The Scorchers did it again last night, sneaking home by 3 wickets in the final over against the Renegades. Here are my 5 main takeaways.
1. Scorchers make it three from three
The Perth Scorchers flexed their muscles as the team to beat once again in BBL7, with a narrow 3-wicket victory in the 19th over against the Renegades at Etihad Stadium last night.
Perth’s feared pace bowling attack was at its miserly best, restricting a powerful Renegades’ batting line up, on paper, to just 9/130, before the returning Michael Klinger top scored with 37 to help them get over the line despite some late wobbles.
Pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson was outstanding, claiming 3/13 from 4 overs including the two key wickets of Finch and White, whilst Andrew Tye continued his wicket-taking spree with 3/37, giving him 12 wickets for the tournament from three games.
2. Justin Langer has the winning formula
Justin Langer clearly has developed a ruthless and winning mentality in this side, however that doesn’t mean he is not willing to tinker with things if they are not working.
Different to most BBL sides, the Scorchers rely almost purely on local players, with the same coaches, staff and players that are involved with Western Australia in the state competitions.
This means that Langer gets to work with these players for twelve months, not six or seven weeks like some other franchises.
Since the 2013-14 season, Perth have blown away their opponents with the detail of an early preparation and execution of their game plans.
They have won three of the past four Big Bash Leagues, and 28 of their last 42 games, which is more than the Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder combined during that period.
Last night Adam Voges used six different bowlers inside the first nine overs. However, none of those bowlers could be described as part timers, with Perth happy to sacrifice a deep batting line up for proven quality with the ball.
Langer also made a double change at the top of the batting order, with Michael Klinger returning and being partnered with David Willey. The pair put on 47, with Klinger looking in good touch in his first game back.
3. Johnson at peak of his powers
When you watch Mitchell Johnson bowl for the Scorchers, you wonder how many more years he could have gone around in green and gold colours, should he have decided to continue.
Johnson retired somewhat suddenly in November 2015, catching most people off guard. However, he has thrived in the BBL since hanging up the boots from International cricket.
Even a player of Aaron Finch’s quality looked to be playing for survival against Johnson, before he edged one for a 5-ball duck.
Then Johnson hurried up Cameron White, with the veteran bat late on a pull shot that he could only squeeze to short fine leg, as the Scorchers ripped through the Renegades top order.
Johnson looks fresh and happy and that’s a great combination for a fast bowler.
While he could have played on for Australia, his body has clearly benefited from the extra rest, and he may well have extended his career for another 3-4 years by specialising in T20 and making himself a gun for hire around the world.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
4. Scorchers bowling powerplay key
The Scorchers’ Powerplay bowling has been pivotal to their three Championships and five Grand Final appearances, and they are hitting teams where it hurts again this year with early breakthroughs.
The Scorchers rarely overpower sides with the bat, with their batting line up having only the sixth highest strike rate in the BBL.
But they have by far the BBL’s best bowling average and economy rate. While the Scorchers enjoy bowling first, they have also shown a greater propensity, and have been astoundingly successful, at defending low totals.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Scorchers have successfully defended scores of 150 or less on a remarkable 6 out of 10 occasions.
With the likes of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Mitchell Marsh on the sidelines, it really is remarkable the quality and depth the Scorchers possess with the ball.
5. Misfiring Finch shouldn’t change
The Renegades’ Captain has had a nightmare start to his opening three games of BBL7, mustering just 12 runs combined after departing without troubling the scorers last night.
With a player like Finch you sometimes have to take the good with the bad, given the risks he takes and the array of balls he likes to try and hit over the field.
While Finch would be disappointed with a couple of dismissals, he won’t be changing the way he plays, or the intent shown, in the opening few overs.
If anything, last night it looked like he was a little too conscious of trying to last the first few overs as he poked and prodded at his first few balls.
With a player like Finch, you often look back at the end of the season and say he played three match-winning innings, which is what you want from your opening batsman.
Failures are inevitable for opening batsmen; it’s when they make a start, say a 15 or 25, and don’t go on with it, which is more frustrating.
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