Red-hot Scorchers hammer Sixers

The match in a tweet: Scorchers red hot! Injury-hit Sixers scramble to 8-111 … it's nowhere near enough as S Marsh (63no) leads 9-wkt win at #TheFurnace #BBL05

The hero: Shaun Marsh is in splendid form. Last start against the Renegades, he belted 76no and this time around he was just as impressive. There were five fours and three sixes in his opening half-century, and a couple of those sixes were absolute crowd killers – such was the force with which he was striking the ball. His two most recent innings will doubtless have caught the eyes of the National Selection Panel, but the Scorchers will be desperate to retain his services for the back-end of this tournament.

The moment: David Willey set the tone in the second over of the match when he splayed Ed Cowan's stumps, and the Scorchers didn't look back from there. Justin Langer's bowling attack is both versatile and consistently clinical, and they simply overwhelmed an undermanned Sixers.

WATCH: Willey's dynamic spell

The victim: Michael Lumb. The imposing left-hander played some brutal shots that were reminiscent of Matthew Hayden in his pomp, but had very little support as his team barely scraped past 100. He was eventually caught on the fence for 47, hitting out in a bid to add quick runs – something none of his teammates were able to do.

WATCH: Lumb continues good form

The support cast: Did we mention the Scorchers bowlers? Willey took the honours with 3-22, bowling with accuracy and pace to capture the key wickets of Cowan and Nic Maddinson. Jason Behrendorff (2-24) chimed in with another strong performance, and so too did Andrew Tye (2-21), Joel Paris (1-23) and Brad Hogg (0-20 from four).

The stat: The Scorchers stayed true to seasons past with defeat in their opener, but they've now lost just two wickets in their last three matches. Staggering stuff.

The drop: This was a shocker from poor old Tye, who later made up for it with a couple of wickets.

WATCH: Tye's nightmare moment

The special mention: To the Scorchers' faithful. On a night when everyone was blown away by the 80,883 turnout at the 'G, it pays to remember the wonderful Perth fans, who have got their club four sell-outs in four home matches this summer – a first in the tournament's history. A crowd of 20-444 turned out to watch their team again outclass their opponents.

The wash-up: The Sixers have rushed through six matches this season, and with only two wins to their name, this loss might have just put paid to their finals hopes. For the Scorchers, it's onwards and upwards – that's three straight wins for the defending champs and they're looking in ominous form.

The next stops: The Scorchers go to Adelaide for a return bout with the Strikers on January 5, while the Sixers have a lengthy break – they next take on the Heat on January 10. 

WATCH: Match highlights

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