Adelaide Strikers have spun past Perth Scorchers in an upset Big Bash League victory to move within one victory of the tournaments decider.
Chasing 156 in the knockout final, the Scorchers were 0/38 before being rolled for 105 to end their chase for a third-straight BBL title.
It was a second successive loss for the Scorchers at the one-time Optus Stadium fortress in Perth where they had tasted defeat just once in their previous 18 games.
The Strikers will play Brisbane on the Gold Coast on Monday, with the winners to face Sydney Sixers in an SCG final on Wednesday.
The visitors looked dead in the water at 4-48 in the 10th over after being sent in, but rallied to 7/155 despite star batting pair Chris Lynn and Adam Hose, as well as bowler Jamie Overton, leaving for ILT20 duties in the UAE.
It proved to be more than enough for the Strikers, who spun a web around the Scorchers, leg-spinners Cameron Boyce (3-20) and Lloyd Pope (4-24) silencing the partisan crowd.
“It’s funny what can happen,” Boyce told Fox Cricket.
“The boys always had belief and … we rode that wave in.
“Our plan was just to be different. A lot of teams come here pace-heavy and .. it can work against you.
“I’m rapt for Popey, we’ve been working really well together.”
The Strikers’ win will taste all the sweeter after several acts of disrespect during their stay in Perth, with prominent newspaper The West Australian claiming the visitors were a one-man band with captain Matt Short the key to victory.
Short would suffer a rare failure at the top of the order, dismissed for 13 for only his second score of below 39 for the tournament; but a slashing half-century from the in-form Jake Weatherald, plus handy cameos from Ben Manenti and Henry Thornton, allowed them to put up a competitive total that would prove more than enough.
To add further fuel to the fire, Strikers coach Jason Gillespie noticed pre-match the Optus Stadium screen attendants had put a message up celebrating a Scorchers victory – clearly a practice run, but one the former great took a photo of all the same to motivate the troops.
“Thought, ‘Jeez, they’re jumping the gun a bit here in the west,” Gillespie told Fox Cricket.
“I might have got a photo to show the boys.”
Speaking on the player mic, young Striker Thomas Kelly couldn’t hide his delight at his team’s revenge job.
“Bit of a dig at the rest of the team in the paper today – said we were a stack of dominos after Shorty. It’s beautiful,” Kelly said after the win was secured.
Missing Laurie Evans and Zak Crawley, the Scorchers’ new-look batting unit were unable to fire despite debutant Sam Fanning’s fluent 20-ball 31 offering a viable platform.
It was the introduction of leg spin from both ends that turned the tide, Pope picking up Marcus Harris (eight) and Aaron Hardie (six) while Boyce dismissed Sam Whiteman (two) and Josh Inglis (12).
Short then dived to his left to dismiss Nick Hobson off his own bowling for four, before Ashton Agar’s duck left the hosts 7-78.
Cooper Connolly (31 off 22 balls) hit out to give Perth some hope but Pope popped up again with wrong-uns that bowled AJ Tye (eight) and Jason Behrendorff for a duck to complete a devastating spell.
Connolly went down swinging, James Bazley calmly tapping a catch back to himself as he tight-roped the boundary to seal the win.
The hosts’ pace and swing had them on top early on, with Tye producing arguably the ball of the tournament to undo in-form Short for a run-a-ball 13.
The veteran unexpectedly floated up a 112km/h slower ball that hooped back into Short – only one ball has swung more this BBL season, according to Fox Sports – to knock him over.
Weatherald’s blazing innings was the rearguard Adelaide needed, with Manenti (23 off 20) and Thornton (28 not out off 21) chiming in with crucial late runs.
Scorchers captain Hardie lamented the back-end of their bowling innings and said injuries to Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson had made life difficult.
“We had the men for the job but didn’t play our best, especially in the last couple of games,” he said.
“That was the team we thought they’d play but you never come into a game expecting to lose wickets like that.
“They backed their leggies in and it worked for them.”
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
I think the BBL has it about right now in terms of number of games and the tournament length. Two issues really - one is the overlapping of the Tests. From next season that will get as good as it realistically can with Sydney being the final Test of the season. And if CA could get the ILT20 tournament to delay their comp by two weeks that would solve the other problem - players leaving the BBL before the tournament finishes. That would still leave a gap between the end of the ILT20 and the start of the IPL, so I can't see it being a problem.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
You don’t have to shorten the number of games to shorten the season – more double headers, they had days without games when tests were on. It takes too long to get through the tournament and people lose interest. BBL was at it’s best in the real early days when everyone played each other once. Also – players won’t care if no one is turning up in the UAE when it’s heavily backed financially and the money they can make is way more than anything CA can offer.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
The season has already been shortened. Any more and it becomes a joke. Next year will be less of a problem as the Test season won’t still be going. That will keep the Australian big names playing for more of the comp. And we’ll see whether the new comp in the UAE actually lasts or not. Hardly anyone attended last season’s games.
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
The Strikers were missing a couple of players as well, apparently. Regardless, the front page was a d*ck move by The West Australian, which looked pretty stupid afterwards. Not the Scorchers fault, but they were made to look a bit silly by some A-hole sports editor who no doubt thought he was being terribly clever. While I follow the Sixers, I wouldn’t mind if the Strikers won either. Lloyd Pope has been great to watch.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Crawley, Turner, Richardson and Evans is four blocks, but yeah. Crawley and Turner have no problem with spin. Hope the Strikers can go all the way.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Suspect it also has to do with the fact that both teams were at half strength. Shorten the competition so all the best players, and especially the imports, are actually playing!
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Another reason to shorten the competition. Losing all the internationals for the finals series was downright bizzare. Neither team had any internationals playing I think. You want to see guys like Evans, Crawley, Hose etc playing as they are the ones that are getting the big money.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
It really is the worst newspaper. What's Harley Reid eaten for breakfast this week?
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Adelaide exposed Perth's and WA cricket in generals one significant weakness - batting against spin bowling. It genuinely surprises me how few teams have actually come and tried this tactic. Yes it's Optus, but these guys don't face a whole lot of quality spinners. Well played Adelaide. To be fair though, two years of three competition dominance had to come to an end at some point. We can handle just being One-Day cup and Shield champions.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
What a strange competition. You get to the finals and half your best players are gone - 3 for Perth and 2 for Adelaide. Some fairly good balls, but some of the Perth plays played some poor shots against spin - notably Inglis and Hardie.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
They got double that last year for the final with an equally short time to sell tickets. I wonder whether the time slot played a part. Play the game after sunset and I suspect there would have been another 10k there.
Gary
Roar Rookie
The West Australian is owned by Kerry Stokes' 7west media... Kerry Stokes also funded alleged war criminal BRS defamation case against abc etc, paid alleged serial r.a.p.i.s.t Bruce Lehrman for multiple interviews, is the likely secret donor that paid $1m into a blind trust to alleged rapist and disgraced Liberal politician Christan Porter... and Stokes is promoting Basil Zempilas in all WA 7west media outlets as a potential WA Lib leader (ie as future WA premier). It really is a terrible 'newspaper'.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Who needs a motivational speech when you have the WA media to do all the work for you. The choice of the two leggies and giving the Perth batters no pace to work with worked a treat for the Strikers. Obviously learned from the earlier game when the Scorchers belted the Strikers fast bowlers. Big tick for the Strikers coaching staff and senior leadership. And some of the wronguns bowled by Pope to dismiss the Perth tail would have found out many of the top 6. Loving the way Weatherald is batting. Must be time for Darcy Short to make a big score.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
Typical hubris from ‘The West Australian’. Absolute gold for Gillespie. Reminds me of the 2015 AFL finals.
Damo
Roar Rookie
Only had 3 days notice to get tickets after loss to sixers on Wed. Because CA couldn't organise a party in a brewery.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
An oddly low crowd for the Scorchers too…was it the lowest for the season?
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
I hope this morning’s front page compares the Scorchers to Jenga. Pull out the right block and the rest come tumbling down.
KateS
Roar Rookie
And... the SA vs WA rivalry continues. This result just adds more fuel on the fire for Peter and Basil. :laughing: