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Dousing the Scorchers flame

Mitchell Johnson was on fire for the Perth Scorchers, sending them to the season final. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Roar Pro
2nd February, 2018
9

The Perth Scorchers fired for much of the season only to crumble meekly in the penultimate game of the season.

Their 71-run defeat at the hands of the Hobart Hurricanes means it is only the second time out of seven where the Scorchers won’t feature in the decider.

It was a collection of little things, as is often the case that led to Perth’s pitiful performance.

Home ground disadvantage

The state-of-the-art Optus Stadium has been the centre of attention in recent weeks. The $1.5 billion dollar ground was an unfamiliar entity to the Perth side and all but eliminated their home ground advantage.

Sure, the Scorchers had played a few trial matches at the stadium in December. And, to be fair, it was packed with more than 52,000 predominantly Perth fans.

But compare this to the familiarity of The Furnace. The WACA, although well worn, has been a fortress for Perth over the years. They were undefeated there this season. The relationship was intimate.

A different game plan

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One of the keys to the Scorchers’ success over the years has been sticking to and executing a well thought out plan. It was odd, then, for Justin Langer’s side to depart from what has worked so well in the past.

Langer opted for a five-pronged pace attack, perhaps having been persuaded by the grassy covering on the drop-in wicket. With Ashton Agar on international duties, the Perth side decided against selecting their other specialist spin option in James Muirhead.

This move proved costly. Their attack was unbalanced and one-dimensional. The Hurricanes later showed how effective taking pace off the ball was.

Another interesting move was opening the bowling with a Mitchell that wasn’t Mitchell Johnson. Brimming with confidence from a breakthrough international summer, it was Mitchell Marsh who took the first over.

The junior Marsh struggled to find his groove and allowed the Hurricanes, and Matthew Wade, in particular, to settle in then build momentum. He returned figures of 0-53 off his four overs. Ah, cricket – the great leveller.

Hot Hurricanes

There are some days where everything clicks. Thursday night proved to be one of those days for the Hobart Hurricanes.

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The George Bailey-led side stumbled into the finals with three defeats to end the regular season. Their lack of momentum was compounded by the loss of the season’s leading run-getter in D’Arcy Short.

But it didn’t matter. Instead of putting together a poultry total, like the Scorchers had hoped, the Hobart side racked up a mighty 210. Perth had never faced a total of that magnitude in the past. In fact, it was the third-highest total in Big Bash League history.

Matthew Wade, who all-but watched his international career float away over the course of the summer, was the catalyst. The 30-year-old opened the batting and claimed man-of-the-match honours after contributing 71 off only 45 balls.

Dan Christian’s season had been mediocre up until the semi-final. In particular, his bowling had been ineffective and expensive.

Though the burly all-rounder turned things around – first with the bat, chipping in with 37 off 22 balls. Then he proceeded to clean up the Scorcher’s tail with 4-17.

Key Scorchers fizzle

It was a lonely night for Tim Bresnan. The Englishman was the Scorchers’ best performer with the bat and the ball. He picked up 2-40 before top scoring with 43 off 26 balls.

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Mitchell Johnson picked up 3-3 in last year’s final – figures unheard of in the Twenty20 format. He had been thrifty throughout this season too, going for around a run-a-ball.

But the seasoned Johnson struggled on Thursday evening. First, he lost his line and length then he lost his cool during an ugly stoush with Matthew Wade. He ended with an ungainly and un-Johnson-like 0-43.

Meanwhile, the Scorcher’s batting line-up wilted under Hobart’s scoreboard pressure. The Hurricanes bowled well but a review of the top-order wickets reveals a host of soft dismissals best personified by Ashton Turner’s tame run-out.

The night ended with a dejected Justin Langer and Perth side but there is one positive. The Scorchers defeat was complete so early in the piece that it eased the public transport stress that worried the Western Australian government and many a fan. A sliver of a silver lining but a silver lining nonetheless.

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