A JAW-DROPPING display of power hitting from Perth Scorchers batsman Nick Hobson ended the unbeaten BBL|14 run of reigning champions Brisbane Heat that also featured a comprehensive bowling performance from the home side. The Scorchers smashed their way to 6-165 from their innings which included 2-59 in the last four overs, before bowling out the Heat for 132 in the final over.

The visitors won the bat flip and elected to bowl, which looked to be an inspired choice when keeping the mid-table Scorchers to just 1-18, as Spencer Johnson bowled a pearler for Mitchell Swepson to catch Finn Allen at backward point on the fifth ball of the innings.

Cooper Connolly came into the attack and he tried his best with a second over boundary, but ultimately by the time the Power Play was over, he and Matty Hurst were still finding their feet at just over four runs per over. That trend continued for the first seven overs, as Swepson stepped into the bowling attack and joined Matt Kuhnemann in being stringent with conceding runs.

At 1-38 from seven overs, the Scorchers needed to find a spark, and that came through Hurst’s massive six in the second run of the next over. The batting partnership went to another level against Nathan McSweeney, smashing two boundaries and one over the fence before McSweeney took the vital wicket of Hurst for 28.

Connolly continued to dig deep alongside new partner Aaron Hardie, but through a mediocre Power Surge (1-16), the run rate needed improvement. Johnson took Connolly’s wicket in the 15th over, and then Kuhnemann dismissed Hardie, both of whom went at a run a ball.

By the end of the 16th over, the Scorchers were struggling at just 4-106. Enter Hobson. The number six joined Ashton Turner in smashing 2-59 across the last four overs, hitting an unbeaten 47 in just 16 balls including a jaw-dropping five sixes and two boundaries to steer the Scorchers to a far more competitive score of 6-165.

The reigning champions went in to bat and like the Scorchers before them, found the going tough earlier. Going at an almost identical run rate, the Heat had already lost Tom Banton (seven runs off six balls) and Jimmy Peirson (one off seven) by the last ball of the Power Play. When Colin Munro fell two balls later for just six runs, the Heat were 3-22.

Not only were the wickets falling, but the runs were not ticking over, and by the end of the sixth, Brisbane was 3-30. McSweeney and Matt Renshaw decided to take matters into their own hands, combining for 19 runs in the seventh over, including back-to-back sixes from the latter. A third six from Renshaw just a few balls later and the run rate had lifted from 5.0 to 7.38 in the space of two overs.

Just when the Heat were getting back on track, the pressure of runs got to the pair and McSweeney was run out off a direct fielder’s effort from Finn Allen. Andrew Tye got his man in Renshaw a couple of overs later with the power hitting batsmen ending his streak on 36 off 24. When Paul Walter fell to Jason Behrendorff in the 12th over – the second over of the Power Surge – the situation was dire for the Heat.

They finished the Power Surge on 4-68, still behind the Scorchers’ run rate and with four less wickets in hand. A spirited Max Bryant attempted to give a last hurrah for the visitors, smashing his way to 35 off 20, but when Behrendorff also forced a miss-hit straight to Hobson, it was game over. The Scorchers wrapped up the rest of the tail in the next few overs, bowling out the Heat for just 132.

SCORECARD

RESULT: Scorchers won by 33 runs
POTM: Nick Hobson (Perth Scorchers)
BAT FLIP: Heat won and elected to bowl

Perth Scorchers 6-165 (20)
Nick Hobson 47* (16), Cooper Connolly 37 (37)
Spencer Johnson 4-20 (4), Matt Kuhnemann 1-27 (4)

Brisbane Heat 132 (19.4)
Matthew Renshaw 36 (24) Max Bryant 35 (20)
Andrew Tye 2-23 (3), Jason Behrendorff 2-32 (4), Matthew Kelly 2-33 (4)

INNINGS BREAKDOWN:

Power Play (1-4):
Scorchers: 1-18
Heat: 2-22

Halfway (10):
Scorchers: 2-68
Heat: 4-68

Power Surge:
Scorchers: (14-15): 2-83 to 3-99 (1-16)
Heat: (11-12): 4-68 to 6-84 (2-16)

Totals:
Scorchers: 6-165 (20)
Heat: 132 (19.4)

SQUADS

Perth Scorchers: Ashton Turner (c), Ashton Agar, Finn Allen, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Matthew Hurst, Matt Kelly, Lance Morris, Andrew Tye

Brisbane Heat: Colin Munro (c), Tom Banton (England), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Paul Walter