Scorchers in BBL GF with victory over Sixers

Previously, Steve Smith couldn’t make the most of a golden reprieve, but Moises Henriques was able to make money as the Sixers bounced back from a shaky start and made a respectable total.

Scorchers all-rounder Aaron Hardie dropped an easy chance down the middle when Smith was just 12.

The former Test captain entered the game after posting scores of 36, 101, 125 not out and 66 in his last four innings, and Hardie would have feared his dropped catch would cost the Scorchers dearly.

But England paceman David Payne, who was nearly out due to illness, sent Smith out for 18 with a spectacular dive catch from his own bowling.

Under normal circumstances, Payne would have been bullied by his Scorchers teammates due to the importance of the wicket and the scintillating nature of the catch.

But with Payne battling the disease ahead of the game and being quarantined from the rest of the group, congratulations were limited to an elbow-to-elbow touch.

Another error by the Scorchers in the field came back to haunt them.

This time, AJ Tye was the culprit, with the cult hero dropping an easy chance at the reverse point when Henriques was on 18.

Henriques hit 58 balls from 43 and combined well with Jordan Silk (47 not from 34 balls) to help the Sixers bounce back from a shaky start and set a respectable total.

Payne finished with numbers 3-33 from his four overs, including key scalps from Smith and Henriques.

Jason Behrendorff scored 2-17 from his four overs in an outstanding performance.

Turner praised Payne’s efforts to play through his illness.

“He’s had a pretty rough day,” Turner said.

“Sometimes when you’re a crook, getting out of bed can be a challenge.

“But once the big lights are on and 41,000 people cheer for us and the adrenaline is pumping, tonight we could see he performs as we’ve come to expect from him.

“He was such a valuable addition to our squad. Luckily he now has a few days to rest.”

AAP