BBL12, In the season-ending match, which pits the Scorchers against the Heat for the second time in a Big Bash final, Brisbane will square off in front of a crowd of more than 50,000 at Perth Stadium. The Scorchers will play the Heat for the second time in a Big Bash final as a sold-out Perth Stadium anticipates Brisbane in the season-deciding match.
The Scorchers are vying for an unprecedented fifth BBL12 championship and this time they have the home-field advantage after finishing first in the BBL12 standings and defeating the Sixers last Saturday by seven wickets at Perth Stadium to secure hosting rights. After ending the regular season in fifth position, the Heat had to win three straight finals away from home to qualify.
KFC BBL12 Historic Final (Heat vs Scorchers)
This week, the conversation has mostly focused on the absence of players. Jhye Richardson, who electrified the tournament with 15 wickets in seven matches, including three times on a hat-trick, has sadly been ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained halfway. To prepare for the four-match Border-Gavaskar series, Lance Morris has joined his Scorchers colleague Ashton Agar’s Australian Test squad for their Qantas Tour of India.
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Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Renshaw, three of the Heat’s top four players from their first two BBL12 finals victories, have left for the Indian tour. In Brisbane’s victory against the Thunder and Renegades in the Eliminator and Knockout rounds, Test three amassed 300 runs at a strike rate of 156. Following the win against the Thunder, Mitchell Swepson also entered the Australian Test team.
Left-armer Matthew Kuhnemann was left to handle the lone spinning responsibilities, which he accomplished well last night at the SCG with a career-best haul of 3-17. But there will still be a lot of “big game” players in the encounter. While Michael Neser is undoubtedly the most unlucky player not to have been picked for the Indian Test series, Scorchers skipper Ashton Turner has scored 138 runs in each of his past two finals innings, both of which were against the Sixers.
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The second and third-leading wicket-takers in the competition, Michael Neser (26) and Andrew Tye (25) will square off, while Perth all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who just missed being selected for last year’s final, has a chance to add a BBL12title to his breakthrough season. Along with Hardie, teammates Josh Inglis and Cameron Bancroft are among the top 10 run scorers in BBL12, with replacement Heat captain Jimmy Peirson placing 12th with 331 runs.
Jason Behrendorff, a talented left-arm seamer who ranks in the top 10 of the competition with 19 wickets this year, will take the field on Saturday. The Scorchers must decide whether to replace the speedy Morris, who is leaving for India, with Matthew Kelly, who has recovered from a concussion, or leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou, who has only appeared in half of their Perth matches this season.
Also Read: BBL Finals: Scorchers face selection dilemma as fans snap up tickets for the Final
When is it?
Beginning February 4, at 4.30 AWST/7.30 AEDT.
Where is it?
Perth Stadium is located.
The Scorchers have triumphantly returned to the “Furnace” this summer after being cut off from Western Australia for the majority of the previous season due to pandemic border closures and being forced to host the final at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. The team has won seven out of its eight games at the location. After last weekend’s Qualifier game and a BBL|07 semi-final shortly after it opened in January 2018, which attracted a crowd of 52,960, Perth Stadium will host only its third Big Bash finals event. The Heat have only ever won there once. That victory occurred back in January 2019.
How do I get tickets?
It’s sold out! Just four hours after going on sale last Sunday, the initial 34,000 publicly assigned tickets were all gone. All membership visitor passes and premium hospitality packages are also sold out, and Saturday’s game is predicted to draw more than 50,000 spectators. On Friday, February 3 at 10 a.m. AWST, a second, smaller batch of public access tickets went on sale and sold out in under an hour. The Scorchers won the privilege to host the Final last Saturday in front of the largest BBL12 season audience of 41,126 spectators, who filled Perth Stadium.
How can I watch it?
Live ball-by-ball radio commentary will be available on SEN in addition to the BBL12 Final beings aired live on Channel 7, Fox Cric, and Kayo Sports. You may register for a free trial of Kayo here if you’re a new user. Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app both provide live streaming of SEN radio broadcasts.
What about live scores, news, and highlights?
Every game of the BBL12, including the Final, will have live scores available on Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app. Additionally, wicket replays will be available in the match center along with extended video highlights, reports, and interviews from our reporters in Perth. The greatest pieces of the Final will be sent directly to your feed if you follow @cricketcomau and @BBL on social media.