Perth Scorchers win their fifth T20 title

• A record 53,886 fans watched the game at Perth Stadium on Saturday.
• Cooper Connolly hit a brilliant half-century in the final over to turn game on its head.
• Many of the Heat all left for Australia’s tour of India.

Perth Scorchers defeated Brisbane Heat on Saturday to win a record sixth Twenty20 Huge Bash League championship thanks to teen Cooper Connolly’s brave 53 and big hitting towards the end of the game.

After Brisbane put on 175-7, their fireworks pushed them to 178-5 and a thrilling five-wicket win with four balls remaining at Perth Stadium in front of a record 53,886 local supporters.

With Saturday’s victory, a team that defeated the Sydney Sixers in the season’s championship successfully defended their title for the fifth time in the competition’s brief 12-year history.

“It’s a strange sensation. “I’ve played a lot of cricket games, but you never know how it will turn out,” Turner remarked after his 32-ball knock.

“We are in rarified air at the moment, we have a lot of guys in form and that’s not always the case. Throughout the season, many players have contributed to victories.”

Turner was run out following a horrifying mix-up with Nick Hobson, leaving them requiring 39 off 19 balls.

Connolly, a young gun, hammered 25 off 11 balls to turn the game on its head.

In the final over, Hobson hammered a tremendous six followed by a no-ball five to seal the victory.

“At 19 (years old), I couldn’t have wished for a finer crowd to cheer for me. “It’s a dream come true,” said left-hander Connolly. “I was completely confident in myself.”

The match capped up a season filled with dramatic finishes, contentious moments, spectacular individual performances, and over one million people through the gates.

Perth secured home-field advantage by finishing first in the regular season table and then defeating the Sixers in a qualification match last weekend.

The Heat finished sixth and had to go through three knockout games, all away from home, to reach the final.

Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, and Mitchell Swepson of the Heat all left earlier this week for Australia’s tour of India, leaving both teams severely undermanned.

The four-test Border-Gavaskar series, which begins on Thursday in Nagpur, prevented fast bowler Lance Morris and colleague Ashton Agar from playing for the Scorchers.

Josh Brown opened the batting for Heat captain Jimmy Peirson after winning the toss, smashing 25 off the first 11 balls.

However, his luck quickly ran out, as following Brisbane’s initial barrage, the Scorchers held Brisbane to a score of 86-1 by the halftime point.

Sam Heazlett was dismissed by Jason Behrendorff for 34, breaking a precarious 79-run stand with Nathan McSweeney and Peirson in the same over.

Before Max Bryant hit an aggressive 31 from 14 balls to ensure a manageable total, McSweeney was out for 41.

In reply, Cameron Bancroft was dismissed for 15 by Michael Neser after the Scorchers’ opener Stephen Eskinazi scored a quick 21 before being run out by a youngster.

They were shaky at 54-3 when Aaron Hardie went for 17 in the next over.

Turner and Josh Inglis, though, put on a strong 80 in 52 balls to secure the victory before Connolly and Hobson.

Also Read

David Warner reveals to end his international career in 2024

David Warner hoping to play in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The...