Defending champs again scrap their way to a low-scoring win over arch-rivals Melbourne Stars
Match Report:
ScorecardTye, Cartwright see Scorchers past Stars
The score: Perth Scorchers 6-142 (Cartwright 58, Voges 35; Faulkner 2-19) beat Melbourne Stars 8-129 (Faulkner 35no; Tye 5-23) by 13 runs
Match in a tweet: Stars scorched! Langer's boys scrap their way to gutsy low-scoring win over arch-rivals #BBL07
The hero: Hilton Cartwright hasn't produced his finest work in the BBL but the robust right-hander delivered for the Scorchers in their hour of need tonight. At 3-10, he was joined by the ever-reliable Adam Voges (35 off 31) and after working his way cautiously to three from 13 deliveries, he upped the ante. The end result was a fine 58 from 53 balls, which was the key factor in the Scorchers producing a competitive total.
The support cast: Andrew Tye could easily have been 'the hero'... but we'll have more on him later. He wasn't the only Scorcher sizzling; in smashing an unbeaten 33 from 21 deliveries, Ashton Agar played a crucial late hand and one typical of this resilient Perth franchise throughout their history; from positions of peril, they always seem to find a way to stay in the game. The free-swinging leftie hit a couple of sixes and the last ball of the innings for four, then conceded just 18 from his four overs to turn the screws on the Stars.
The consolation efforts: Michael Beer's 1-14 from four overs was the equal-second-most economical four-over spell this tournament and crucial in putting the Stars on top of the contest early. At the other end, left-armer James Faulkner found some swing with the new ball and produced an excellent spell of 2-19 from three overs, removing openers Will Bosisto and Michael Klinger inside the first three overs. With the bat, he entered proceedings at 5-59, and kept his side's hopes alive until the death with a mature 35no.
The victim: Peter Handscomb can consider himself a touch unlucky here – had this ball gone an extra metre, it was six! That said, it was a superb piece of work on the rope from Will Bosisto.
The turning point: When defending a low total, early wickets are crucial, so when Mitchell Johnson was smashed for four from Ben Dunk from the first ball of the Stars' run chase, momentum was well and truly with the hosts. Johnson however, was far from convinced. The left-armer induced four play-and-misses from his next four balls, before getting his man nicking to second slip the following over. The Stars had lost a key batsman, and the Scorchers were suddenly circling.
The classic catch: A ripper in the outfield from Cartwright, to remove dangerman Marcus Stoinis.
The stat: Tye continues to establish himself as one of Australia's preeminent T20 bowlers. The right-armer with the bag of tricks took two wickets in his first over today and followed it up with another three - including two in the final over - to move to the top of the wickets table in these early stages of BBL|07. He has nine in two matches, and joins Cameron Gannon (BBL|03) as the second bowler to claim four-or-more wickets in consecutive BBL matches.
The silly point: Crowd catch!
The Fantasy wrap: Tye topped the pile with 130 points but beyond him it was a night for the allrounders. Faulkner's efforts earned him 99 points, and Agar grabbed 92 points to round out the best three efforts.
The next stops: The Scorchers travel to Melbourne to take on the unbeaten Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Friday night (7.10pm local), while the Stars clash with the Heat for a second in the new year, this time as the home team on January 2 (7.10pm local).
.@ScorchersBBL XI: Will Bosisto, Michael Klinger, Hilton Cartwright, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges (c), Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis (wk), David Willey, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Mitchell Johnson #BBL07%E2%80%94 KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 26, 2017
.@StarsBBL XI: Ben Dunk (wk), Luke Wright, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Rob Quiney, James Faulkner, John Hastings (c), Scott Boland, Adam Zampa, Michael Beer #BBL07%E2%80%94 KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 26, 2017