Talking Points As Scorchers Secure Home Final

Below are the major talking points from an outstanding victory, underscored by another outstanding bowling performance.

The hottest ticket in town
It’s official: the KFC BBL|15 Final will be at Optus Stadium on Sunday, with tickets up for grabs tomorrow from 10AM for Members, and midday for the general public. Tickets sold out in a flash for the BBL|12 Final against Brisbane Heat, when the Club’s all-time best home crowd of 53,886 piled into The Furnace and witnessed the remarkable late heroics of Cooper Connolly, Nick Hobson and Ashton Turner. The Scorchers’ opponent for Sunday remains to be seen, with the Sixers, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars all in the mix. What can be expected is a packed house and plenty of fireworks, with a record sixth BBL title up for grabs.

The Scorchers we know and love
The Orange Army certainly knows it, and the rest of the competition is painfully aware of one fact: the Scorchers, at their best, can defend anything. Tonight was a vintage performance, as most of their wins at Optus Stadium have been this year. For all money, the hosts’ total of 8-147 against a batting line-up containing maestro Steve Smith – with allrounder Sean Abbott and Ashes hero Mitch Starc at 10 and 11, respectively – looked modest. But Ashton Turner and his men yet again found a way, bowling out their bitter rivals in 15 overs. They took early wickets, fielded with intent, executed well-mapped plans and strangled the Sixers with vintage tenacity, passion and bravery. Unstoppable by virtue of relentless power interstate, it’s fitting the Scorchers should realise success at home by playing the brand of cricket that has earned them five championships, to date.

Mahli’s star continues to rise
Finn Allen earned Player of the Match honours, but thrilling quick Mahli Beardman (3-20 from three overs) was equally deserving of that award. First, the whippy right-armer rounded off the Power Play with 2-2 in his first over, removing decorated danger men Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques in near identical fashion – top-edging hard-length deliveries to in-fielders within five balls of each other. Then he snagged the competition’s biggest fish, Steve Smith, with a bouncer that rushed the Australian megastar into a pull shot to David Payne at fine leg. Both passages of play were critical to the Scorchers’ triumph. At the tender age of 20 and having started the season with just two BBL appearances to his name, Beardman has fast become a circuit-breaker and big moment player for the team he watched religiously as a kid. Rest assured, Sunday’s big stage will hold no fears for the laid-back quick from Cowaramup.

Allen achieves power hitter’s dream
Player of the Match Finn Allen (49 from 30) added another layer to his outstanding campaign, having now struck more sixes this season than any individual in a single BBL tournament. Allen’s fourth six of the night – flat-batted over extra cover from the bowling of Ben Dwarshuis – was his 37^th of BBL|15, overtaking the benchmark set by Hobart Hurricanes weapon Mitch Owen last season. In broader terms, Allen’s innings was a shot in the arm for a batting lineup that struggled to settle in against the Sixers, led by star left-armers Mitch Starc and Ben Dwarshuis, and the BBL’s all-time leading wicket-taker Sean Abbott. The 26-year-old picked his areas and targeted the shorter boundaries with great effect in searing heat to keep the Scorchers in sight of a competitive total.

AT reaches another landmark
Ashton Turner became the first player to score 2500 KFC BBL runs for the Scorchers, extending his place atop the Club’s all-time list for runs ahead of Mitch Marsh (2220). Albeit still playing his signature middle-order role, Turner has done things differently this season by attacking from the outset. The skipper’s strike rate (189.76) is third overall for BBL|15 and higher than anybody to have faced more 100 deliveries or more, while Turner has also managed to maintain an exceptional average (40.16). The match situation dictated a more conservative approach this evening but he still made an impact with 29 from 21 deliveries, particularly on a night when runs came at a premium.

Golden arm Connolly’s instant impact
Add another big notch to the tally of Cooper Connolly’s opening over wickets. Tonight, Connolly needed just two deliveries to undo Babar Azam, dragging the Pakistan hero from his crease with a perfectly flighted delivery, 7km/h slower than the first ball of the innings. Josh Inglis completed a perfectly timed stumping, handing Connolly his sixth scalp in seven opening spells this season – a role he’d seldom played before BBL|15. Connolly returned later in the innings to knock over Jack Edwards, finishing with 2-10 from his two overs. Named 2025 Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year for a reason, the 22-year-old now has a team-high 15 wickets at 14 while conceding just 6.56 an over.

David Payne, you’ve done it again
The Scorchers’ crafty English important delivered another performance of considerable importance, taking 2-13 from three overs. Payne snuffed out the Sixers’ last hopes of a last-gasp resurgence with 2-2 from his Surge over, removing Joel Davies and Sean Abbott in consecutive deliveries. They couldn’t get him away during the Power Play, either, managing just four singles from the game’s third over. Half the deliveries Payne sent down were dots, and he adapted as quickly as anybody to the conditions.