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Perth Scorchers made short work of a depleted Sydney Sixers’ side to win their fourth Big Bash League (BBL) title. The Ashton Turner-led side continued their dominance over Moises Henriques’ Sixers with a massive 79-run win at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne. Chasing a stiff target of 172, Sixers were bundled out for 92 with 22 balls still left in the innings.
Monumental collapse
Sixers’ run chase got off to a poor start as the hero of qualifier against Adelaide Strikers, Hayden Kerr got out for two runs in the second over to Jason Behrendorff. Inexperienced opener Nicholas Bertus could not make an impact either with run-a-ball 15. Back after injury, Daniel Hughes turned out to be the only batter who showed some fight as Scorchers’ bowlers rushed through Sixers’ lineup. With Hughes getting out for a 33-ball 42, Sixers could not add much to the score and collapsed. The defending champions lost seven wickets for just 30 runs. Experienced campaigners Henriques and Christian got out for single-digit scores as they crumbled under pressure. Andrew Tye was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name. Tye was on a hat-trick in the 14th over which Nathan Lyon survived. Jhye Richardson took two wickets whereas other four bowlers picked up one wicket each.
Early collapse
Earlier, after winning the toss, Henriques asked Scorchers to bat first. Henriques’ plan worked in the powerplay overs as Scorchers were reduced to 25/4 in six overs. Jackson Bird got the wicket of opener Kurtis Patterson whereas spinners did the rest. Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe got rid of Josh Inglis. On the other end, Lyon got two big wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Colin Munro.
Match-winning counter-attack
Skipper Turner and Laurie Evans changed the game in the middle overs with a 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Turner scored 54 runs off 35 deliveries whereas Evans continued the onslaught in the slog overs. Ashton Agar contributed with a 15-run cameo but Evans remained unbeaten for a match-winning 76-run knock off 41 deliveries including four fours and as many sixes. His knock helped Scorchers post 171/6. O’Keefe was the most expensive bowler as he conceded 43 runs despite taking two wickets.
In the first qualifier clash, Scorchers had beaten Sixers by 48 runs. For Sixers, players affected by Covid-19 and injuries led to them fielding a depleted side. Also, they did not get permission to include star batter Steve Smith in the final.
