Aussie star Mitch Marsh has broken his BBL run drought in epic fashion to lead the Scorchers to a 40-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday night.
Marsh was on from the opening ball as he sent Hurricanes star Chris Jordan for six, and the power hitting just carried on from there at Ninja Stadium.
Despite reaching double figures (16) just once in his past four matches, Marsh found form in a hurry as he brought up his century off just 55 deliveries.
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“It’s just been raining boundaries,” David Warner praised on Fox Cricket.
“It’s almost like he’s playing Shane Warne 99 at the moment!
“Everything has hit the middle and is going in the gaps.”
“If you had 15 fielders out, it wouldn’t matter at the moment,” Aussie great Mark Waugh added.
Marsh SMASHES a 6 off the very 1st ball | 00:36
Together with Aaron Hardie (94* off 43 balls), the duo piled on an historic 164-run third wicket stand to lead Perth to a stunning 3-229.
While Marsh fell for 102 with just five balls to play, the damage had been done as the Scorchers brought up their third 200+ score of this BBL summer.
And in reply, the Hurricanes just couldn’t get going.
Last year’s grand final hero Mitch Owen (4) was first to depart as wickets continued to tumble.
When Hardie’s brilliance carried over to the ball by bowling Ben McDermott, the Hurricanes were in deep trouble at 4-70.
Nikhil Chaudhary (31 off 15) and Matt Wade (29 off 14) led a mini recovery mission by piling on the pain in their two-over power surge.
Wade even got his own reprieve when bowled by Mahli Beardman off a big no ball.
But his joy was short lived when he couldn’t clear the rope and picked out Cooper Connolly in the 14th over.
And it summed up a tough night for Wade, who dropped two catches behind the stumps – including Marsh when he was on 18.
Hobart finished their 20 overs at 9-189.
Perth’s win ensures Hobart’s incredible nine-match streak at Ninja Stadium is over, and cements the Scorchers one game clear in third place.
WADE LAMENTS CRUCIAL DROP
Hobart veteran Matt Wade would be lamenting his early drop of centurion Mitch Marsh – the second missed chance of the match behind the stumps for Wade.
Marsh was on 18 when he got the leading edge.
A diving Wade couldn’t reel in the catch – despite getting a glove to it, and to add insult to injury, the Perth star got four.
“You’ve got to catch that,” Mark Waugh said of the dropped chance.
“Leading edge … Just late on it.
“You’ve got to catch them at this level.”
OWEN’S SLUMP CONTINUES
He was the breakout star of last season, including an infamous 108 off 42 balls in the final to guide the Hurricanes to their first title.
But Hurricanes opener Mitch Owen now has to fight his way out of a funk after he was dismissed cheaply again. After he holed out to mid-on for just four, Owen has made 28 runs in five knocks since a quickfire 32 to start the campaign against the Thunder.
It came on the day he was left out of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad after a promising tour of the West Indies in the shortest format.
No one had a clue he would open before last season – now teams have had months to formulate game plans against him.
He’s talented enough to eventually find a way.
HURRICANES’ RECORD RUN AT HOBART ENDS
Before Thursday night the Hurricanes had not only won their past nine games at home, but hadn’t tasted defeat when batting second in another nine-match stretch.
Perth’s huge total was always going to put those landmarks under the blowtorch and once big-hitter Owen departed, it always seemed a bridge too far with the injured Tim David also sidelined.
-With Newswire
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SQUADS
Hurricanes: Rehan Ahmed, Hugo Burdon, Nikhil Chaudhary, Nathan Ellis (c), Rishad Hossain, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Mac Wright
In: Charlie Wakim. Out: Beau Webster (Ashes Squad).
Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Laurie Evans, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Bryce Jackson, Mitch Marsh, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, Ashton Turner (c)
In: Bryce Jackson. Out: Josh Inglis (Ashes Squad).