Perth Scorchers 7 for 175 (Inglis 73, Rogers 2-30) beat Hobart Hurricanes 98 allout (Bailey 36, Richardson 4-19) by 77 runs
Josh Inglis struck a fluent 73 before Jhye Richardson grabbed four wickets as the Perth Scorchers easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 77 runs in Hobart to issue an ominous statement to the competition.
The three-time BBL champions dominated the Hurricanes' hapless run chase of 176 in a ruthless performance reminiscent of their golden era under Justin Langer.
After being sent in, Inglis (73) and Mitchell Marsh (40) combined in a 109-run partnership to rescue the Scorchers from early trouble. The pair, however, fell in quick succession in the backend as the Hurricanes briefly clawed back into the contest.The Scorchers (won 5 and lost 4) have won three in a row, while the Hurricanes (won 3 and lost 6) are struggling to stay in touch with the top four.
Scorchers recover after early wickets
Hurricanes skipper Matthew Wade surprised by using spinner Clive Rose first up on a green-tinged surface and the left-armer strangled in-form big-hitters Liam Livingstone and Josh Inglis. A frustrated Livingstone tried to target quick Tom Rogers at the other end, but was caught behind in the second over.
Rose's brilliant start continued when he bowled a scratchy Sam Whiteman, as the Scorchers crashed to 2 for 16 after three overs. All eyes were on Marsh, who was coming off an astounding 41-ball 93 against the Heat.
The Scorchers' high-powered top-order was shackled for much of the Powerplay until Marsh nailed a pulled six off Scott Boland to edge them to 2 for 37 after six overs. Other than that, the Scorchers skipper was intent on working the ball around with Inglis turning the aggressor with an assault on spinner Qais Ahmed, who leaked 16 runs in the ninth over.
The pair notched their 50-run partnership to continue an impressive rebuild and ensure the Scorchers eyed a massive total at 2 for 80 at the midpoint.
Hurricanes fight back after Inglis-Marsh century stand
Inglis sped past fifty and continued his liking for Qais underscored by an audacious reverse hit to the boundary in the 12th over. He outdid himself next over to with a scoop over the 'keeper for six, a cavalier shot out of the Brendon McCullum handbook.
Marsh played sensibly with the intent of batting deep and causing mayhem in the backend. Just as he appeared ready to change gears, Marsh mistimed an attempted smash down the ground off Rogers in the 15th over in a desperately needed wicket for the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes' fightback continued when danger man Inglis holed out on the long deep-wicket boundary off Qais, who bowled a terrific 16th over to make amends for earlier struggles. With Inglis and Marsh dismissed in swift succession, the Scorchers' momentum ground to a halt with Cameron Bancroft, batting down the order, unable to provide the sufficient push and falling in the penultimate over.
Hurricanes' top-order misfire
Without dynamo D'Arcy Short, the Hurricanes' batting has struggled to fire with much of the pressure falling on Wade to fill his sizeable shoes. But he fell in the second over after pulling a short delivery from Richardson straight to deep square leg in a well-executed plan. The stage was set for South African import David Miller to snap out of a funk but his woes continued when he departed for a third-ball duck, as the Hurricanes slumped to 2 for 5 after two overs.
Much like the Scorchers' innings, Caleb Jewell and George Bailey rebuilt in a third-wicket partnership but they could not muster a big stand like their counterparts. Jewell looked in sweet touch until falling after the Powerplay when he top edged a sweep to deep square leg off Fawad Ahmed.
The Scorchers gained a stranglehold near the midpoint when Marsh trapped Ben McDermott for 1, as the Hurricanes slumped to 4 for 47.
Scorchers convincingly seal the deal
The Hurricanes needed a spur and Simon Milenko provided one with clean hitting marked by the team's first six of the innings notched in the 11th over. It was short-lived as Milenko exposed his stumps and was bowled by Chris Jordan to snuff out the Hurricanes' hopes.
Richardson ran through the lower-order leaving an ashen-faced Bailey watching the horror show from the other end until he fell in the 16th over to cap a one-sided contest.
