets so far, only Peter Siddle has more (30). And prior to Wednesday’s win over the Strikers, he was at best a lower-middle order batsman who could give it a bash.
We’ve seen all tournament he can certainly bowl at this level but if he can also play the sort of mind-boggling innings he did with that 98 not out, some will think he could be the next Marcus Stoinis or Mitch Marsh.
He’ll surely open the innings again with Philippe out with Covid.
It will be virtually impossible to replicate that sort of performance again but the 6.61 he top scores for them again with 10 CRIC will attract some interest.
Sixers’ Likely XI
Kerr, Avendano, Carder, Hughes, Henriques, Christian, Abbott, Dwarshuis, Lenton, Lyon, O’Keefe.
Venue & conditions
As we’ve said several times before, this is a perfectly good wicket here at Melbourne Docklands, also known as the Marvel Stadium.
The average first innings score here is 163 and in 10 games, 160 or more was reached six times. A couple of times teams got to 200.
I was a bit surprised the Sixers decided to bowl first against the Strikers, but it worked out well for them (just). Will they try the same tactic if they win the toss again? The smart money is on the Scorchers batting first should Ashton Turner win the toss.
