BBL title hat-trick the next challenge for Scorchers

Perth Scorchers captain Ashton Turner says his team will embrace being the “hunted” as they attempt to become the first team in BBL history to win a hat-trick of titles.

The Scorchers successfully defended their title on Saturday night when they beat the Brisbane Heat by five wickets in front of a sellout crowd of 53,886 fans at Optus Stadium.

The triumph took the Scorchers’ title tally to five – two more than their nearest rivals the Sydney Sixers.

The Sixers came close to winning a hat-trick of titles last season, only to be beaten by Perth in the decider.

Now it’s the Scorchers who will have the chance to snare an elusive hat-trick, but Turner knows his team will face plenty of challenges next season.

“There will be more competition – we know that having been at the pinnacle of this competition for a couple of years,” Turner said.

“We will be the hunted and that’s OK. We’ll embrace that tag and we’ve got a lot of confidence in the depth of our squad.

“We’re elite athletes and competitive by nature whether we’re playing club cricket, backyard cricket or representing our country or our BBL franchise.

“We want to win, so naturally when BBL 13 comes along we will be well planned, prepared and excited.”

Last season’s title success remains the most famous of the lot for the Scorchers, given they were forced to play all but one game on the road due to the WA border being closed due to the pandemic.

But this season’s triumph was also remarkable given the glut of injuries and late pullouts the team endured.

Imports Phil Salt (shoulder), Tymal Mills (family emergency) and Laurie Evans (doping finding) didn’t even make it to the start line.

Former skipper Mitch Marsh (ankle) was ruled out for the entire tournament, while Cameron Green (Test duties/broken finger) also couldn’t notch a match.

Fellow stars Jhye Richardson (hamstring), Lance Morris (international duties) and Ashton Agar (international duties) missed large chunks of the tournament – including the decider.

The Scorchers’ next-man-up mentality helped them overcome each setback, and in the end it was 19-year-old allrounder Cooper Connolly and full-time accountant Nick Hobson who got the team over the line in a thrilling decider.

The unlikely match-winning pairing showcased the Scorchers’ enviable depth.

Turner’s calming influence on the group has played a key part in the team’s success, with his stunning form with the bat helping get them out of trouble on numerous occasions

The 30-year-old ended the tournament with 381 runs at an average of 42.3 and a strike rate of 155.5.

Turner struck 53 off 32 balls to be named man-of-the-match in the final.

It was the second time in as many matches during the finals series that Turner had to dig his team out of a hole.

“It’s not so much a rescue mission as it may look from the outside – it’s I’m doing my job,” a humble Turner said of his match-winning knock.

“I think we’ve seen everyone in our batting order do (well) at some stage and win us games.”