Perth Scorchers thwarted Brisbane Heat's incredible recovery with an epic five-wicket victory to claim their fifth BBL title, thanks to teenager Cooper Connolly and Nick Hobson keeping their cool in a nerve-wracking chase
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Perth Scorchers thwarted Brisbane Heat’s incredible recovery with an epic five-wicket victory to claim their fifth BBL title, thanks to teenager Cooper Connolly and Nick Hobson keeping their cool in a nerve-wracking chase. Chasing 176, the Scorchers endured a see-saw finish that included two terrible run-outs but also composed batting from skipper Ashton Turner, Cooper, and Hobson at the end. It came down to the Scorchers needing 10 off the final over, with Hobson transforming from villain to hero with a six and a boundary to cause chaos at a nearly full Optus Stadium. The 53,886-person audience was the most for a cricket game at the Burswood venue and the fourth largest in BBL history.
Until the 17th, their fearless leader Turner appeared to be leading them to another championship with a clutch finals classic. Turner (53 off 32 balls) and Josh Inglis (26) had put up 80 for the fourth wicket after Perth had fallen behind at 3-67 at the halfway mark. However, when both fell in the space of two balls, leaving Turner stranded in the middle of the wicket, the tide turned in favour of the undermanned Brisbane Heat until Connolly and Hobson delivered on the biggest stage. The Heat’s innings was a stop-start affair when they opted to bat first under 38-degree heat in Perth, with a quick start and finish highlighted by a middle spell where they lost their way.
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The Heat’s incredible late-season comeback was primarily attributed to the return of Test stalwarts Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. However, after making his debut in the middle of the season, tearaway Spencer Johnson gave the Heat a boost, as he acquired confidence under tight tutelage from Khawaja. Johnson, dubbed the ‘Italian stallion’ due to his Italian ancestry, promises to be a handful on the generally pace-friendly Perth Stadium surface, having recorded his first three-wicket BBL haul against Sydney Sixers last time out. He didn’t let me down. bowling at speeds nearing 150 kmph, and took the crucial wicket of Hardie, who had bludgeoned Heat twice this season.
Peirson fearlessly chose to bat despite the fact that the Scorchers had nearly mastered chasing this season, going 9-2 when batting second, including twice gliding over the line against the Heat. Perhaps he was convinced by the suffocating temperatures, which reached about 38 degrees when the game began, pushing some supporters to seek comfort in the stadium’s watering holes. Brown smashed 25 off his first ten balls, then McSweeney and Heazlett steadied Heat with a 79-run combination. However, the Heat were generally pinned down in the middle overs, which featured a disastrous power surge that yielded 2 for 8. They needed a boost in the middle order, and big-hitting Max Bryant delivered with 31 off 14 balls, including three sixes.
