Perth Scorchers knocked out of Big Bash finals with woeful batting performance against Adelaide Strikers

Perth Scorchers’ three-peat dream is over.

The powerhouse’s reign over the Big Bash League will officially end on Wednesday night, a 51-run loss to Adelaide Strikers booting them from finals at the first hurdle.

Adelaide charged into finals on the strength of their spinners and will stay there after strangling the Scorchers’ skinny middle-order to defend just 7-155 at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

The Scorchers were rolled for 105.

Perth lost four of their last six games in a heart-breaking finish to the most dominant era the tournament has ever seen, while the Strikers’ resurgence now takes them to Gold Coast to face Brisbane Heat.

Camera IconPerth Scorchers’ three-peat dream is over. Coming in as underdogs, the Adelaide Strikers demolished the reigning premiers by 50 runs to leave the Optus Stadium crowd stunned. Credit: Daniel Carson/Getty Images

“Early reflections are that we didn’t play our best, we had the men for the job, I just don’t think we played our best cricket, especially in the past couple of games,” captain Aaron Hardie said.

As they won the toss and bowled, there was a strong feeling early Scorchers wickets would shape the contest. Hardie took the new ball, but Jason Behrendorff took the break-through when D’Arcy Short feathered a ball onto his thigh-pad, which ballooned back to the bowler.

One Short down, one to go — and it didn’t take long. The tournament’s best player went moments after steering his team through the power-play.

It took one of Andrew Tye’s best tricks. The crafty seamer’s first delivery of the night floated like a slower-ball and swung violently to light up Short’s stumps for just 13. The openers combined for 19.

The Scorchers put the squeeze on, hooking Ashton Agar after one over which went for 11 and sneaking Cooper Connolly into the attack.

Camera IconCooper Connolly. Credit: Daniel Carson/Getty Images

The hero of their most recent final took their next wicket when Tom Kelly sliced him to point in an over which went for just one.

Adelaide’s slim batting lineup was exposed completely when wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen — batting at five — made an error in taking on Hardie’s rocket arm.

The floodgates were reopened as Lance Morris continued to drop balls short and Agar returned for an over where Jake Weatherald pounded two sixes and added to the star spinner’s miserable record at their home ground.

With his team’s hopes firmly on his bat, Weatherald passed 50 off just 30 balls with four boundaries. But his stand with a risk he didn’t need to take; bowled while attempting to switch-hit Hardie.

James Bazley crunched a four and then was caught behind, leaving Henry Thornton and Ben Manenti to tackle a power-surge they couldn’t muster a boundary off.

Haunting West Australian teams for the third time this summer, Manenti climbed to 23 off 20 and Thornton, who carved Morris behind point and took Behrendorff back over his head for a maximum, finished unbeaten on 28. His late-hitting cameo with David Payne got them to 7-155.

Debutant Fanning was handed a shock debut and proved a surprise tonic to Perth’s opening woes. He was off the mark after his first ball, took on a short fine-leg with an audacious early ramp and then, taking a liking to Payne, pasted him once over long-on and then over cow corner for two sixes in an over.

Camera IconSam Fanning had a nice cameo on debut. Credit: Daniel Carson/Getty Images

The restrictions ended with the Scorchers’ revamped opening pair on 33 and Fanning with 31 of them.

He didn’t score again before holing out at deep mid-wicket off Thornton. It started a flurry of wickets that had the Scorchers reeling and only marginally better placed than Adelaide at the same stage.

Marcus Harris’ first innings in orange for eight years ended on eight when he sliced a ball to point and Aaron Hardie — sliding back to No.4 — was bowled taking on the dangerous Lloyd Pope.

The Strikers backed in the spin to win mantra that catapulted them into the finals. By the 11th over, four different spin options had bowled eight overs between them. Leggies Pope and Cameron Boyce dragged them back into the contest.

And it was Boyce’s turn to reap rewards. A ball out the front of the hand slid on and bowled Inglis. It put them on top for the first time all night.

Camera IconBoyce celebrates. Credit: Daniel Carson/Getty Images

Nick Hobson spent just 10 balls with a grafting Connolly — a fleeting throwback to last year’s miracle final run chase — before Short ducked around the non-striker and dived hard to his left to take a one-handed caught-and-bowled hanger. One more act to drag his team deeper into a season that may have ended well before finals if not for him.

Seeking relief from the turn, an early power-surge brought a quick end to Agar’s night, before Connolly and Tye took a cavalier 13 off Short’s second set.

Connolly turned down a Tye single to take on Pope head on, then clattered him deep into the stands over long-on off his first-ball.

Pope’s wrong-un got the better of Tye and an identical ball removed Behrendorff. Connolly launched one more six over mid-wicket before athletic work from Bazley, deflecting the ball back into play and completing the catch that sealed their deal.

Eight of their wickets were taken by spinners.

Hardie admitted they had planned for the Strikers to pick a spin-heavy side.

“You never come into a game expecting to lose wickets like that,” he said.

“Credit to them, they backed their leggies in and it worked for them tonight.”