Twitter Reactions: Jhye Richardson seals playoff berth for Perth Scorchers

Some full-of-intent starts around Josh Inglis’ 35-ball 58 took the Perth Scorchers to a winning total of 179 for 8 against the Hobart Hurricanes in the 47th encounter of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21. The Scorchers did not look not as free-flowing as a team that scores 9 runs-an-over looks, however, their batsmen, especially Inglis and the late flourish by Jhye Richardson, ensured that some middle-phase wobble did not restrict them short.

With the ball, Hurricanes’ medium-pacer, Nathan Ellis, had an afternoon to remember as he claimed half of the total wickets that the Scorchers lost. He got the first of his 4 wickets when a dangerous-looking Jason Roy – he hit four fours in his 20 from 12 – missed a straighter delivery to be dismissed LBW.

Combined batting guides Scorchers to 179

His partner, Liam Livingstone, managed to get a start, scoring 26 from 15 with a couple of boundaries and as many sixes, however, a mishit off Sandeep Lamichchane brought him to an end soon after Will Jacks had cleaned up Colin Munro for 5 in the previous over. Having lost two crucial wickets in a space of 5 deliveries, the Scorchers were steadied by a 42-run stand between Josh Inglis and Ashton Turner for the fifth wicket, after the early loss of Mitchell Marsh, who was trapped LBW by Lamichchane.

Though skipper Turner struggled for momentum, hitting a solitary boundary in his 18-ball 15, Inglis assumed the role of the aggressor, ensuring that the runs did not dry. Turner’s knock was ended when he misread D’Arcy Short’s stock leg-spinner as a googly and ended up playing the wrong line to be clean bowled. It was Jhye Richardson’s late acceleration after a small 12-run contribution by Aaron Hardie, which upped the Scorchers’ scoring towards the end.

Richardson (29) slammed three fours and a couple of his sixes in his 14-ball cameo, and even though Ellis trapped him LBW on the penultimate ball of the innings, the damage was pretty much done as Scorchers finished 179.

Richardson-Behrendorff hunt in a pack

Coming to the league after fulfilling his national commitments, Mathew Wade (6 from 6) failed to make his presence felt and lobbed a simple return catch to Richardson, in the opening over Hurricanes’ response. Richardson and Jason Behrendorff hunted in a pack, bagging crucial wickets at crucial time. Richardson, who bagged a four-for, struck in the third over, this time to get the dangerous Ben McDermott for a 5-ball duck. Dancing down the track to loft Richardson’s length ball, McDermott only managed to tower the ball miles up before Turner caught him.

The 11/2 soon slipped to 33/3 as Dawid Malan picked the fielder at cover point off Behrendorff, scoring just 3 from 6. A 44-run alliance from 30 deliveries then unfolded between D’Arcy Short and Peter Handscomb for the fourth wicket. Having hit 5 fours in his 43 from 37, Short was the only batsmen who looked in some control, although Behrendorff thwarted his run through a slower one, which Short deposited straight to the fielder at deep backward square.

Will Jacks and Tim David got off to great starts and gave their team a ray of hope, hitting three sixes each in their knocks of 21 off 15 and 27 off 19 respectively, however, they squandered their starts. Jacks holed out to long-off, giving Livingstone his only wicket, whereas David fell to Richardson in the penultimate over, leading to the end of all hopes for his side, which lost the game eventually by 22 runs.

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