Well, we got there. It’s taken to the last couple of games to narrow down a final four, and even during the last moments of the Sydney Sixers’ ultimately successful run-chase, there were still several different scenarios floating around.
But the top four is now set, and already I can’t see anything other than a Perth-Brisbane Final next Saturday night. The Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers have both fallen into the semis, and loom as cannon fodder against better-drilled sides.
That all said, I’d be taking a good look at my BBL06 tipping record before taking that intel to the bookies.
Here’s how the last three games played out.
Friday: Melbourne Renegades 5/199 somehow beat Brisbane Heat 198 at the ‘Gabba, Brisbane
Holy moley, what a finish. I don’t really have a BBL team, and I’m pretty happy just to watch the game each night with no real emotional investment, but my God, I’m certain the Renegades are going to kill me eventually. I saw a list of the ‘Ten most stressful jobs in 2017′ earlier in the weekend, and I was surprised to see ‘Melbourne Renegades Captain’ wasn’t among them; I’d imagine Aaron Finch would be stunned at the omission, too.
And in hindsight, it never should’ve come down to the last over drama like it did. Finch batted beautifully for 71 from 35 balls, including an incredible six over cover driven on the up; the timing was just magnificent, and the ball kept climbing, eventually coming to a rest on the second deck. 96 metres it was measured at. Over cover!
Marcus Harris and Callum Ferguson were great, too, and 198 looked like it should be plenty.
‘Looked’ being the operative word; the Renegades took a wicket early, but then somehow fell into the spell of bowling to the middle of Brendon McCullum’s and Sam Heazlett’s bats. Heazlett went in the sixth over, but with the score 85 already, the Heat were on track to hit the target in the 13th or 14th over. And then the brakes come on.
Came on big time. Ben Cutting was the Heat’s great hope, but when he went in the 18th over, they still needed 27 off 14 balls. And that was before the wickets fell.
Come the last over… well I still really can’t put it into words. It was one of the most ridiculous finishes I think I’ve seen to a cricket game in my life. At any level. Three for 16, and a nine-ball over; I’ll just go back to what I said at the time…
Red-Melbourne, you crazy, crazy bastards… #BBL06
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) January 20, 2017
Saturday first leg: Hobart Hurricanes 6/134 were thumped by Perth Scorchers 3/135 at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
The only surprise about the Hurricanes innings was that it wasn’t the lowest completed 20-over score this season batting first (Perth made 8/130 and 7/134, funnily enough). Hobart just never got going, with five blokes getting starts but Darcy Short’s 36 the top. And yet they only lost six wickets? I don’t know if that’s good luck or good management.
Either way, Mitchell Johnson and Tim Bresnan were the pick of the Scorchers’ bowlers, with their eight overs conceding just 35. The Hurricanes added 36 from the last three overs, which was lucky, because they only made 44 from the previous nine.
In reply, Perth needed to reach the target inside 15.4 overs to secure a top two finish and a home semi, and… did it comfortably. Despite losing Sam Whiteman in the second over, Michael Klinger and Shaun Marsh put on 82 in 9.3 overs for the second wicket, with Marsh’s 57 the sort of BBL innings that you just know is going to be rewarded with a Test recall.
Adam Voges and Ashton Turner bagged red inks as Perth got there in 13.5 overs, meaning they become that much harder to beat in the semis now.
Saturday second leg: Melbourne Stars 8/156 choked against Sydney Sixers 7/160 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
It all started so well for the Stars, with Bob Quiney and Luke Wright going at ten-an-over for the first six, but somehow the Stars managed to add just 70 from the next ten overs – and worse, started losing wickets. To the Sixers’ bowling attack.
Moises Henriques, Ben Dwarshius, and Nathan Lyon were the keys to the slowdown, taking 6/58 from ten overs between them. The Stars lost their last six wickets for 25. Yet, given who they were playing, could 156 just be enough?
Well, nearly. The Sixers lost 4/33 in the middle order, and given their history of collapse in BBL06, they looked dead and buried when Nic Maddison fell to yet another loose shot. But Sean Abbott and ‘Aussie’ Johan Botha added a BBL-record seventh wicket partnership of 59* to get the job done pretty comfortably in the end. Somehow.
As for the Stars, well they’ve done the marketing for the first Melbourne Derby of BBL07 already – it’s hard to see how the Renegades are going to forget this kind of season-ending choke from their cross-town rivals any time soon.
Final BBL06 standings
SCORCHERS 10, HEAT 10, SIXERS 10, STARS 8; Renegades 8, Strikers 6, Hurricanes 6, Thunder 6.
Semi-Finals
Tuesday – Perth Scorchers (1) v Melbourne Stars (4), at the WACA; 7.30pm AEDT
Wednesday – Brisbane Heat (2) v Sydney Sixers (3), at the ‘Gabba; 7.30pm AEDT
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