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Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes: Big Bash League final live scores, blog

7th February, 2014
Squads

Scorchers: Simon Katich (c), Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Brad Hogg, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Craig Simmons, Alfonso Thomas, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.

Hurricanes: George Bailey (c), Tim Paine, Travis Birt, Aiden Blizzard, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Xavier Doherty, Ben Dunk, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Joe Mennie , Jon Wells.

Start: 7.40 pm AEDT
Venue: WACA, Perth
Betting: $1.79 Scorchers, $2.04 Hurricanes
TV: Channel Ten (LIVE)
Brad Hogg was one of Australia's last Test Chinamen. (AAP Image/Lincoln Baker).
Roar Guru
7th February, 2014
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It’s the grand finale at the Big Bash League 2013-14 with the Perth Scorchers looking to become third time lucky as they take on the first-timers Hobart Hurricanes and you can follow the live scores below from 7.40 pm AEDT.

As The Roar’s Brett McKay suggests here, it’s not a final that too many expected.

True, the Scorchers have made it two finals before this and in terms of consistency over the short life of the Big Bash League, it’s the best record in the business, but a look down their squad at the start of the competition, wouldn’t have made them title-favourites in anyone’s books.

The Hurricanes lacked the big batting names as well and for most part of the league stage it looked like they would be going home with a bottom-half finish.

That they are here after being placed third and fourth in the competition speaks as much about the format of the competition as it does about how well they have fought from adverse situations.

The Scorchers, on at least two occasions in their first eight games, looked all but out of the game.

One of them came against the Hurricanes itself and it took a display of steel from their bowlers to pull them through to a close win. In the other game, the Scorchers pushed the Steven Smith-led Sixers into a Super Over and then won it from that point on.

In the semi-finals, they were a couple of minutes away from being eliminated.

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They seemed to have done well to pile on 193 in their 20 overs thanks to some mind-boggling hitting from Craig Simmons but it seemed like rain would have the final say. A no-result would have suited the Sixers just fine and taken them to the final.

It stopped spitting in the nick of time to have a five-overs-a-side contest that saw the Scorchers defend 54, thanks to Jason Behrendorff and Pat Cummins sharing four wickets for 11 runs in the two overs between them.

The Hurricanes ended with seven points from their eight league games and still made it to the semi-finals.

To put this in perspective, in the first edition of the Big Bash League, every team played seven games – one less than what they did the next two seasons – and still, the team finishing fourth had eight points.

The second BBL season saw three teams tied for the fourth spot with eight points with two of them missing out on the semi-finals.

This time around, the Hurricanes have gone through with seven points alone, making some believe they were lucky to be there. Especially after their first game in the competition was rained off after a stupendous start for the Adelaide Strikers, earning them that extra point.

Luck or no luck, the Hurricanes played like a side that belonged to the finals stage when they took on the pre-tournament favourites and the team in exquisite form, the Melbourne Stars.

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The bowling showed a lot of discipline after they had sprung in a surprise by playing Cameron Boyce ahead of Xavier Doherty and the chase, led by Tim Paine never allowed the Stars back into the game.

Where they should – and still could – leave us with is a potentially brilliant final.

However, the absences of two of Hurricanes’ key personnel, Shoaib Malik and Ben Laughlin, will be huge blows to their chances.

Laughlin has been one of the best bowlers of the tournament, but a quad injury will end his tally this season with 14 wickets at 17.07.

Malik has been recalled to his country for internationals and that means they will be one short in the all-rounder’s category – Malik’s slow off-spin was one of the reasons why the Stars failed to get moving in the first semi-final.

As opposed to that, the Scorchers could welcome back Shaun Marsh, who seems to have regained some of his fitness following an injury to the calf. It’s still not clear whether he will get fit enough to make it to the playing 11.

Join us for the Scorchers v Hurricanes final in the Big Bash League 2013-14 on Friday and you can follow the live score of this game from 7.40 pm AEDT and post your comments below.

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