Led by a brilliant bowling attack and a blistering knock from opener Josh Inglis, Pert Scorchers reached the summit clash of Big Bash League 2021-22. They defeated Sydney Sixers in a repeat of the last season’s Qualifier where they were defeated by the Sixers. However, they were still able to make it to the final.
Hence it would be interesting to see if it becomes a repeat even in the final as Sixers would now face the winner of the Knockout in the Challenger on January 26 in a bid to qualify for the final.
In the Qualifier though, the Sixers were almost no match to the Scorchers who got off to a flyer with the bat after winning the toss and deciding to bat first at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. The opening pair of Kurtis Patterson and Inglis added 120 for the first wicket in the first 12 overs only. From there on 200 was looking like a sure shot possibility, but the Sixers pulled back a bit.
While Patterson got out for 64, Inglis went on to make 79 and was helped by Mitchell Marsh’s 28 to propel the team to 189-3 at the end of the 20 overs. With the ball in the hand, the Scorchers bowlers became lethal and remove the first seven batters of the Sixers for a paltry score of 51 runs.
The Sixers in fact might have become a matter of ridicule if not for the brilliant face-saving knock of 66 which came in only 29 balls by bowler Ben Dwarshuis. The left hardener partnered with fellow pace bowler Hayden Kerr and added 41 for the eight-wicket before going on to add another 42 with last man Steve O'Keefe.
The Sixers innings eventually ended with the team score at 140 in the 20th over. Apart from Dwarshuis, Kerr and skipper Moises Henriques, no other batter from the team in pink was able to get into double figures. For Scorchers, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye picked two wickets each while one wicket ent to leg spinner Peter Hatzoglou and Sean Abbott got run out.
Sixers will now wait for the winner of the Knockout between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers to face in the Challenger. The winner of the Challenger will face Scorchers in the final on January 28.