This is where it gets interesting. Moises Henriques’ Sydney Sixers will lock horns with Ashton Turner’s Perth Scorchers in the final of the Big Bash League 2020-21 season.
The two teams will cross paths for the fourth time in the ongoing campaign and judging by the record, I reckon Sixers will be the outright favourites, having won two of the three encounters, including their recent nine-wicket win in the Qualifier.
Statistics, however, mean little in games like these. While Sixers have been brilliant so far this season, Perth Scorchers thrashed Brisbane Heat in the Challenger to qualify for Saturday’s blockbuster final.
So with that in mind, here I give you two players from each team who I believe might make a difference in the final showdown.
James Vince - Sydney Sixers
James Vince was at his brutal best during the Qualifier against Perth Scorchers, and it was heartbreaking to see him left stranded on 98 during the game. Vince might have hit a rough patch during the mid-season, but I can see him getting back to his best. In the final, I’m expecting him to end the unfinished business with another blistering knock. Only behind Josh Philippe and Alex Hales in the list of top run-getters this season, Vince would want to overcome the tag of being the ‘unluckiest batsman in the world’ in the box-office final.
Ben Dwarshuis - Sydney Sixers
Left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis has shown moments of magic this season. Ben has been Sixers’ highest wicket-taker this season, scalping 21 wickets at an impressive average of 17.42. The 26-year-old has picked at least two wickets in each of his last four BBL games and one can expect a similar performance in the final. Dwarshuis has not only been a fantastic bowler, but his ability to contribute with the bat as a lower-order batsman has also proved to be a handy trait for his team.
Colin Munro - Perth Scorchers
Such was Perth Scorchers’ dominance in the Challenger fixture against Brisbane Heat that Colin Munro was not even required to bat. A game against Sydney Sixers, however, poses a different challenge altogether, and the 33-year-old in his past three outings against them, has scores of 30, 34 and 50. So, if there’s anyone who poses a threat with the bat, it’s the New Zealand opener. Munro has been at his devastating best this BBL season. His last three outings may paint a different picture, but the fact remains that he has registered four half-centuries - three of which came on the trot. So look out for him.
Jason Behrendorff - Perth Scorchers
Jason Behrendorff may have bagged just 16 wickets in 15 games this season, but he has done so at an economy of 6.87. The 30-year-old left-arm pacer surely knows a thing or two about Sydney Sixers, as was evident during Scorchers’ seven-wicket defeat against Sixers, where he bowled at an economy of just 4.75 while picking a wicket. It’s evident that Behrendorff will be Scorchers’ go-to man right after Jhye Richardson in the final given that he comes into the game at the back of a good performance against Brisbane Heat in the Challenger. He ended with the figures of 2/19 in three overs, removing the dangerous Chris Lynn and Joe Denly to put Brisbane on the backfoot and setting the tone for his side.
Feature Image Courtesy: Twitter/ CA
