BBL|06 preview: Scorchers v Sixers

When and where: 7.15pm (AEDT) on Saturday, 28 January at the WACA Ground

The squads:
Sydney Sixers: Moises Henriques (capt), Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Daniel Hughes, Michael Lumb, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Jordan Silk, Henry Thornton.

Perth Scorchers: Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Hilton Cartwright, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Johnson, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman.

The last time they met: Perth Scorchers 8-130 (M Marsh 31*, Somerville 2-10) lost to Sydney Sixers 4-132 (Billings 40, Tye 3-15) by six wickets with 12 balls to spare, on 27 December at the SCG

The Sixers claimed their second win of BBL|06 with a six-wicket victory in what was a low-scoring affair at the SCG. Shaun Marsh's much-awaited comeback to cricket has lasted just 11 balls and his Scorchers teammates fared little better, Mitchell Marsh the best of the lot with an unbeaten 31. The Scorchers' modest total was always going to be difficult to defend, especially after the visitors opted to rest star quick Mitchell Johnson, and Sixers cruised to victory thanks to Sam Billings (40 off 30 balls) and Johan Botha (30 not out off 19).

The back stories: The Perth Scorchers are coming off a cruisy seven-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars in the first semi-final, continuing their excellent form after a convincing win over the Hobart Hurricanes at Blundstone Arena in their final group match. Both those run chases were propelled by Shaun Marsh, however, and the in-form batsman will be absent for the final, called away on Australia ODI duties. However, Mitchell Johnson should be full of confidence after destroying the Stars with 3-3 in the semi-final, while Jason Behrendorff may even make a surprise return for the final.

The Sixers couldn’t have taken a different path to the decider, forced to go to a Super Over against the Heat in the semi-final and making it through thanks to not one, but two captain’s knocks from Moises Henriques. That came after a scare in their final group match against the Stars, when the Sixers looked gone at 6-97, needing 60 off 35 for victory with only four wickets in hand. It took Sean Abbott’s ability with the bat – striking a whirlwind 33 not out off 17 balls – to eventually see the Sixers home with an over to spare.

The road to finals (most recent last):

Perth Scorchers: WLWWLWLWW

Sydney Sixers: WLWLWWLWW

The headline acts:

Mitchell Johnson: It took some time for the pace great to find his groove after an extended break from the game, but he’s gone from strength to strength in the latter stages of the tournament. He left the Melbourne Stars shell shocked when he took 3-3 in the semi-final and he’s now the Scorchers’ most productive bowler of the tournament, with 12 wickets at 15.66.

Sean Abbot: Abbott leads the wicket taking in what’s been a breakthrough tournament for the allrounder. He’s picked up a wicket in all but one game, taking 5-16 against the Strikers on New Year’s Eve. He started slowly with the bat, he came through with a match-winning cameo against the Stars to secure a semi-final berth.

The X-factor: Moises Henriques is only averaging 30.25 for the tournament but he again proved what he’s capable of with his two match-winning knocks in the semi-final, blasting 64 off 34 in the chase before a brilliant 18no off five in the Super Over. The Sixers skipper is still haunted by his misfield that cost his team the chance of victory in the final two years ago against Perth and who knows what performance he might pull out to make amends this time around.

The Fantasy man: Daniel Hughes has been Mr Reliable for the Sixers throughout the tournament. He may not have scored the sorts of explosive innings others have, but he’s the Sixers’ highest run scorer for the tournament and fifth overall on the table, his 296 runs coming at 49.33. Of the players involved in the final, he averages the third highest in points, but comes as the reasonable price of $61,500.

Overall head to head: Scorchers 6, Sixers 3

Big Bash titles: Scorchers 2, Sixers 1

The history: This is the third time the Scorchers and Sixers have met in a BBL final. The Sixers won by seven wickets at the WACA in BBL|01, while the BBL|04 decider produced an all-time classic. Arriving at the crease with his side 2-7, skipper Henriques was the shining light for the Sixers with his 57-ball 77 the only major contribution to their sub-par 147 against the strong Scorchers attack. Shaun Marsh (73 off 59) had the reigning champions rollicking along before a late stutter, eventually leaving them with eight to get off the final over of the game, and of Brett Lee’s career. His first offering went for four but he struck back, removing Nathan Coulter-Nile and Sam Whiteman with consecutive yorkers with the scores level. Last ball: another ripping delivery from Lee, eeked out by Yasir Arafat, batsmen scramble for a run, Henriques fumbles the accurate throw at the non-striker’s end and the Scorchers claim back-to-back titles.

The stat: The Sixers have only beaten the Scorchers once since the BBL|01 final, with that win coming earlier this season at the SCG. The teams have played some epics in the meantime, not least of all the BBL|04 final that went down to the final ball.

The tip: It’s hard to go past the top-of-the-table Scorchers in front of a sold-out home crowd at The Furnace. They will need someone to step up with the bat in the absence of Shaun Marsh, however, and will look to the experienced Michael Klinger and Ian Bell to lead the way with the bat. The Sixers have plenty of potential match-winners in their line-up and have every right to head into the match confident of causing an upset, but the momentum is all with the Scorchers at the moment.

The weather: It’s going to be a scorcher in Perth on Saturday, pardon the pun. The temperature is tipped to reach a sweltering 38 degrees and with the final beginning at 4.15pm, expect it to still be very hot when the first ball rolls around.