A brilliant all-round display from Brody Couch wasn’t enough for Perth Scorchers XI to down San Francisco Unicorns in a tense ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League clash.
Scorchers XI fall to San Francisco Unicorns
Looking to bounce back from a tight defeat in the opening game against Lahore Qalanders on Thursday, the Scorchers XI made a strong start to the encounter at Providence Stadium, reducing the Unicorns to 6-69 off 10 overs.
Couch took three wickets in his first two overs, including dismissing top order batters Sanjay Krishnamurthi (one) and Oliver Peake (none) cheaply in the space of three deliveries.
The stunning burst came after Couch had already claimed the wicket of Connor Esterhuizen (21) in the fourth over of the innings.
Pakistan spinner Sufyan Moqim then claimed three of his own, including Tim Robinson (24) thanks to a sharp catch down the leg side from wicketkeeper Joel Curtis.
Moqim then removed Fabian Allen (seven) and Anirudh Immanuel (17) to finish with tidy figures on 3-21 off his four overs and help restrict the Unicorns to 8-152.
The Scorchers XI got off to a shaky start in reply, losing Andre Fletcher (one), Curtis (16) and Dian Forrester (none) in the first five overs.
Opening batter D’Arcy Short (43 off 38 deliveries) led the way for the Scorchers XI in their pursuit of 153, before he was dismissed in the 16th over.
Couch joined Akeal Hosein with the Scorchers XI still needing 46 off 17 deliveries and hit three boundaries in his unbeaten 23 off 12 balls.
The pair belted 39 runs off 16 balls to setup a thrilling finish, but it was not enough as the Scorchers XI fell five runs short.
The Scorchers XI now face Desert Vipers on Wednesday at 7am WST as they look to secure a spot in the Qualifier.