The BBL|13 finals are just days away with the Sixers stunning final-ball chase confirming the Heat's opponents for the Qualifier and the host of the Knockout
Thrilling Scorchers-Sixers finale locks in venues for BBL|13 finals
Sydney Sixers have broken a three-game losing streak at Optus Stadium to storm into second spot as the final finishing positions in the KFC BBL|13's top four were confirmed on Tuesday night.
The Sixers joined the Heat in securing a double chance as Daniel Hughes (74 off 43) and Moises Henriques (47no off 20) led a stunning last-ball pursuit of the Scorchers' 4-197 to record just their third Big Bash victory in Perth – and first since Boxing Day 2019 – to leapfrog the Scorchers into second spot.
It was a record BBL run chase at Optus Stadium, with victory ensuring the Sixers avoid another road trip to across the country if they're to win the BBL|13 title.
"We don't often come to Perth and win, so to win like that was just a great game of cricket from both teams," Sixers skipper Henriques told Fox Cricket post-match.
"It was a really good performance and obviously gives us a second chance in the finals."
The Heat had previously secured top spot by beating the Scorchers at the Gabba on last Wednesday, taking an unassailable lead at the top of the BBL|13 standings.
It means the Heat will host the Sixers in the Qualifier on the Gold Coast on Friday night with the winner of that clash booking the first spot in this season's BBL Final.
That match will take place at Carrara Stadium instead of the Gabba due to a venue clash with the second Test between Australia and the West Indies (tickets are on sale here).
The winner of the Qualifier will host the BBL|13 Final on Wednesday, January 24, while the loser will get another opportunity to qualify for the decider when they host the Challenger on Monday, January 22.
Perth will now host the Adelaide Strikers in the sudden-death Knockout final at Optus Stadium on Saturday night with the winner to face the loser of the Heat-Sixers clash at either the Gold Coast or SCG on Monday.
Tickets for that match will go on sale here at 12pm AWST today with Scorchers members gaining pre-sale access from 10am AWST.
The Strikers secured the fourth spot in the BBL|13 finals with four straight wins to finish the regular season, including beating the Scorchers by nine wickets in the two sides previous meeting at Adelaide Oval.
Led by their captain Matt Short – who is the tournament's leading run-scorer with 509 at 72.71, the Strikers are the form team heading into the playoffs phase, but they did go down to the Scorchers by 42 runs on their last trip to Optus Stadium two days prior to that win.
"He's scored runs against us both games, so we'll need to continue our planning with him and make sure that we execute a bit better than what we did to tonight," Scorchers coach Adam Voges said of Short following their loss to the Sixers.
"He's clearly the form and best player of the competition at the moment so he'll be a big deciding factor on Saturday.
"But our record at home has been terrific again this year and it's taken a pretty special performance and the last ball of the game to knock us off."
The first ball of Friday's Heat-Sixers clash on the Gold Coast is at 6.40pm local time (7.40pm AEDT), with Saturday's Scorchers-Strikers clash to get underway at 4.40pm local time (7.40pm AEDT).
All finals matches will be broadcast on Channel Seven, Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports, as well as SEN Radio.
The 21,000 tickets available for the Heat-Sixers Qualifier are close to being snapped up with another bumper crowd also expected in Perth after last year's final drew a crowd of more than 53,000.
"Cricket fans in Queensland have been extremely quick to secure their seats for the opening finals match, in what's shaping as a huge night for the Gold Coast," said Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia's General Manager Big Bash Leagues.
"The BBL has had it all this year and we look forward to seeing what the final four matches have in store and who's crowned KFC BBL|13 champions."
Tickets for the Challenger and Final will go on sale here on Saturday following the result of the Qualifier at 12pm local time in Queensland and NSW.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points