Ashton Turner's fifty and late cameos from Cooper Connolly and Nick Hobson propelled the Perth Scorchers to victory over the Brisbane Heat, securing their record-extending fifth Big Bash League title.
Cooper Connolly's big hitting at the death and skipper Ashton Turner's heroic 53 saw Perth Scorchers beat Brisbane Heat to win an unprecedented fifth Big Bash League (BBL) title on Saturday. Their fireworks propelled them to 178-5 and a nail-biting five-wicket win with four balls left in front of a record 53,886 parochial fans at Perth Stadium after Brisbane put on 175-7. It was a successful title defence by a side who beat the Sydney Sixers in last season's decider, with Saturday's win securing a fifth trophy in only the competition's 12th year.
Turner (53 off 32) rallied the Scorchers from 54-3 with a 30-ball fifty, but when he and Josh Inglis (26 off 22) departed in the same over - Turner was run out after a disastrous mix-up with Hobson - Perth needed a daunting 38 runs from 18 balls to secure a victory. Miraculously, Connolly (25 not out off 11) and Hobson (18 not out off seven) managed to power their side to a dramatic win.
Connolly blasted James Bazley's 18th over for 18 runs, smashing two sixes and a four before being caught in the deep. Meanwhile, Hobson clobbered Michael Neser for six and four in the final over, with the Scorchers needing 10 runs to win.
Heat lost six of their first nine games this term before embarking on a remarkable turnaround, claiming six wins from seven games and reaching the final with consecutive play-off victories over Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Renegades, and Sydney Sixers. Unfortunately, their remarkable run was ended by the Scorchers.
"It's a surreal feeling. I've played a lot of games of cricket but you never know how it will pan out," said man-of-the-match Turner after his 32-ball knock.
"We are in rarified air at the moment, we have a lot of guys in form and that's not always the case. A lot of guys have contributed to wins throughout the season."
The clash concluded a season characterized by exhilarating finishes, contentious moments, remarkable individual performances, and over one million fans through the turnstiles. It was a season of highs and lows, of triumphs and tribulations.
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