Brisbane Heat seal drought-breaking BBL title at the SCG
One of the best pieces of fielding you will ever see has helped the Brisbane Heat snap a painful 11-year Big Bash drought.
A Michael Neser moment of genius has put the cherry on top as the Brisbane Heat snapped a long, painful 11-year BBL title drought on Wednesday night.
Coming in under pressure after the minor premier’s lost their opening final and had to take the hard route to the decider away from home, the Heat stood up when it mattered most, dominating the decider in a 54-run victory.
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Sent in to bat, the visitors put 166 runs on the board on a slow, difficult batting wicket at the SCG, with Josh Brown leading the way with 53 from 38 balls.
The Sixers never got going in reply, losing regular wickets and managing a top partnership of just 31 as they were knocked over for a disappointing 112.
From the moment it emerged Sixers skipper Moises Henriques was suffering from covid before the match, nothing seemed to go right for the hosts, other than winning the toss.
But the Heat would have batted first anyway and they proved worth winners of a first BBL title since way back in the second ever edition in 2013.
It was a sublime performance from the Heat who never let the Sixers into the match.
But Neser put the cherry on top of the win, when he assisted in the wicket of Sean Abbott.
With the game all but over, Abbott was swinging for the fences.
After hitting a four and a six, he wasn’t able to land another blow, with the ball landing in the hands of Neser near the boundary.
The Heat all-rounder had everyone at the SCG glued to the big screen when he slid back to take a catch and then contorted his body like a gymnast to avoid the rope before he flicked the ball to teammate Paul Walter to send Abbott on his way.
Although he doesn’t get the credit as it goes down c: Paul Walter b: Xavier Bartlett in the scorebook, it will forever be Neser’s highlight.
“I was pretty certain I hadn’t touched the rope,” Neser said post-match.
“I knew I was close when I caught the ball and then I looked down and I was like ‘bugger, I was closer than I thought’.
“Luckily Tall Paul (Walter) is about seven foot so I saw him out the corner of my eye so I gave him a little footy flick and sure enough it got to him.”
10.50pm AEDT - In-form quick named man of the match
Spencer Johnson took 3/20 to help the Heat overcome Adelaide and reach the Big Bash final.
The tall quick took his game to an even higher level on Wednesday at the SCG, finishing with 4/26 from his four overs to take out worthy player of the match honours.
He was emotional after the match, stating the club had helped changed his life, and Johnson is desperate to add to his one ODI and two T20 matches for Australia.
The 28-year-old appears to be in career-best form.
“It was an inspired spell from Spencer Johnson,” Brad Haddin said on Fox Cricket.
10.35pm AEDT - Heat are the champions!
Michael Neser has a knack for the ridiculous on the cricket field at times and he was at it again to help the Heat secure the title.
Sean Abbott was starting to hit the ball to all parts of the ground and it looked like he might have another boundary heading towards the rope.
Enter Neser, who caught the ball on the full and then managed to flick it to teammate Xavier Bartlett just before he crossed the rope in a moment of magic.
The retiring Steve O’Keefe was then last man out as the Sixers were knocked over for just 112 in reply to Brisbane’s 8/166.
Congrats to the Heat on just their second ever BBL title.
Best catch everðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†ðŸ†
— Crony Capitalism (@stormbreezer__) January 24, 2024
@HeatBBL, you are Big Bash Champions! 🔥 #BBL13pic.twitter.com/J6LJ1udzit
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2024
10.15pm AEDT - Fans start to turn on the Sixers
It doesn’t matter how good a season a team has had, if they don’t go all the way and win the title, fans can turn.
Nowhere is that more evident usually than in Sydney, a city which hosts some of the most fickle sports fans in the country.
Sydneysiders love a winner and if you’re not winning, many of those fans will find something else to do or, worse, vent their frustration on social media.
“Sixers look like a park cricket side tonight,” one wrote on X. “Absolutely terrible.”
“Is the tennis on?” asked another succinctly.
Many others also noted that Sixers fans, who had made up the bulk of the excellent 43,153-strong crowd, were making their way to the exits.
For the record, the Sixers are 8/98 and needing 69 runs from 23 balls.
Where are all these Sydney Sixers fans going? #BBL13pic.twitter.com/MK9xUKJMsk
— Oscar Green (@oscardjgreen) January 24, 2024
6'ers look like a park cricket side tonight. Absolutely terrible. #BBL13
— LachlanB_ ðŸŒâœˆï¸ðŸˆðŸâ¤ï¸ðŸ’™ (@LachlanB_) January 24, 2024
9.55pm AEDT - Not looking good for the home side
The Sixers shocked Brisbane at home in this year’s opening final and it’s looking increasingly likely the Heat will repay the favour when it matters most.
Through 10 overs, the Sydneysiders had already lost four wickets for just 60 runs, leaving them chasing the game and running out of men.
Skipper Moises Henriques loomed as the key, while youngster Joel Davies had joined him at the crease.
Tremendous seasonthis for BRISBANE HEAT . Congratulations champions. You made this season memorable. #BBL13
— AGK (@itzme_av) January 24, 2024
Heats deserve the trophy 🆠#BBL13
— Aziz Mengal MD (@azez_nawab) January 24, 2024
Silk now goes for a duck! 🦆
— PointsBet (@pointsbetcomau) January 24, 2024
The Heat might just have one hand on the trophy … #BBL13
But it wasn’t to be for the captain, dismissed for 25 from 27 balls in another hammer blow to the hosts.
The Heat look in the box seat to win just their second ever BBL title and first in more than a decade, with their one triumph coming in 2013.
There is time for the Sixers to turn it around if they can accelerate the scoring.
But fans seem to believe the match is already over, judging by those tweets, and at 5/73 from 12 overs it’s hard to argue with them.
9.35pm AEDT - Covid-ridden skipper at the crease
Jack Edwards fell for 16 in the fourth over, reducing the hosts to 2/34 chasing 167 for victory.
That brought Sixers skipper Moises Henriques to the crease, the man who revealed pre-match he had been diagnosed with covid after their opening final victory over the Heat five days ago.
The vastly experienced Henriques, who said he’s “started to feel better” the last few days, will be desperate to form a partnership with Josh Philippe and have a long stay at the crease to drag his side back into the game.
9.10pm AEDT - Early trouble for the home side
It’s a challenging run chase for the Sixers, needing 167 to win, but it’s not insurmountable with some sensible batting.
So 105-match veteran Dan Hughes getting out for one off his second ball, caught at slip by Matt Renshaw from a rising Michael Neser delivery outside off stump, is not what the doctor ordered.
The dangerous Josh Philippe is at the crease now alongside Jack Edwards, with the magenta boys badly needing a partnership to get into this final, sitting on 1/21 from 3 overs.
8.45pm AEDT – Fans vent on the state of the pitch
Pitches have been a hot topic in the BBL, including Ricky Ponting’s hammering of the Sydney Showgrounds pitch for a recent Thunder match.
Fans believe the SCG track is just about as bad as the Heat struggle to increase the scoring rate at the hallowed ground.
After being sent in to bat, the visitors have reached 3/134 from 17 overs and the state of the pitch is being highlighted by some on social media.
One fan didn’t mince words.
“Josh Brown has again made the pitch look a lot better than it is,” they wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ”It’s a s**t heap. Poor spectacle for a final.”
At the end of their 20 overs, the Heat made 8/166, with Test squad member Matt Renshaw adding 40 after Josh Brown earlier made 53.
Afterwards, Brown didn’t do much to dispute the pitch criticism.
“It was probably a bit like the Gold Coast wicket, but a little bit worse. Little bit lower, little bit slower,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s enough (runs).”
Obviously not a batters paradise out there, but the Heat should be another 20 runs ahead of where they are based on their start. #BBL13
— AFHell - A bankrupt VFL in disguise (@AF_Hell) January 24, 2024
Over 160 should be an easy win for Heats. The pitch is dreadful. #BBL13
— S (@captrocin) January 24, 2024
8.20pm AEDT – SOK bows out as wickets fall
Stephen O’Keefe is a beloved member of the Sixers who is retiring after this match.
With 98 BBL wickets to his name heading into the final, it was hoped he might get the two scalps he needed to reach the ton.
It wasn’t quite to be, but O’Keefe did get the huge wicket of Josh Brown for 53, reviewing an lbw decision to get his man.
Steve O’Keefe 🫡 goodbye #BBL13
— Aussies ArmyðŸðŸ¦˜ (@AussiesArmy) January 24, 2024
pic.twitter.com/FBzSq8GWmY
The 39-year-old O’Keefe, known as “SOK” due to his initials, finished with 1/26 from his four overs to end his BBL career on 99 wickets.
Prior to Brown’s dismissal, Ben Dwarshuis removed Heat skipper Nathan McSweeney to break an 85-run partnership for the visitors.
After 14 overs, the match is nicely poised with the Heat sitting on 3/103.
8pm AEDT – The Bison is starting to warm-up
Josh Brown has taken a while to get going, but the man known as the Bison is starting to up the pace at the SCG.
The batter who scored a 41-ball ton on Monday, the second fastest century in BBL history, and also smashed the competition’s highest ever finals score of 140 is at it again.
Brown has hit three sixes and has brought up his half-century from 32 deliveries.
“Two sixes in a row. Now he’s rolling the big man,” Mark Howard said on Fox Cricket.
After being sent in to bat, the Queenslanders are 1/90 in the 12th over.
7.35pm AEDT – “We have lift off”
It’s taken a while for the Heat innings to get going, but the in-form Josh Brown just smashed the first six of the final.
Timing a ball from Hayden Kerr to perfection, Brown’s effortless clip flew six rows back over square leg at the SCG.
“Here we go, we have lift off,” Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
After five overs, the Heat have moved to 1/30 as the run rate improves.
7.15pm AEDT – First ball has finally been bowled
That preview was long, even for a final. Blessedly, the first ball has finally been bowled.
All eyes are on Josh Brown first up, the man who smashed an incredibly 140 from 57 balls in the Heat’s win over the Strikers on Monday.
The Heat are living dangerously so far, Brown getting a jittery thick edge to his first delivery that landed safely before a diving Hayden Kerr got a hand to a Jimmy Peirson drive at gully that went to the boundary.
Peirson was trying to smash every ball and he came unstuck, getting an edge to a wide Sean Abbott delivery as the Heat ended the first over 1/5.
6.50pm AEDT – Probably the worst bat flip ever
After Moises Henriques’ positive covid test (see below), Sixers vice-captain Daniel Hughes stood in for the pre-match bat flip to decide who would bat first.
What should be a straightforward procedure became a bit of a mess.
The unfortunate flipper, KFC franchisee Russell Raymond, awkwardly threw up the bat and it nearly landed on his own head.
Despite being called on the flat side, Raymond quickly had another attempt and luckily controversy was avoided as it again fell on the flat side.
The Sixers opted to bowl and Heat skipper Nathan McSweeney admitted he wanted to bat.
“We’ve seen a few wayward bat flips in our time," Fox Cricket host Megan Barnard said. “Should we have another look at this one from a moment ago? It wasn’t pretty.”
That’s got to be the biggest fail of a bat flip! 😂 #BBL13
— Max Hatzoglou (@MHatzoglou) January 24, 2024
That’s has to be one of the worse flips I’ve seen. Surely you practice before the real thing???
— Chris H (@chewie5) January 24, 2024
Former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was quickly in on the fun.
“The first thing we need is a concussion test,” he said. “He was lucky enough he didn’t take both captains out.
“But the result didn’t matter in the end. They got what they wanted to do.
“But there’s a concussion test needed now.”
6pm – Huge news right before the match starts
Following the news that Test players Travis Head and Cam Green had tested positive to Covid, now it has emerged Sixers skipper Moises Henriques has too.
“I got tested at the end of the last game, tested positive, but I’ve started to feel better the last couple of days,” Henriques told Fox Cricket.
“Just in terms of the changeroom, I’ve got a separate changeroom from the rest of the team.
“Hopefully our boys get through tonight OK and I haven’t infected any of the team or the staff in the last couple of days.”
Even though the skipper would need to be isolated from his teammates, Adam Gilchrist said he didn’t think it would affect them greatly.
“It all depends on how crook he is, if it’s really affecting him physically,” Gilchrist said.
“As far as all the protocols and being separated from the team, kept to himself, I think the players these days are used to that.
“It’s not a shock as it was say two years ago. I wouldn’t think, unless he’s feeling rubbish, I don’t think it’ll affect him too much.”
If the Sixers do win the match, it will be curious to see how Henriques and the team celebrate on the podium.
5.30pm AEDT – Attention focused on one key figure at the SCG
Plenty of the pre-match focus will, of course, be on Josh Brown’s mum, Kris.
During the Heat’s challenger final win over Adelaide, Kris Brown shot to fame as she was interviewed in the crowd watching her son go nuts with the willow.
It soon emerged Kris Brown would need a day off from her employer Coles to watch Josh in the final.
It’s understood that was granted and she has been flown to Sydney by Fox Cricket.
Told her son had hit the highest score ever in a BBL final on Monday, Kris replied: “Really? Oh my goodness, that’s amazing, that’s amazing.
“Wow. All those training sessions … I’m speechless, seriously. He’s an amazing, amazing man.”
How can you not love that?
Oh and there will also be some interest in her son, who smashed a tournament record 12 sixes in that extraordinary knock on Monday.
The man who doesn’t have a state contract and supplements his income by working with a bat maker, hit the second-fastest ton in BBL history, from 41 deliveries, just two more than Craig Simmons managed for the Scorchers 10 years ago.
5.15pm – Heat get a quick shot at revenge
The Queenslanders had been the form side all season, but suffered some blips at the worst possible time.
Having threatened to run the table undefeated, the Heat lost their last regular season match to the Scorchers before dropping that qualifying final to the Sixers.
But that dominant 54-run win over Adelaide at the Gabba gave the Brisbane side a swift shot at payback against the Sydneysiders.
While Brown stole the headlines with his batting fireworks, left-arm quick Spencer Johnson also led the way with the ball, finishing with 3-20 from his four overs as the Strikers were dismissed for just 160.
5pm AEDT – Heat star could back up against the Windies
First Travis Head and then Cameron Green tested positive to Covid in the last week ahead of Australia’s second Test against the West Indies at the Gabba starting on Thursday.
Head is expected to play, while Green’s symptoms will be monitored before a final call is made on him lining up.
That leaves the small possibility that Matt Renshaw, the next batter in waiting to break into the Test side, could be backing up at the Gabba following the BBL final.
Renshaw will bat at No. 4 at the SCG and then could be in the same position for a Test recall so if the Heat win, his celebrations will have to be cut pretty short we expect.
If Cam Green wakes up feeling too dodgy to play tomorrow morning, Matt Renshaw could complete the rare feat of playing in a BBL final followed by a Test match the next day.
— Ed Bourke (@edbourke6) January 24, 2024
Renshaw hasn't been called back to Brisbane and is set to play at the SCG tonight. https://t.co/nZZEx8gSra
4.45pm – When is the BBL final Sixers vs. Heat?
The big match gets underway with the first delivery at 7.15pm AEDT, with the all-important bat flip slated for 6.30pm at the SCG.
You can watch the Big Bash final on Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports or Channel 7.
Moises Henriques is captaining the home side, while popular veteran Stephen O’Keefe is playing his final match in magenta before retiring.
Brisbane is led by Nathan McSweeney, with Matt Renshaw back in the squad and power hitter Josh Brown hoping to replicate his matchwinning 140 from just 57 deliveries against the Strikers on Monday night.
Big Bash final squads:
Sixers: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk
Heat: Nathan McSweeney (c), Xavier Bartlett, Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Jordan Buckingham, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Paul Walter (England), Charlie Wakim, Jack Wildermuth
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