Perth Scorchers won their fifth T20 Big Bash League title in an exciting match against Brisbane Heat on Saturday. The match was held in front of a record crowd of 53,886 at Perth Stadium. The win was secured by a nail-biting five-wicket victory with only four balls remaining after Brisbane put up a score of 175-7.
Skipper Ashton Turner led the way for Perth with a heroic 53, earning him the man of the match award. Despite Turner being run out, teenager Cooper Connolly stepped up and hit big at the death, smashing 25 off 11 balls to turn the game around. This performance earned him praise from the crowd and left-hander Connolly stated, “At 19 (years old) to have this crowd cheer for me, couldn’t have asked for anything better. It’s a dream come true.”
Nick Hobson sealed the victory with a huge six and a no-ball five in the last over. The win was a successful title defense for Perth, who beat the Sydney Sixers in last season’s decider. It also secured their fifth trophy in only the competition’s 12th year, putting them in “rarified air” according to Turner.
The match was marked by thrilling finishes, outstanding individual performances, and more than one million fans through the turnstiles. Perth earned home-ground advantage after finishing at the top of the regular season table and knocking off the Sixers in a qualifying match last weekend. Brisbane, on the other hand, only finished fifth and had to come through three knockout games, all away from home, to reach the final.
Both teams were depleted, with the Heat’s Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, and Mitchell Swepson all departing for Australia’s tour of India and the Scorchers were without fast bowler Lance Morris and teammate Ashton Agar who are also preparing for the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series. Despite the absences, the match was a fitting end to a season filled with excitement and drama.
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