The Perth Scorchers have secured a vital psychological edge ahead of the Big Bash League finals, with pace spearhead Jhye Richardson declaring their second successful run chase of the season will provide a massive confidence boost.
Breaking the Bat Flip Curse
In a winner-takes-first clash against the Melbourne Stars at Optus Stadium on Sunday, the Scorchers finally won a crucial toss. This ended captain Ashton Turner's historically unfortunate run of eight consecutive lost coin flips.
That streak had forced the side to field first in every match since their season-opening win, largely due to a competition-wide preference to bowl. Richardson joked he was as stunned as he was pleased to finally see his side win the bat flip.
"For us to lose eight in a row and still have the results we've had is a real credit to the team," Richardson said.
"Teams want to bowl first, but I think what comes with that is the power we have in our batting line-up, it gives them the freedom to go hard and really put a big score on the board."
He added that the flipside for the bowlers was knowing opposition teams would come hard early, creating extra pressure. "To bowl first tonight, to get an understanding of what the wicket's going to do and how we want to go about our batting innings, I think was really advantageous for us," he said.
Richardson Fires, Allen and Hardie Steer Chase
After winning the toss and bowling, the Scorchers' attack routed the Stars for a modest 130 runs. Richardson was the undisputed star, delivering his best performance of a disjointed season with superb figures of 4-16 from 3.2 overs.
Significantly, the quick consistently operated at speeds around 140km/h for the first time since returning from surgery on his troublesome shoulder. He expressed confidence in returning to near 150km/h in time.
"There's still a process to go through with this shoulder," Richardson explained. "Early on, there was such an emphasis on making sure it was stable... but there's also an element of it that involves trying to create power quickly. Getting up to speed again does take time, but to hit 140 again is a nice feeling."
The chase hit an early wobble, but a match-winning 94-run fourth-wicket partnership between Finn Allen (69 from 39 balls) and Aaron Hardie (41 not out from 37 balls) steadied the ship and guided Perth to a six-wicket victory with balls to spare.
Momentum for the Qualifier
The win secured hosting rights for Tuesday's Qualifier at Optus Stadium, a significant advantage in the BBL finals structure. Richardson was full of praise for the batting duo who sealed the deal.
He lauded Allen for backing up his explosive century against the Melbourne Renegades with a more measured, mature innings. "The power that he creates, it's unmatched. He's a force to be reckoned with, really," Richardson said.
"Finn, he can get out trying to play some big shots, but there were some elements in that innings he really buckled down."
He also credited Hardie's vital supporting role. "I know going at a 110 strike rate in traditionally in T20 cricket is probably frowned upon, but for him to be able to support Finn like that... I think that was equally as good."
With the monkey of the chasing record off their back and key players hitting form at the perfect time, the Scorchers head into their home Qualifier brimming with belief that they can secure another direct path to the BBL Grand Final.
