Richardson, Allen give Scorchers a home qualifier
Perth Scorchers sealed top spot on the BBL ladder and secured a crucial home qualifier with a comprehensive six-wicket victory over the Melbourne Stars in a winner-takes-all clash at the Optus Stadium. In a match that carried enormous significance for both teams' finals aspirations, the Scorchers' bowling unit produced a masterclass to restrict the Stars to just 130 before cruising home with more than three overs to spare. The victory means the Scorchers will host the Qualifier at home, earning the double chance in their quest for a record sixth BBL title, while the Stars drop to third place and must navigate the more treacherous sudden-death Knockout route.
The drama began early in this contest, with Cooper Connolly striking twice in the opening over to leave the Stars reeling at 8 for 2. The early carnage set the tone for what would be a dominant Scorchers display, and though Connolly couldn't complete the hat-trick, the damage was done as the Stars stumbled to 32 for 3 in the PowerPlay with Jhye Richardson joined the party in the second over, removing Sam Harper.
Captain Marcus Stoinis provided the only real resistance for the Stars, crafting a battling 55 off 39 deliveries that included five boundaries and two sixes, showing the kind of leadership and composure his team desperately needed. Campbell Kellaway offered brief support with 19, and together they put on a 50-run partnership that at least gave the Stars something to bowl at, hauling the score from 15 for 3 to 67 for 4. But wickets continued to tumble around Stoinis as the Perth bowlers maintained relentless pressure. Aaron Hardie claimed the crucial wicket of Kellaway when the batter gave the charge but only managed to edge behind to keeper Josh Inglis, and from there it was one-way traffic.
Richardson returned to wreak havoc through the middle and death overs, producing a sensational spell that yielded four wickets for just 16 runs from his 3.2 overs. He dismissed Glenn Maxwell with a pull shot that went straight to fine leg, then claimed Haris Rauf with a caught and bowled next ball to leave him on a hat-trick, before wrapping up the innings by having Mitchell Swepson caught behind. David Payne chipped in with 2 for 30, removing both Stoinis and Tom Curran in quick succession, while Mahli Beardman picked up the wicket of Hilton Cartwright as the Stars were bowled out for 130 in 18.2 overs.
The Stars desperately needed early wickets in defense of their meagre total, and Haris Rauf gave them exactly that with an electric opening spell. The Pakistani speedster produced a devastating burst of pace and accuracy to rip through the Scorchers' top order, claiming three wickets for just two runs in his fiery opening spell that momentarily gave the Stars hope. He struck with the first ball of his spell to dismiss Mitchell Marsh, who top-edged a pull shot that swirled in the air before Glenn Maxwell completed a juggling catch near short midwicket. Rauf continued his rampage by removing Cooper Connolly for just 2, caught at cover, before trapping Josh Inglis LBW for one to reduce the Scorchers to 26 for three in 4.1 overs. For a brief moment, the Stars sensed an opportunity to defend the modest target, but that was as good as it got for the visitors.
Aaron Hardie and Ashton Turner steadied the ship with a crucial partnership, refusing to panic despite the early wobble and gradually taking the game away from the Stars. The pair batted with maturity and purpose, rotating the strike intelligently while punishing the occasional loose delivery, ensuring the required run rate never climbed out of reach. Finn Allen, fresh from his maiden BBL century against the Renegades earlier in the week, went up the gears and smashed seven sixes in his 39-ball knock for 69. Aaron Hardie batted more sedately and finished unbeaten on 41 off 37 as the Scorchers got home with 19 balls to sapre.
Brief scores: Melbourne Stars 130 in 18.2 overs (Marcus Stoinis 55; Jhye Richardson 4-16) lost to Perth Scorchers 134/4 in 16.5 overs (Finn Allen 69, Aaron Hardie 41*; Haris Rauf 3-23) by 6 wickets
Adelaide Strikers ended their disappointing BBL campaign on a resounding high, thrashing Melbourne Renegades by eight wickets in a one-sided encounter at Adelaide Oval. In what was essentially a dead rubber between two already-eliminated sides, the Strikers' bowling attack, led by their devastating spin trio, produced a clinical performance to bowl out the Renegades for a paltry 99 in just 16.5 overs before cruising to victory with 49 balls to spare.
The match began in sensational fashion as India-born seamer Jerrssis Wadia claimed wickets off the first two deliveries of the contest, dismissing Josh Brown caught behind off the very first ball before Jake Fraser-McGurk fell to a return catch next delivery, leaving Wadia on a hat-trick. The dream start could have been even better had Hasan Ali not shelled a straightforward chance at mid-off that would have given Wadia three wickets in the opening over. The Renegades never recovered from that calamitous beginning, limping to 26 for 3 in the PowerPlay - their worst powerplay performance of the season - and were already staring down the barrel at 51 for 5 when captain Will Sutherland strode to the crease.
Amid the carnage, Sutherland provided the only meaningful resistance with a fighting knock of 38 off 28 deliveries, launching three towering sixes and cracking two boundaries to display the kind of intent his teammates sorely lacked. Wadia showed his teammates how to hold onto catches, taking a brilliant diving catch in the deep to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan, finishing with impressive figures of 2 for 11 from his four overs.
But it was South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi who delivered the knockout blow, producing an unplayable spell to claim the last four wickets of the innings and finish with career-best BBL figures of 4 for 15. Lloyd Pope chipped in with 2 for 23 as the Strikers' spin trio combined for eight wickets, bowling the Renegades out for less than 100.
Chasing just 100 for victory, the Strikers made light work of the target with captain Matt Short top-scoring with 30 off 22 balls, including the only six of what was an otherwise controlled run chase, while Chris Lynn remained unbeaten on 27 off 25 as the hosts reached the target with more than eight overs to spare. The comprehensive victory saw the Strikers finish sixth on the ladder with a 4-6 record, while the Renegades ended their miserable campaign in seventh place at 3-7.
Brief scores:Melbourne Renegades 99 in 16.5 overs (Will Sutherland 38; Tabraiz Shamsi 4-15, Jerrssis Wadia 2-11) lost to Adelaide Strikers 100/2 in 11.5 overs (Matt Short 30, Chris Lynn 27*; Callum Stow 1-8) by 8 wickets.
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