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We are at the pointy end of the Big Bash League, with the first semi-final pitting the competition’s most consistent side, the table-topping Perth Scorchers, against one of the competition’s surprise packets in the fourth-placed Hobart Hurricanes.
The Scorchers’ gutsy win over the Adelaide Strikers last Thursday was effectively a quarter-final for both sides, with top spot the carrot in front of them.
Perth bowled exceptionally well to keep Adelaide to 6-137 in the last game at the WACA, just the latest display in a consistent season from the reigning champions.
Hobart lost their last game of the season to the Melbourne Stars (of all teams!) but qualified for the final courtesy of the Brisbane Heat falling in a massive heap against the Melbourne Renegades in the final match of the BBL07 regular season.
(AAP Image/Rob Blakers)
First vs fourth presents an interesting contrast.
The Scorchers have been the only side in the competition who haven’t relied on a couple of key players to win games this summer, with contributions coming from players up and down the team list. Only last weekend I made mention of how hard it was to pick a standout player from eight or ten players who had really good BBL campaigns.
The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have benefitted hugely from the competition’s leading runscorer, D’Arcy Short, and Tasmania’s new BBL cult hero Jofra Archer. They have had key contributions from other players over the last few games of the season, and they’ve arrived at precisely the right time.
For Hobart will, of course, be without Short, whose 504 runs for the season is a BBL record, as is his unbeaten 122* against Brisbane back on January 10. Archer took nearly twice as many wickets as his side’s next-best bowler. Test and ODI keeper Tim Paine comes in for Short, though may only open the batting and not keep wicket, with the man he replaced in both sides, Matthew Wade, remaining in the squad.
The Scorchers lose Ashton Agar and Andrew Tye to T20 international duty, but they regain Mitch and Shaun Marsh for the brothers’ first games of BBL07, and Jhye Richardson from the ODI squad. Some pretty handy replacements, though with Ashton Turner not yet back bowling, the spin option may fall on skipper Adam Voges.
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While other sides are starting to prefer setting a target, Perth have definitely been a bowl-first side this summer. They won the toss eight times in their ten BBL07 games, bowled every time and won seven of those games. But don’t worry, on the one occasion they were sent in, they beat the Stars.
Hobart only won the toss four times this season, but batted first and won on the last three of those occasions. All up, the Hurricanes batted first seven times, winning four of those games. Their only win batting second came on January 15, when they chased down Brisbane’s 8-165 at Bellerive Oval.
The WACA has been a fortress for the Scorchers, but playing their first match over the river at the impressive new Perth Stadium will present something of a new challenge. Last Sunday’s one-day international debut gave some promising signs in terms of the way the pitch played and the general atmosphere, and the home side will be hoping that converts into a bigger, better, noisier fortress – quickly.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Perth Scorchers squad: Adam Voges (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Will Bosisto, Tim Bresnan, Hilton Cartwright, Mitchell Johnson, Matthew Kelly, Michael Klinger, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Haydan Morton, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner.
Hobart Hurricanes squad: George Bailey, Jofra Archer, Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Alex Doolan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Nathan Reardon, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, Matthew Wade.
Tip: The Hurricanes needed to be at full strength to beat the Scorchers in Perth, and they aren’t, so I can’t see how they can.
Hobart will need all 11 players to fire, and then hope that more than a few Scorchers have an off night, but that’s a big ask after the consistent campaign Perth have led to date.
T20 is a funny game, and stranger things have happened, however Perth not reaching a sixth BBL final this summer would be a strange thing, indeed.
Perth Scorchers to secure yet another home BBL final.