Brisbane Heat wins Big Bash League T20 2013 Title

The Brisbane Heat are the new champions of Australian Twenty20 cricket after defeated  the Perth Scorchers by 34 runs in  Big Bash League  final at the WACA Ground.

Chasing 168 runs  for victory, the Perth Scorchers were restricted to 9 for 133, with dangerman Shaun Marsh out  for just 16 off 24 balls. TheBrisbane  Heat only booked their place in the BBL finals with an upset win over Hobart Hurricanes  in the last round of the season.

Joe Burns (43 from  27 balls) top scorer for the Brisbane Heat in their total of 5 for 167, while Dan Christian (37 from  21) provided some vital big hits at the tail-end of their innings. And even if Brisbane opener Pomersbach couldn't get close to repeating his recent heroics, he still managed 37 runs from  38 balls to get the Brisbane Heat off to a hard start.

The Brisbane Heat's bowlers then backed up the efforts, with West Indies paceman Kemar Roach (3 for 18 off his four overs) and spinner Nathan Hauritz (0 for 11) grinding down the Perth Scorchers early, before Ben Cutting snared the crucial scalp of Marsh. Adam Voges (49 from  32 balls) and Marcus North scored 24  looked promising in patches.

Perth Scorchers qualified for the Big Bash Finals after thriller win over Stars

Perth Scorchers will play the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League final after beating  the Melbourne Stars in one of the most impressive Twenty20 clashes in domestic cricket history. Suitably  Michael Hussey (21), who donned the wicketkeepers gloves in the field, scored the winning runs  four off the last ball when the Perth Scorchers only required a single off the last delivery.

Perth Scorchers  successfully chased an magnificent total set by the D/L  method at 139 from 13 overs - a rain revised total after the Stars scored 2 for 183 in 18 overs. The match would have finished differently had a no ball not been awarded for James Faulkner's first, last ball which Adam Voges (36) failed to hit with Perth Scorchers  needing 3 runs for win.

Replays show Faulkner's foot was over the line, but the no ball was awarded for the Melbourne Stars having three fielders, rather than the required four, fielders in the circle. The mass of the credit for Perth Scorchers  should go to Shaun Marsh who hit 68 runs from  40 balls, with  11 boundaries. Adam Voges also played a vital innings smashed  three sixes in his 21 ball knock.

Earlier, Cameron White made  88 runs from 53 balls, with  five sixes, after being promoted to opener and number three Hodge added 70 from  43 balls with six maximums. The Perth Scorchers will now host the final match  against the Brisbane Heat  on Saturday at the WACA ground.

Brisbane Heat into the Finals after 15 runs win over Renegades

 Luke Pomersbach's unbeaten 112 runs  guide  push Brisbane Heat to a 15 run upset victory over Melbourne Renegades in  Big Bash League knockout semi final at Etihad Stadium. The Brisbane Heat compiled a terrifying total of 3 for 183 before fast bowler  Ben Cutting take  3 for 24 as the Melbourne Renegades scored 9 for 168 in reply.

The Melbourne Renegades  finishing on top of the table with a 7-1 win-loss record, they were unable to overcome the fourth-placed Heat. Punishing left hander Pomersbach, who was handed a lifeline at Brisbane by coach Darren Lehmann after a series of alcohol related incidents in Western Australia, hit  15 fours and two sixes in his 70 ball knock.

The Melbourne Renegades starts  their run chase well as Aaron Finch and Alex Hales scored  34 from the first three overs. But Cutting take  1-1 from the fourth over to apply the brakes, bowling Hales for 20. Spinner Nathan Hauritz got  his first wicket of the tournament when Alex Doolan fell for 13 at 2 for 63 and the key breakthrough came two deliveries later when Renegades' leading runscorer Finch (23) holed out to deep cover to spinner Chris Lynn (2 for 15).

Cutting also bowled Tom Cooper for 14  while the home side's other main batting hope Ben Rohrer fell to Lynn's bowling at 5 for 131 after smashing 42 off 22 balls. Luke Pomersbach's hundred  was only the second by any player this season in the BBL and he was  the leading run scorer with 360.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Luke Pomersbach stars as Brisbane Heat reached semi finals after crushing win against Hurricanes

A vicious onslaught from Luke Pomersbach has powered Brisbane Heat qualify for  the semi finals of the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

Pomersbach cracked the fastest 50 of the contest as the Brisbane Heat thrash  Hobart Hurricanes by eight wickets to set up a date with Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing the Hobart Hurricanes  below par 3 for 150, the Brisbane Heat made a mockery of Hobart's battle with what had appeared a sticky Bellerive pitch to reach the target in just 14.1 overs.

Luke Pomersbach's 50 came from just 24 balls and his 82 off  42 included with 13 fours and two sixes. The Brisbane Heat finish the regular season equal on eight points with the Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers but with a greater net run rate. 

Fast Bowler  Doug Bollinger (1 for 41) went for 27 from his 1st  two and Jason Krejza wasn't sighted again after taking 0-31 from his first two. Peter Forrest (18 off 11) was caught in the deep off Bollinger   but the onslaught continued and in form bowler  Ben Laughlin was dispatched for 20 from his 1st  over.

Luke Pomersbach and Joe Burns unbeaten 41 runs  from 27  put on 107 from 55 balls to demolish the Hobart Hurricanes finals hopes. Hobart Hurricanes  needed a late grow from Jonathan Wells (40 off  24) and Englishman Owais Shah (32 off  28) to make their score competitive.

The Hobart Hurricanes  had hurt their way to 3 for 84 before Wells and Shah put on 66 runs  from 42 deliveries. The Hobart Hurricanes managed just a one  six, hit by Ricky Ponting (17 off  16), with miserly Heat, skipper James Hopes bowling a tight 1 for 18 from his four overs while Dan Christian grabed  2 for 32.

Marsh guide Perth Scorchers reaches Semi Final after crushing win over Strikers

Shaun Marsh and his side  Perth Scorchers went on a record run bender to crush  the Adelaide Strikers by 98 runs on Thursday  and qualified for the   Big Bash League  semi final.

Shaun Marsh scored  79 runs  from 60 balls to become the This seasons  top run scorer as Perth Scorchers scored  4 for 189 runs  a record high score in this summer's T20 series. The Adelaide Strikers then collapsed  to 91 runs  all out in 18.3 overs in a unsuccessful  run chase to end their season . The win leads Perth Scorchers  to grab 2nd  spot from the Melbourne Stars and book a home semi final next Wednesday.

Shaun Marsh cracked eight fours and two sixes to top the run scoring list with 328 runs  ahead of Melbourne Renegades skipper Aaron Finch (309 runs. Marsh and Herschelle Gibbs (54 off 34 balls) built a strong platform for the Perth Scorchers with a 95 run opening stand from 12.1 overs.

The in form left hander was removed  in the penultimate over as Adam Voges (35 off  18 balls) continued the aggressive of Adelaide's bowlers. The Adelaide Strikers' run chase was cruelled by early wickets, 2 for 5 after eight balls with Michael Klinger (0) and Travis Head (4) out. Tim Ludeman (11), Nathan Reardon (0) and Callum Ferguson (13) soon followed and Adelaide was a hopeless 5 for 39 runs  in the 9th  over, requiring a run rate forthcoming 13 runs an over to win.

Perth Scorchers fast bowler  Nathan Coulter-Nile dismissed four batsmen yet curiously end  with 3 for 12. Alfonsa Thomas take 3 for 14. Richardson finished with 20, the top score for the Adelaide Strikers.

Alex Hales storms guide Melbourne Renegades beat Sixers

England  opener Alex Hales finished the Sydney Sixers' Big Bash League title defence in stunning style as the table topping Melbourne Renegades sounded an gloomy warning ahead of the finals.

Alex Hales, signed as injured Jamaican Marlon Samuels' alternate on Tuesday, smashed  89 from 52 deliveried,  hitting  eight sixes to lift the  Melbourne Renegades to a total of 5 for 178 and a 29 run win. The show came less than 12 hours after he completed the exacting journey from London to Sydney, but the 24-year-old showed no signs of jetlag in   easy win.

After a sluggish start by the visitors, who opted to bat first, Alex Hales twisted the match  on its head when he single handedly plundered 22 runs from Josh Hazlewood in the 5th  over. Ales Hales take  a particular liking to the spin of Steve O'Keefe (0 from 50 from 3 overs), smacking four sixes off one over with  a punishing blow over long on that travelled 111m and landed on the roof of the Members' Pavilion.

Ben Rohrer  made 57 runs, stand in Renegades skipper in the absence of Aaron Finch  shared a 112 runs partnership with Hales and was in awe of the young gun who was in India three weeks ago with England's national T20 side. Alex Hales' knock was the 2nd  best of the tournament, with Aaron Finch's unbeaten 111 in the season opener the only improved effort.

The first difficulty always looked insurmountable, and so it proved as the Melbourne Renegades made it seven wins off its  eight matches and rolled the Sydney Sixers for 149 runs  with the final ball  of the match. O'Keefe,  top scored for the Sydney Sixers with 41 runs, exacted a small degree of revenge with the bat when he pulled a short ball to Hales in the deep that the Englishman lost in the lights.

Melbourne Stars beat Sydney Thunder by 13 runs

Sydney Thunder's edition of pointlessness has been completed after the bottom of the ranking  lost its 13th straight match by 13 runs against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Tuesday.

The Melbourne  Stars, missing two big players  in Shane Warne and Lasith Malinga, struggled to set a total before concluding on 8 for 145 in  20 overs. After Melbounre  star import Chris Gayle put his side  in a brilliant position, the Sydney Thunder lost 9 for 70 to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Fast Bowler  Dirk Nannes twisted the ball of the night to dismiss dangerman Brad Hodge (39 from  26) with a ball that beat the batsman and crashed into middle stump.

The Sydney Thunder also removed David Hussey for 32 and then bowled well at the death   taking 4 wickets  for 16 runs  in the final overs   to keep the Melbourne Stars well below a par score. Chris Gayle   has been under pressure to perform after a series of failures   grabed  2 for 5 and ran out Melbourne Stars opener Luke Wright.

Chris Gayle flayed the attack to all parts of the ground, bringing up his fifty in  just 25 balls and the visitors were 1 for 59 after six overs and closing  to victory. The Melbourne Stars tightened the bowling and Bird gave his team a lift when he took a diving catch to dismiss Matt Prior for 7, leaving Sydney 2 for 62 in the 8th  over. Chris Gayle finally out  for 65 from  43 balls, holing out in the deep to Glenn Maxwell off Dimitri Mascarenhas (2 for 27).

The Sydney Thunder had been winless in seven games this Big Bash season, and the defeat now continues the franchise's 13-match streak dating back to last season. The result leads  that the Melbourne Stars (10 points) join the Melbourne Renegades (12) in the finals. The remaining places will be filled by two of the Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, who are separated only by net run rate going into the final round of matches.

Brisbane Heat missed chance in loss to Sydney Sixers

The  poor batting display may have charge Brisbane Heat a place in the Big Bash finals, after theBrisbane  Heat lost to the Sydney Sixers by five wickets at the Gabba on Monday .

The Brisbane Heat won the toss and decided  to bat on a hard wicket, but a damaging three over spell period where the home side lost 4 for 13 runs  put the Brisbane Heat on the back foot. Opener Luke Pomersbach was the  top scorer  with 37 runs from  34 balls, but little scores for Dan Christian (2), Chris Lynn (3), Ben Cutting (10) and Chris Hartley (10) kept Brisbane to reduce  9 for 127 runs  in 20 overs.

 The Sydney  Sixers, Steve O'Keefe's slow left arm arthodox deliveries fashioned 3 for 21, while pacemen Josh Hazlewood take 3 for 32  and Luke Feldman got 2 for 26  were also enormously competitive. The Sydney Sixers' Sri Lankan spinner Sechithra Senanayake went wicketless take 0 for 19  but his 1st  11 balls  were dot balls. Brad Haddin (16) started off in a rush with two fours and a six, but he was out on the final  ball of the 3rd  over, bowled by Alister McDermott.

Michael Lumb and Nic Maddinson kept things going for the Sixers, but Maddinson made 17  fell in the eighth over to Christian, and a sharp spell of bowling by Ben Cutting cut the scoring and removed Moises Henriques (12). But Cutting (2 for 9) put in a slow bouncer the next ball which dismissed  Smith (9) to swipe the ball to mid-on. The Sixers were 4 for 99, needing 29 runs from  29 balls.

Tight bowling from Roach and Christian confined the Sixers up and when Hughes top edged to Cutting for 7 off Christian, the Sixers  were 5 for 111 in the 18th over. Lumb smashed 61 off 54 strike the winning boundary with six balls to go, with the Sixers concluding on 5 for 128 with O'Keefe not out on 1. The loss means the Brisbane Heat needs Sydney Thunder to beat Melbourne Stars on Tuesday  and then Brisbane must beat the Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday to reach  for the finals.

Renegades beat Melbourne Stars by nine wickets

Aaron Finch's undefeated  67 runs guide  Melbourne Renegades to a nine wicket victory  over the Melbourne Stars in a match that will be remember for an ugly spat between Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels.

The Melbourne  Stars reached 9 for 146 runs  in their 1st innings in which six of their top seven batsmen were removed  between 10 and 30. The Melbourne Renegades comfortably reached the total with seven balls to left  with Warne taking the only wicket to fall, Alex Doolan made 30. Then Marlon Samuels came to the crease and almost immediately there was a argument with Warne.

Warne, who declined Samuels' offer, is likely to be censured for his actions as may Samuels, who later top-edged a bouncer from Lasith Malinga into his face, leading to him departure the field retired hurt for 17 runs. Peter Nevill made unbeaten 24  gave Aaron Finch solid support as the Melbourne Renegades romped to victory.

The Melbourne Renegades have extensive their lead at the top of the Big Bash League and are now sure a place in the top four. To reach the top four, the Melbourne Stars must beat the winless Sydney Thunder, albeit without internationals Lasith Malinga, David Hussey, Clint Mckay and Glenn Maxwell .

Adelaide Strikers beat Hobart Hurricanes by 38 runs

A brilliant of a catch from Adelaide Strikers' Kane Richardson leads  his team  to a convincing 38 runs  victory  over Hobart Hurricanes at Blundstone Arena.

 163 runs  to win, the Hobart Hurricanes fell apart once key men Ricky Ponting (26 off 25) and Tim Paine (33 off 31) departed, concluding at 8 for 124 runs on Saturday.

Richardson's stunning effort gave young legspinner Cameron Boyce 3 for 17  his 3rd  wicket after he'd already dismissed  key players  Ponting and Paine. The win keeps the Adelaide Strikers in the hunt for the finals, while Hobart blew a chance to go second on the ladder and all but wrap up a semi final.

Earlier, Adelaide Strikers opener Michael Klinger had guide  his side's 4 for 162 with an unbeaten 71 runs from 61 balls including  eight fours. Michael Klinger put on a partnership of 59 runs  with Callum Ferguson (32 off  23) and 70 runs  with Nathan Reardon (29 off  23).

Brisbane Heat beat Melbourne Stars by 24 runs

The Brisbane Heat wrinkled a Lasith Malinga attack before keeping their Big Bash finals hopes active with a 24 runs  victory over the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba.

The Brisbane Heat  5 for 171 runs ended the Melbourne Stars' four match winning line with a determined comeback on Thursday. Super slinger Lasith Malinga sustained his vicious Big Bash  form with an amazing 3-0 from his first 10 balls to have the home side staring at a sub par total of 140.

Dropped by Warne, his 2nd  upsetting miss in the field, Lynn (26 not out) then helped peel off 17 runs from  the final over by Malinga (3 for 26). Brisbane Heat captain  James Hopes followed his 49 runs with the bat to seal  3 for 28 with the ball in a man of the match performance .

Sri Lankan all rounder Thisara Perera, in his last match for Brisbane, chimed in with 3 for 18 as the visitors were kept to 9 for 147. This  result which moves the Brisbane Heat to 5th  on the table with 3-3 record. The Melbourne Stars was  4-2  remain in 2nd  place on eight points.

Murali,Samuels stars as Melbourne Renegades beat Adelaide Strikers by 48 runs

Marlon Samuels and Muttiah Muralitharan took  three wickets each as Melbourne Renegades beat  Adelaide Strikers by 48 runs in their Big Bash League  match  at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The Melbourne  Renegades took top place  on the ranking as they better their win loss record to 5-1 while the Adelaide Strikers drooping to 3-3. The  controversial  West Indian offspinner Samuels, who previous month had his bowling action questioned by Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann, it was a grand performance under pressure.

Dutch international Tom Cooper hit his highest Big Bash score of 59 runs  from  46 balls to helped  the Melbourne Renegades to a total of 155 for 6. In the chasing, the Adelaide Strikers put themselves under huge pressure after losing 4 for 50 in the first 10 overs  and they were all out for 107 in 18.3 overs.

Tim Ludeman, Callum Ferguson and Nathan Reardon all unsuccessful to reach double figures and opener Michael Klinger made 24 runs. After bowling Reardon in the ninth over, Sri Lankan spin wizard Muralidharan (3 off 18) put his crush on the game by trapping hard hitting West Indian import Kieron Pollard and Theo Doropoulos lbw for ducks in consecutive deliveries in the 11th over as the Strikers slumped to 6 for 51 runs.

Marlon Samuels take 3 for 16 runs  removed Johan Botha for 31 and Kane Richardson (0) in successive deliveries in the 18th over. Michael Neser was not out  on 29 runs. Asked  to bat first, the Melbourne Renegades had been under pressure at 5 for 112 runs  before Tom Cooper and Will Sheridan (15 not out) added 43 off the final 27 deliveries of the innings. Earlier, Ben Rohrer’s 35  added 46 for the 4th  wicket with Cooper.

John Botha (1-17) bowled four tight overs while fellow spinner Brad Young claimed 2 for 37 and left-arm quick Gary Putland (0 for 21 off three overs) conceded 15 from the 19th over of the innings. Marlon Samuels made 16 runs and the tournament's top  run scorer Aaron Finch scored 13 both fell cheaply as Young and Botha made early on breakthroughs for the Adelaide Strikers. The semi-finals will be  on January 15 and 16.

Hurricanes beat Scorchers by six wickets

The Hurricanes have leaped into 3rd  position on the Big Bash League ranking following a convincing six wickets  win over Perth Scorchers on Tuesday. Hobart  Hurricanes could not have started 2013 in better fashion, 1st  restricting Perth to 152 for 8  from their 20 overs before chasing down the runs with nine balls to spare.

Tim Paine (74) and Ricky Ponting (34) were particularly imposing in the Hobart Hurricanes' chase after Simon Katich (66) had turned back the clock in scorching fashion in front of 12,110 audience at Blundstone Arena. Brad Hogg take 3 for 17 did his best to overturn the Hobart chase, mystifying the home batsmen and momentarily threatening to get his side across the line as the Hurricanes tightened up late on.

After winning the toss and elected to bat, experienced  left hander Katich did his best to boost the Perh Scorchers towards a defendable target, swatting five boundaries and four sixes in his 41-ball innings. Doug Bollinger had improved from a 1st ball Shaun Marsh four to bowl a tight opening spell and had his man in the fourth over when Marsh played on to send the Perth Scorchers faltering to 2-11, Herschelle Gibbs having fallen for a duck in the opening over.

Katich came in to join Marcus North (27) and this  pair added 69 runs from just 52 balls to bring the Perth Scorchers back into the contest. Xavier Doherty ‘s 1-20  had opened with a rare wicket maiden, setting the scene for the home side and helping them to a neat start that saw Perth manage just 2-36 from the power play.

Ben Laughlin claimed 3 for 19 runs was clearly the pick of the Hobart bowlers, delivering his full array of slower balls and variations to good outcome. 

Shaun Marsh stars as Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Renegades by 51 runs

Big Bash League 2012-13

Melbourne Renegades Vs Perth Scorchers, WACA, Perth

The  impressive  half century from Shaun Marsh propelled the Perth Scorchers to a greatly needed 51 runs  win over Melbourne Renegades at the WACA ground in Perth.

Shaun Marsh smashed five sixes and three fours in a wonderful 52 off 85 runs, guide  the Perth Scorchers post 3 for 187 in their 20 overs  after being sent into bat.

The Melbourne Renegades, who entered the clash unbeatable through four matches, struggled early after losing skipper Aaron Finch (8) with just 14 runs on the board.

They were ultimately dismissed for 136 runs with Ben Rohrer top scoring with 52 runs  from 33 balls.

This win moves the Perth Scorchers to a 3-2 record after five matches to keep their play-offs hopes alive.

Brad Hodge stars as Melbourne Stars beat Adelaide Strikers by eight runs

Big Bash League 2012-13

Adelaide Strikers Vs Melbourne Stars

Brad Hodge's 88 off 58 balls helped Melbourne Stars to beat Adelaide Strikers by 8 runs in the Big Bash League T20 Match at Adelaide on Thursday.

Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat first. Melbourne Stars made solid platform for his side. Brad Hodge made 88 runs with 10 fours and 3 sixes. other Opening batsman scored 22 runs from 12 balls. Melbourne Stars finished their innings with 175 for 8 in 20 overs. Shaun Tait take 36 for 2.

In the chasing, Tim Ludeman(30) and Callum Ferguso (35) helped chase the target but cannot take this momentum for Long time. Kieron Pollard smashed 65 from 43 with 5 fours and four sixes helped some hopes for win but Melbourne Stars vital bread through helped to restrict home side. James Faulkner claimed 2 for 32 runs. Adelaide ended their innings with 167 for 4 in 20 overs. Brad Hodge named for the Man of the Match award.