Talking Points From Road Win Over 'Gades

Below are several talking points from the Club’s penultimate game of the home-and-away season.

Finals start early with mouthwatering high stakes clash
Tonight’s comprehensive win means Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars will on Saturday fight for top spot, making it one of the most significant regular season games in the Club’s history. Locked on 12 points apiece behind reigning champions Hobart – who have finished their home-and-away campaign – the winner will earn hosting rights for Tuesday’s Qualifier, which then determines where The Final is played. And the Orange Army will be there in force this weekend as the match approaches a sell-out, with fewer than 800 tickets remaining. Strap in for a huge few days!

Allen raises roof with blistering ton
The sky-high trajectory of Finn Allen’s night was neatly illustrated when he clattered the ball into the Marvel Stadium roof – a feat few have achieved. His staggering innings of 101 from 53 deliveries rubber-stamped why the Club was so eager to pre-sign him on a two-year deal before BBL|14. Patient early – at least relative to an outrageous career T20 strike-rate of 174.63 – Allen soon launched into a knock that showcased his enormous repertoire. The Kiwi dynamo sent a one-hander over the square leg fence, drove supremely through the line and over long-off from Gurinder Sandhu, and started the Power Surge by launching three consecutive sixes into orbit. The last of those, measured at 104 metres, may well have landed in the Yarra River if not first intercepted by the grandstand. Brought up from 51 balls, Allen’s fifth T20 century was his first in the BBL and the second-fastest by a Scorcher behind Craig Simmons. He also cleared the ropes eight times (equal second for Scorchers), matched and bettered only by Simmons.

Openers out of the blocks again
By virtue of Allen’s incredible performance, one of the most destructive opening partnerships in franchise cricket continued to fire. The New Zealand import and Aussie T20 skipper Mitch Marsh (20 from 15) – this time cast in a supporting role – put on 64 in 7.1 overs, a few days after the pair thumped 81 from 29 deliveries against the Strikers at Adelaide Oval. They plundered 41 in the Power Play – versus a four-over Club-record 69 on Sunday – with the foundation well set for the rest of the Scorchers’ remarkably deep batting line-up to throw caution to the wind.

Cooper’s back-to-back gongs
For the second year running, Cooper Connolly will finish the season as Channel Seven’s Player of the Tournament after earning four votes from Ricky Ponting following another outstanding bowling spell of 2-23 (four overs). Connolly trapped Josh Brown LBW in the Renegades’ first over and returned later to spear a ball into captain Will Sutherland’s stumps. He was far and away the game’s most economical bowler, while his brisk 12-ball 18 kept the momentum flowing during the first innings.

Holt claims big fish for first Scorchers scalp
Legspinner Luke Holt may not have envisioned claiming his first BBL victim with a long-hop, but the sight of Jake Fraser-McGurk walking from the field after an ominous 42 from 18 would’ve been sweet, nonetheless. Dispatched for six over mid-wicket the ball prior, Holt again pitched short and saw Fraser-McGurk slice him down the ground to Brody Couch, who took a perfectly judged catch on the long-off boundary. Holt double-down by running out Sam Elliott with a sharp direct hit from inside the circle, capping off a successful debut trip in the Eastern States.

A hundred maximums
The Scorchers amassed a whopping 16 sixes during their 20-over stay, boosting the Club’s season tally to an even 100, or 11-and-change per innings. The Hurricanes are next on the list with 70. Although Perth’s lineup is stacked with some of global cricket’s purest ball-strikers, it was second-gamer Holt who reached the landmark in over 20, slapping Sandhu over the mid-wicket fence. The Scorchers have now passed 200 a record-extending five times, tonight notching up 7-219 – their all-time fifth-highest score.

Lost toss? No loss
Ashton Turner has been cursed at the toss this season, losing eight in succession after winning the first bat flip of BBL|15. In turn, the Scorchers have regularly been asked to bat first, given most captains’ overwhelming preference to chase. And, somehow, it has worked in their favour. Adam Voges’ men account for five of the dozen times a team has successfully defended its total in 35 completed games, harking back to the days when bowling second was the Club’s bread and butter.