As many as three catches were dropped by the Perth Scorchers, and one stunning one-handed catch was taken too, as the hosts restricted the in-form Sydney Sixers batters to a slightly under-par score of 151 in the Qualifier of the BBL 2022/23 season in the Perth Stadium.
The talking point of the first innings of the Qualifier, that of Sydney Sixers, wad the Scorchers were successful in stopping the Steve Smith juggernaut and dismissed him for only 18 runs in 16 balls. The veteran Australian batsman has been in thunderously raging form coming into this game whose winner will go through to the final.
Coming into this match, Steve Smith had been in beast mode upon his return to the BBL following the Australian Test summer.
The 33-year-old Steve Smith had smashed 328 runs in only 4 innings at an average of 109 and strike rate of 180! Steve Smith hit back-to-back centuries in consecutive matches – the first Sixers batsman to hit two BBL tons – and one more half-century, helping Sixers finish at the second spot in the points table.
However, today, despite being given a life by Aaron Hardie, who had plucked a one-handed snorter to dismiss Kurtis Patterson, Steve Smith couldn’t capitalize on the given reprieve and departed for a low score.
It was left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff who started off the game in a superb fashion for the Perth Scorchers by castling Josh Philippe and dismissing Patterson. Steve Smith was the third to go, caught and bowled by left-arm pacer David Payne, and the Sixers looked in all sorts of trouble before a terrific partnership of 88 (52) between Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk bailed them out.
The Sixers seemed to be set for a big finish before they suffered a collapse, startin from Henriques’ wicket at the end of the 17th over, when they were 130/4. 4 wickets fell in the next three overs, and Sixers managed 151 in their quota of 20 overs.
Though it is not a big target to chase, the Perth pitch will assist the Sixers pacers and given that a place in the final is at stake, the pressure will be on the Perth batters when they come out for the chase.
