Perth Scorchers have won a record fifth Big Bash title, downing a gallant Brisbane Heat in a thrilling final on Saturday night in front of a packed Optus Stadium.
A blistering cameo from Max Bryant helped the underdogs to a highly-competitive total of 175 from their 20 overs, before the likes of Cameron Bancroft and Aaron Hardie departed early in the chase.
Enter captain Ashton Turner, who produced a stellar half-century that included five fours and two maximums, and teenage rookie Cooper Connolly, who smashed 25 off just 11 balls in a high-pressure situation to get the hosts over the line.
The Sporting News had all the live action and scores for the BBL Final throughout the night.
Scorchers vs Heat BBL Final score
| Team | 1st Innings |
|---|---|
| Brisbane Heat | 7/175 (20) |
| Perth Scorchers | 5/177 (19.3) |
Scorchers vs Heat BBL Final updates and highlights
20th over: IT'S ALL OVER!!! Hobson hits another full-toss from Neser over the in-field and the ball races away for a boundary to give the Scorchers their fifth Big Bash title in one of the most thrilling finales ever.
20th over: High drama with the Heat going over their allotted time for the innings and now being forced to bring an extra fielder up for the final over of the game. Neser is handed the unenviable task and Connolly can only add a single off the first ball. Hobson latches onto a full-toss from Neser and IT GOES INTO THE STANDS FOR SIX RUNS!!! There is absolute pandemonium in Perth.
19th over: DROPPED CATCH!!! Johnson returns for his final over and Josh Brown shells a tough catch in the deep off Connolly, who scurries back for two runs to keep himself on struck. The crowd roar as Connolly adds another two runs! Smart batting from the teenager, who takes off for a single. Hobson creams it through the leg-side for two runs. Hobson goes aerial for two runs off the final ball. 10 required from the last over!!! 5/166 after 19.
18th over: Bazley is back on for the Heat and young gun Cooper Connolly pummels it down the ground for six runs off just his second delivery at the crease. Connolly goes over the top again but can only add two runs this time around. The rookie goes through mid-wicket the next ball and pierces the gap for a boundary. Bazley bounces back with two dot-balls in a row, before Connolly goes over the leg-side for a maximum! The crowd has come unglued at Optus Stadium for the 19-year-old batsman!!! 5/156 after 18.
17th over: MASSIVE DRAMA!!! Turner has been run out after a huge mix-up with the new batsman Nick Hobson. This game has just been turned on its head in the worst way possible for the Scorchers. Two fresh sticks now for Perth after being in the box-seat just moments ago. Funny game, cricket! 5/138 after 17.
17th over: WICKET!!! Bartlett returns to the attack and is immediately dispatched to the boundary, as Inglis plays a brilliant reverse-ramp that flies away for an important four runs. Inglis tries to go over the top on the off-side but finds the man at deep cover in Heazlett, who takes a nice catch to break the partnership.
16th over: Neser is back now to try and salvage this for the Heat. Turner brings up his half-century with a skied top-edge that lands in the crowd over fine-leg. Inglis goes in the air but only adds a single on the leg-side. 3/130 after 16.
15th over: Power surge time - let's see if the Scorchers can do something more with it than the Heat did. Inglis starts the surge in style with an aggressive pull shot for a boundary over mid-wicket. Turner plays a remarkable ramp shot for a boundary that almost goes over the rope for a maximum. Johnson fights back well later in the over, but some poor fielding in the circle allows Turner to add another boundary through the leg-side off the final ball. 3/119 after 15.
14th over: Kuhnemann continues. Turner tucks away on the leg-side for a single, before Inglis looks to cut and gets a thick outside-edge that races away for a boundary through the vacant slip region. Kuhnemann finishes his spell with a couple of tight deliveries. 3/106 after 14.
13th over: Ashton is turning it on - get it? Another boundary from the skipper, this time latching onto a loose delivery and sending it along the ground for another four runs. Smart batting from the Scorchers sees another two runs added on the leg-side. Inglis is playing the supporting role for now and turns the strike back over to his captain with a smart single to third-man. Turner plays a lovely cut shot behind point for another four runs - excellent batting but pretty ordinary bowling if we are being honest. Great over for the Scorchers. 3/98 after 13.
12th over: Kuhnemann back for his third over. Perth added a few singles, before a lovely sweep from Turner flies past the man at short fine-leg and races away to the rope for a boundary. 3/85 after 12.
11th over: Bartlett returns to the attack. Turner plays a misguided pull-shot but gets enough on it to clear the rope over fine-leg for a much-needed maximum. Inglis plays it through the leg-side for two runs as the star duo continue to run well between the wickets - hopefully their opening batsman Eskinazi is watching them for guidance. 3/77 after 11.
10th over: Almost a run-out chance for the Heat as the Scorchers double up in risky fashion. Inglis and Turner continue to rotate the strike throughout the overs, and you get the feeling these two men are going to need to stay in until late in the piece if the hosts are to secure a victory. Plenty of work left for the Scorchers to do at the half-way mark of their innings. 3/67 after 10.
9th over: Kuhnemann continues. This is really tidy work from the left-arm spinner, who is restricting the run-flow and applying plenty of pressure at his end. Bryant pulls off a nice diving save in the deep to stop a boundary. 3/62 after 9.
8th over: WICKET!!! Johnson comes back on for the Heat and Hardie departs, smashing a ball straight to the man at deep square-leg. This is a massive moment for the underdogs in the final! 3/54 after 8.
7th over: WICKET!!! The in-form Matt Kuhnemann enters the attack for the first time - probably another player who can think himself unlucky not to be over in India for the Test tour. Bancroft goes aerial but finds Neser at deep mid-on, who makes up for his drop moments ago. 2/48 after 7.
6th over: Bartlett continues for Brisbane. Hardie adds two runs on the leg-side and the all-rounder is looking quite busy at the crease early in his knock. Neser drops Hardie in a tough chance in the outfield which could absolutely come back to bite the Heat later tonight. 1/43 after 6.
5th over: WICKET!!! Bazley enters the attack and while he doesn't grab the wicket himself, some extremely lazy running from Eskinazi sees him run out from a regulation single. Bryant comes up with the direct-hit but that is a complete brain-fade from the opening batsman, who was looking good early. Hardie gets off the mark from his first ball with a boundary. 1/37 after 5.
4th over: Spencer Johnson enters the attack for his first piece of action for the night. Eskinazi chips it over mid-wicket for two runs, before playing a smart shot through the leg-side for a boundary. An appeal for caught-behind is turned down by the umpire, which is probably fair considering Eskinazi was nowhere near it and Peirson was the only player to go up for it. Eskinazi plays another leg-side shot for two runs to finish the set and the power play. 0/31 after 4.
3rd over: Eskinazi pounces on a full delivery from Neser and it races away to the boundary through point. Bancroft throws the hands at a wide delivery and the inside-edge beats the keeper and goes all the way to the boundary for another four runs. Bancroft latches onto a half-volley and adds four more runs. Good over for the Scorchers. 0/23 after 3.
2nd over: Bartlett opens up from the other end for the Heat. Eskinazi goes over mid-on for the first boundary of the innings for Perth. Bancroft adds another single but it's eyebrows Eskinazi who is facing most of the rocks early and is looking positive. 0/10 after 2.
1st over: Neser opens up for the Heat, as you'd expect. Stephen Eskinazi faces up first for the Scorchers, capping off an unlikely rise this season. He slaps one down to third-man for a single to get off the mark, turning it over to the experienced Cameron Bancroft who adds an early single as well. Eskinazi is almost ran out on the final ball of the over as they attempted a quick single. Quality start from Neser. 0/2 after 1.
END OF INNINGS
McSweeney and Heazlett both batted steadily and did their jobs reasonably well through the middle overs, but the power surge stopped the Heat from piling on a total of 200 or more. Bryant's blistering cameo helped the underdogs get back on track and this poses a tough task for the Scorchers. If anyone is going to chase it, Perth are going to be the team to do it given their star-studded batting lineup.
20th over: WICKET!!! Tye grabs one in the final over, as James Bazley hits a full-toss straight to the fielder in the deep. Xavier Bartlett hits a maximum from his first ball at the crease and closes the innings in style for the Heat. 7/175 after 20.
19th over: ANOTHER WICKET!!! Two in two balls for Kelly, with Thursday night's hero Michael Neser departing in similar fashion to Bryant for a golden duck. Hain plays a nice ramp shot for a boundary. 6/164 after 19.
19th over: WICKET!!! The danger man Bryant departs, skying a ball from Kelly up in the air and Inglis sprints about 20 metres to take a great catch with the gloves.
18th over: Payne is back or his final over and is belted down the ground by Bryant, who gets it just over Tye's hands at long-on for another maximum. Brisbane add two singles to keep the scoreboard ticking. Hain needs to play the selfless role and just get his partner on strike for as many balls as possible - and that's exactly what he does, allowing Bryant crunch it to the mid-off boundary for another four runs. 4/158 after 18.
17th over: Tye returns for another set. Brisbane add three singles early in the over, before Bryant slaps a short ball over mid-on for another horn. Bryant goes again the next ball over mid-wicket for a boundary, pouncing on another poor short delivery from Tye. If the dynamic right-hander can bat until the end of the Heat's innings, this could be anything. 4/146 after 17.
16th over: Kelly returns for his third over. Hain goes down the ground for a boundary, before playing a smart shot for two runs on the leg-side. Bryant goes down the ground for a maximum late in the over. Good over for the Heat, who could still post a really strong total here despite losing three quick wickets. 4/132 after 16.
15th over: WICKET!!! Another set batsman departs for the Heat, with the right-hander McSweeney slapping a ball from the returning Hardie straight to Cameron Bancroft, who takes a very nice low catch at deep cover. Max Bryant gets off the mark with two runs to fine-leg. 4/119 after 15.
14th over: Hain adds another single on the leg-side off the returning Payne. A half-chance falls just short of the man at mid-off. That was an abhorrent power surge from the Heat, scoring just eight runs and losing two wickets in the process. 3/112 after 14.
13th over: WICKET!!! Peirson goes cheaply and in very similar fashion to Heazlett earlier in the over. The power surge has changed the momentum of this clash - and not in the favour of the batting outfit. Sam Hain gets off the mark with a single to short fine-leg. 3/109 after 13.
13th over: WICKET!!! Heat take the power surge and it immediately backfires. Heazlett mishits a short ball from Behrendorff and Payne takes a nice low catch at short fine-leg. Jimmy Peirson arrives at the crease and gets off the mark immediately. McSweeney plays the ramp shot but this time it falls short of the rope, only adding a single to his tally.
12th over: Tye returns to the attack. Brisbane take off for a very risky single, but Tye's best Lionel Messi impression was for nothing as Heazlett comfortably makes his ground in the end. Heazlett punches a full delivery over mid-off for a boundary, before adding another two runs on the leg-side. Heat reach triple-figures following a loose delivery from Tye. McSweeney makes use of the extra delivery, playing a beautiful on-drive for another four runs. 1/104 after 12.
11th over: Behrendorff comes back on for the hosts in a bid to settle things down. Heazlett goes in the air through the leg-side for two runs. McSweeney punches a single through the cover region for a single, before taking off for another risky one. Tidy over from the experienced left-arm seamer. 1/91 after 11.
10th over: Payne returns for the Scorchers. McSweeney plays a lovely cover-drive for two runs, before going over the top of the bowler's head for a boundary with a nice lofted punch. Heat are building nicely into their innings at the half-way mark after a slow period. 1/86 after 10.
9th over: Hardie sprays it down the leg-side for a wide and Inglis misses it, gifting the Heat the extra run. Heazlett finally decides to wake up and pounces on a poor delivery, belting it over square-leg for six runs. The left-hander goes again the next ball, this time for just four runs. Very poor bowling from Hardie with little protection and a shorter boundary on the leg-side. 1/76 after 9.
8th over: Kelly returns now for Perth. Heazlett adds two runs, but one of these batsmen need to start upping the ante and look to find the boundary. McSweeney nudges a couple around before playing a lovely ramp shot for a maximum over fine-leg. It would be an understatement to say the Heat needed that, their first boundary for almost four overs. Kelly closes out with a nice short-ball for a dot. 1/61 after 8.
7th over: AJ Tye is on to bowl now - one of the rogue characters and all-time great performers of the competition. McSweeney takes off for a quick single and turns the strike over to Heazlett, who is seeing them like grapes. Tye relieves some pressure with a couple of wides, but Heazlett skies one into no-mans land at mid-wicket for a rather ugly single. 1/51 after 7.
6th over: Spin is on for the first time, with Cooper Connolly into the attack rocking a genuine rugby league haircut. Heat can only manage singles and a couple of leg-byes from a really tidy over. 1/47 after 6.
5th over: Aaron Hardie - who should probably be over in India in the Test squad - enters the attack for the Scorchers. Plenty of edges early, as McSweeney nicks it down to the third-man region for a single. McSweeney attempts the pull-shot but can only get a single for it. Quality over from the all-rounder. Heazlett is chewing them early, striking at just 50 after the first five overs. 1/41 after 5.
4th over: Matt Kelly into the attack now. Heazlett tucks a single around the corner for a single, before McSweeney adds two more to his early tally. McSweeney gets away with an inside-edge and it rolls away for a boundary on the fast outfield. Good to see Kelly back up and about after copping a nasty falcon recently. The powerplay concludes - power surge to come later on. Still not used to that rule at all. 1/36 after 4.
3rd over: Behrendorff continues. Heazlett and McSweeney both get off the mark with singles. The left-arm quick bounces back from an expensive first over and restricts them with four dot-balls. Heat look a little bit rattled now after the departure of Brown. 1/28 after 3.
2nd over: WICKET!!! Brown's innings is short-lived. The big fella got greedy and tried to go over the top of mid-on, but Andrew Tye took a safe catch on the edge of the circle. 1/25 after 2.
2nd over: David Payne opens up from the other end for the Scorchers. Brown tees off over the bowler's head for a big horn, before pouncing on a full delivery for another four runs.
1st over: An absolute peach first-up from Behrendorff, who beats the outside-edge of Brown. The big-hitting opener edges a rising delivery through the the gully region and it rolls away for a boundary. The next ball, the exact same occurrence - testing start for Brown, but he's got himself on the board early. Brown edges it again, this time through the slips for another four runs. This outfield is quicker than Nature Strip flying down the Randwick straight! 0/13 after 1.
7.30pm: A scorcher - pun intended - over in Perth for this afternoon's final, with temperatures soaring to 38 degrees as the players walk out into the middle. Josh Brown and Sam Heazlett will open the batting for the visitors, with left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff taking the new ball for the hosts.
6.50pm: Brisbane have won the toss and will bat first. The lineups for both sides have been confirmed below.
- Scorchers XI: Cameron Bancroft, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Cooper Connolly, Andrew Tye, Matt Kelly, David Payne, Jason Behrendorff
- Heat XI: Sam Heazlett, Josh Brown, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Hain, Jimmy Peirson (c), Max Bryant, James Bazley, Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann
6.40pm: Less than an hour until play begins in front of a sold-out crowd at Optus Stadium. Can the Scorchers make it back-to-back BBL titles, or will the Heat pull off another upset?
6pm: Welcome to The Sporting News' live blog for the Big Bash final! Perth will host the clash at Optus Stadium, with the side looking to win a record fifth title. Brisbane have gone through the season as one of the true surprise packets, upsetting the Sixers earlier this week.
Scorchers vs Heat BBL Final full scorecard
Perth Scorchers batting
| Batter | Status | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Bancroft | c. Neser b. Kuhnemann | 15 | 13 | 2 | - |
| Stephen Eskinazi | r.o. Bryan b. Bazley | 21 | 19 | 3 | - |
| Aaron Hardie | c. Heazlett b. Johnson | 17 | 13 | 2 | - |
| Josh Inglis | c. Heazlett b. Bartlett | 26 | 22 | 3 | - |
| Ashton Turner (c) | r.o Johnson b. Bartlett | 53 | 32 | 5 | 2 |
| Nick Hobson | Not out | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper Connolly | Not out | 25 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Andrew Tye | dnb. | ||||
| Matt Kelly | dnb. | ||||
| David Payne | dnb. | ||||
| Jason Behrendorff | dnb. | ||||
| Total | 5/177 (19.3) | ||||
| Extras | 2 (2lb) | ||||
| FOW | Eskinazi (1/32) Bancroft (2/48) Hardie (3/54) Inglis (4/134) Turner (5/137) |
Brisbane Heat bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Neser | 3.3 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Xavier Bartlett | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| Spencer Johnson | 4 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| James Bazley | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Matt Kuhnemann | 4 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
Brisbane Heat batting
| Batter | Status | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Heazlett | c. Payne b. Behrendorff | 34 | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| Josh Brown | c. Tye b. Payne | 25 | 12 | 4 | 1 |
| Nathan McSweeney | c. Bancroft b. Hardie | 41 | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| Jimmy Peirson (c) | c. Kelly b. Behrendorff | 3 | 3 | - | 0 |
| Sam Hain | Not out | 21 | 16 | 2 | - |
| Max Bryant | c. Inglis b. Kelly | 31 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| Michael Neser | c. Inglis b. Kelly | 0 | 1 | - | - |
| James Bazley | c. Eskinazi b. Tye | 5 | 6 | 1 | - |
| Xavier Bartlett | Not out | 6 | 1 | - | 1 |
| Spencer Johnson | dnb. | ||||
| Matt Kuhnemann | dnb. | ||||
| Total | 7/175 (20) | ||||
| Extras | 9 (7wd 2lb) | ||||
| F.O.W | Brown (1/25) Heazlett (2/104) Peirson (3/108) McSweeney (4/117) Bryant (5/159) Neser (6/159) Bazley (7/169) |
Perth Scorchers bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Behrendorff | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| David Payne | 4 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| Matt Kelly | 4 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| Aaron Hardie | 3 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| Cooper Connolly | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Andrew Tye | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
When is the BBL Final?
Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat will face off in the BBL|12 final on Saturday, February 4th at Optus Stadium.
The match will begin at 7.30pm AEDT and 4.30pm local time in Perth.
BBL Final TV channel, live stream, start time
| Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra | Brisbane | Perth | |
| TV | Fox Cricket/Channel 7 | Fox Cricket/Channel 7 | Fox Cricket/Channel 7 |
| Streaming | Kayo | Kayo | Kayo |
| Start time | 7.30pm AEDT | 6.30pm AEST | 4.30pm AWST |