One of the reasons Twenty20 is so entertaining is that it is so unpredictable.
More so than any other brand of cricket, a special innings from one batsman or especially good economy rate from one bowler can change the course of a game.
So, therefore, in the BBL, you should see a number of different teams towards the top of the ladder each year. An example of this are the Sydney Thunder, winners in 2015-16 and wooden spooners this year.
The Perth Scorchers are the exception to this rule. In the six BBL tournaments to date, they haven’t finished out of the semi-finals. With two titles, two runners up and either one or the other this weekend, they are the premier BBL team in Australia.
How do they do it? Well, it’s definitely not a lack of injuries. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Joel Paris and Jason Behrendorff are all on the injured list and haven’t played a game, while Mitch Marsh has been on international duty and only played a few games this season.
Playing home at the WACA is surely one of the reasons, being a different type of batting track to most other grounds in Australia (although Kevin Pietersen may disagree). Their home record since the tournament’s inception has been good, meaning they need to jag another one to two wins each year to get a spot in the top four.
But, its more than that, their batting line up has a longevity about it. The Marsh brothers have been there since the start, averaging in the mid to high 40s while Adam Voges missed BBL01 but has averaged 33 since. Throw in some more than handy imports over the years like Herschelle Gibbs, Michael Carberry and Ian Bell and consistently good totals are achievable.
The bowling stats have a similar ring to it. Behrendorff joined in BBL02 and Brad Hogg was there from the start. Between them, they have taken 91 wickets for the Scorchers at an economy rate of just over 6. So, it is remarkable then that the Scorchers have remained an efficient bowling unit this year, despite not having Behrendorff or Hogg in their 11.
The reason for this is culture. The word culture is overused these days, describing any sports team that is half decent. However, the Scorchers clearly have it. Justin Langer has been coach since 2012 and he has brought a winning culture to the team. That is why Michael Klinger crossed the Nullabor to join the team.
Which brings us to Saturday night and the grand final between the Scorchers and Sixers at the WACA. The loss of Shaun Marsh to international duty is huge for the Scorchers as he is in some great form. It probably evens up the team and we may be in for a classic.
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