Big Bash League final: Laurie Evans smashes Perth Scorchers out of trouble to beat Sydney Sixers and claim record fourth title
Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 79 runs in the Big Bash League final; Englishman Laurie Evans hit an unbeaten 76 from 41 balls as they recovered from 25-4 to post 171-6; the Sixers then collapse to 92 all out in Melbourne; Scorchers win the BBL title for a record fourth time
Saturday 29 January 2022 07:37, UK
Englishman Laurie Evans scored a blistering 76 not out from 41 balls to lead Perth Scorchers to a 79-run victory in the Big Bash League final over Sydney Sixers in Melbourne.
Having arrived at the crease with the Scorchers 25-4, Evans put on 104 with skipper Ashton Turner (54 from 35 balls) to completely change the momentum of the innings and help Perth up to 171-6 from their 20 overs.
The undermanned Sixers had produced some remarkable comebacks to reach the showpiece game but despite Daniel Hughes' (42 from 33) battling knock, this proved to be a match too far as they collapsed to 92 all out in 16.2 overs.
Seamer Andrew Tye took 3-15 before Jhye Richardson (2-20) claimed the last two wickets to spark the Scorchers' celebrations of a record fourth BBL title, one more than the Sixers, who fell at the final hurdle in their bid for a third championship on the bounce.
Evans saves Scorchers after nightmare start
The Sixers came into the game without a significant number of key players due to a combination of injury and Covid-19 but got off to a fantastic start after winning the bat flip and electing to chase.
Jackson Bird (1-6) removed Kurtis Patterson (1) in the second over, Josh Inglis (13) was stumped off and when Nathan Lyon removed Mitch Marsh (5) and Colin Munro (1) in the same over, the Scorchers were 25-4 after six.
That brought Evans to the crease to join Turner and rather than sit in and attempt a gradual rebuild, they chose to hit their side out of trouble with the Englishman leading the way as he took O'Keefe for two fours and a six in the ninth.
With the pair still together and going well, the Power Surge was taken ahead of the 13th over to provide a further boost with the two overs yielding 24 runs.
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Evans brought up a 25-ball half-century in the over that followed, thumping Dan Christian flat over midwicket for six and Turner joined him in reaching fifty, from 32 balls, when he launched the first ball of the 16th over into the stands - that maximum also brought up the century partnership.
O'Keefe (2-43) dismissed Turner later in the over, but Evans was there until the end, nailing two more glorious sixes over extra cover to take his tally to four for the innings to go with his four fours.
Sixers crumble in the chase
In reply, the Sixers lost the hero from their thrilling Challenger win when Hayden Kerr (2) fell to Jason Behrendorff in the second over and were two down after five with Nicholas Bertus (15) caught in the covers off Turner.
Ashton Agar then had the dangerous Moises Henriques (7) lbw on the sweep and a brilliant catch in the deep from Patterson did for Christian (3) after he cracked a pull shot to deep midwicket, leaving the Sixers 62-4 in the 10th.
X-factor substitute Justin Avendano (1) was next to go, dragging the ball onto his stumps off Peter Hatzoglou and when Hughes was run out in the next, the Sixers capitulated quickly.
Tye removed Sean Abbott (1) and Ben Dwarshuis (0) with back-to-back deliveries in the next and although Lyon (3) kept out the hat-trick ball, his leg stump was pegged back by Richardson in the next over.
It was left to Richardson to finish things off in his next over as he trapped O'Keefe (2) plumb lbw. The celebrations began the moment the umpire moved to raise his finger and Richardson wound up with a bloody nose in the excitement, as a team forced to play away from home for much of the season due to coronavirus restrictions end the tournament as champions.
