Big Bash League: The five best games between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes ahead of Boxing Day clash

Ahead of Boxing Day’s blockbuster Big Bash League clash between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, The West Australian takes a look back five of the best contests between the sides. No.5: Short smashes ton, 2020 D’Arcy Short played all his Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup cricket with WA but never pulled on the Perth Scorchers orange — and he showed them what they were missing with a hundred for Hobart Hurricanes when they met at Optus Stadium in 2020. The two-time BBL leading run-scorer was dropped four times in the outfield over the course of his knock but also belted seven sixes in a powerful display, the last of which came when he ramped the final ball of the innings over the boundary rope to bring up three figures. When Mitch Marsh’s 48 was brought to an end by Tom Rogers to leave the Scorchers 7-129 in pursuit of a target of 181 in the 17th over, the game looked well and truly over. A quick-fire cameo from Jhye Richardson at No.9 — who smashed three sixes and a boundary in his 33 not out from only 14 balls — got them closer than they may have been, but they still ended up eight runs short. No.4: Bison goes big, 2021 Fresh off spearheading Australia’s run to glory in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Mitch Marsh returned to the Scorchers in career-best form. Of course, he belted a hundred in his first game of the BBL season. The ‘Bison’ struggled for fluency and timing early in his knock until being joined by recently-recruited Englishman Laurie Evans (40 from 24 balls), with the pair helping lead a recovery from 4-74 in the 10th over to a total of 5-182. Marsh looked at long odds to reach three figures until he thrice clubbed Short for six in the 19th over and dispatched future international teammate Nathan Ellis on to Bellerive Oval’s hill in the 20th to move to 99, before running a single to reach his first T20 hundred. With the ball, the Scorchers were irrepressible, bowling Hobart out for 129 as all six bowlers used claimed at least one wicket each. No.3: Faukner’s finish, 2019 The Hurricanes looked gone for all money. The dismissal of George Bailey for a fine 69 from only 39 balls left Hobart situated at 6-153 in their 2019 clash with Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium, needing another 25 runs for victory from only 14 balls without a set batter at the crease. But the man at the other end saw them home with three balls to spare. James Faulkner, christened ‘The Finisher’ for his exploits in Australia’s white-ball teams, smashed the Scorchers’ star death bowler Andrew Tye for a pair of sixes either side of a one-bounce four in the final over to win the game for the visitors. The loss all but condemned Perth to missing the finals for the first time in their history and they went on to finish at the foot of the ladder in an unhappy first full campaign at their new home. No.2: ‘Canes flip the script, 2018 Perth Scorchers’ first game at the newly-opened Optus Stadium in front of a crowd of 52,960 people did not go according to the script. The odds looked to be stacked against Hobart Hurricanes, who entered their semifinal against the table-topping Scorchers on the back of losses in their final three games of the home and away season and without their leading run-scorer Short due to an international call-up. But the visitors secured a stunning victory in dominant style, piling on an imposing total of 4-210 which they defended by routing Perth for just 139. Short’s opening partner Matthew Wade (71 from 45 balls) seized some extra responsibility before Ben McDermott clubbed six sixes in his 67 not out from only 30 balls to give the Hurricanes all the momentum at the innings break. The contest was quickly finished after the Scorchers slumped to 7-68 in reply, with English import Tim Bresnan’s 43 at No.8 only serving to make the scorecard slightly more respectable. No.1: The first title, 2014 In the first two seasons of the Big Bash League, Perth Scorchers had lost the final in front of their adoring fans at the WACA Ground. Thankfully, the third did not follow the same pattern, with Perth producing a dominant performance to power to a 42-run victory and secure what would be the first of five titles. Unlike the first two finals which had seen them on the back foot early, the Scorchers seized the early initiative by posting a massive score of 4-194 batting first. Breakout star Craig Simmons (45 from 36 balls) gave Perth some early momentum which was capitalised on by the Marsh brothers later, with Mitch crunching four sixes in a blistering 37 from only 12 balls as Shaun (63 not out from 43 balls) showed his trademark class. Despite the best efforts of Bailey (58 from 32 balls), the Hurricanes never found any momentum as they sought to track down the imposing target, being restricted to 7-152. Of course, the undisputed star of the Scorchers’ early days Brad Hogg was at the centre of the result, with chants of “Hoggy” ringing around the WACA as the 43-year-old spinner claimed two wickets while giving away only 17 runs in a four-over spell.