Melbourne Renegades 161/7 (20/20 ov)
Melbourne Stars 163/3 (19.1/20 ov)
Melbourne Stars won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Forecasts had suggested the Melbourne derby might break the Big Bash League's record attendance (previously 52,633). But in the end, the record was veritably smashed, with 80,883 people watching Luke Wright's masterful century guide the Melbourne Stars to a crucial seven-wicket victory over cross-town rivals the Melbourne Renegades.
Earlier 12,901 people - more than have ever watched a Women's WT20 Final - had seen Renegades Women sneak home against their Stars counterparts. That game was also the first women's fixture to be shown on one of Australia's main TV channels.
Crowd-wise, this was the perfect storm, a warm Saturday evening at a family-friendly time at the back-end of the holiday season. The significance of such a crowds - particularly with regard to the BBL's relationship with Test cricket in Australia - cannot yet be known. What is for certain is the tournament has landed; the MCG is used to filling like this for the AFL's finals series and flagship days, for Ashes Test matches, or for World Cup Cricket.
Wright's innings was brutal, stalking down a Renegades total that always looked light, vindicating David Hussey's decision to invite them to bat first. Chris Gayle - the self-proclaimed biggest draw of the night - never got going; looking to heave John Hastings' second ball, Gayle contrived to find Kevin Pietersen at mid-off.
Aaron Finch shared 49 with Cameron White, but the Renegades continued to lose set batsmen at inconvenient junctures. Finch heaved Ben Hilfenhaus for a leg-side six before miscuing Marcus Stoinis to point. Every time Adam Zampa entered the attack, White seemed to find an extra, utterly brutal gear, launching the legspinner for three sixes between cow corner and long-off. White put on 58 with another former Stars player, Matthew Wade, who the ball over Stoinis' head for a beautiful four. Both batsmen, however, fell in the space of three balls just as the Renegades needed to motor. Wade attempted to ramp Hastings and edged behind, then White sent Michael Beer straight to deep backward square.
Tom Beaton nailed his first ball for a straight six but was gone an over later, caught in the deep on the leg side, then Hastings picked up two wickets in the final over to finish with 4 for 29. Tom Cooper hit a marvellous ramped six, but mistimed a pull to fine leg. An uncomfortable Dwayne Bravo innings ended in comical fashion, his bat flying towards midwicket - for the second time this competition - as he was comprehensively yorked.
Wright looked ravenous from the off. The Renegades bowling looked shy once more, and after a series of hard-run twos to get going, he pulled Nathan Rimmington for four, then bunted him over long-on for six next ball. His opening partner Stoinis was scratchy, and fell to a stunning catch by Wade off Chris Tremain, the wicketkeeper diving full-stretch, one-handed to his right to take a thick edge.
Wright continued on his merry way, briefly joined by Kevin Pietersen, who drove his first ball for a beautiful four but was caught behind playing a half-hearted pull off Cameron Gannon, the pick of the Renegades' bowlers. Wright's first half-century for the Stars in his last 15 innings came after consecutive boundaries - pulled, then straight-driven - off Gannon. Wright is seldom elegant, but is more calculated than he looks, and his strong wrists and brutal bottom-hand make him tough to bowl to when set.
Glenn Maxwell came, shone briefly, then left; a stunning swept six off Xavier Doherty followed by a horrid misjudgement to Bravo, who bowled him through the gate at the end of an over that saw Wright biff him for two more boundaries. Wright stepped up a gear to Doherty's next over. He was dropped by Beaton at long-on on 64, and punished the fielder to the tune of two consecutive sixes straight over his head. In the company of the calm Peter Handscomb, it was a cakewalk, Wright bringing up his century in the penultimate over with a pull over midwicket for six, and finishing the job off the first ball of the last, hitting Gannon down the ground.
The BBL is on the charge and so, thanks to Wright, are the Stars.
Sydney Sixers 112/8 (20/20 ov)
Perth Scorchers 114/1 (14.3/20 ov)
Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 33 balls remaining)
To cap off a momentous day for the BBL, defending champions Perth Scorchers produced their most ruthless performance of the season to dismantle Sydney Sixers in front of a reverberating, sold-out WACA crowd in Perth.
The atmosphere did not quite mimic the astonishing scenes at the MCG, where 80883 spectators attended the Melbourne derby earlier in the day, but 20444 patrons ensured the WACA was once again almost at capacity. Testament to the BBL being the hottest ticket in Perth, the Scorchers became the first team in BBL history to sell out all home matches in the regular season.
The parochial hometown fans, many garbed in superhero attire in a nod to the match's quirky Batman v Superman theme, had a merry time with the Scorchers winning their third consecutive game.
Perhaps buoyed by their rabid fans, the Scorchers completed the type of dominating all-round performance which has long been their trademark. On a pitch offering variable bounce conjured from several notable cracks very much reminiscent of the WACA's golden era, they were disciplined with the ball and energetic in the field. The stingy Scorchers reduced the Sixers to a paltry 8 for 112, then easily chased down the total with nine wickets in hand and 33 balls to spare.
The Scorchers openers Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger continued on from their record-breaking partnership against the Melbourne Renegades and ensured there would be no nervous chase. It appeared the Scorchers were headed for another 10-wicket victory with Klinger and Marsh easily combating the tricky conditions with smart batting. They effectively curbed dangerous Sixers pace bowlers Doug Bollinger and Jackson Bird with shrewd batting but pounced on anything loose.
However, Klinger was unable to bat through, dismissed for 28 in Sean Abbott's first over after a 65-run opening partnership. Marsh continued to remind the national selectors of his sublime talents, with a 54-ball 63 to once again be the Scorchers' superhero.
The lopsided match was a letdown, as there was much anticipation over the re-match of last year's epic final, which saw Scorchers win by one-wicket in arguably the greatest ever BBL clash.
Nic Maddinson, the Sixers captain, won the toss and elected to bat on a tricky pitch, where sharp bounce juxtaposed with deliveries that went low off several menacing cracks. But the lightning outfield ensured runs could be scored quickly.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, their confidence seemed bereft after a demoralising loss on New Year's Eve to the Travis Head-inspired Strikers. The Sixers could not handle the extra bounce engineered by the Scorchers' bevy of talented pacemen, led brilliantly by spearhead Jason Behrendorff (2 for 24) who continued his successful comeback from injury.
Scorchers wisely bowled on a back-of-a length to exploit the conditions and the Sixers' fragility. The visitors fell in an early heap at 4 for 48 by the ninth over, a perilous position which could have been graver had Andrew Tye not spilled an absolute sitter to reprieve dangerous English import Michael Lumb on 25.
In a notable contrast to his nervy team-mates, Lumb was adventurous and inventive in a determined bid to counterattack the unwavering Scorchers bowlers. Lumb did not always strike the ball cleanly but was effective in muscling the ball to the boundary.
However, Lumb was unable to find support, with the Sixers' top order rattled by the WACA's variable bounce, highlighted by opener Ed Cowan (6) being bowled by a David Willey delivery that hit a crack and stayed low. Conversely, Maddinson and Jordan Silk were undone by deliveries that reared sharper than they expected.
For Sixers to muster a competitive total, Lumb had to bat through the innings but his momentum was stifled with the constant wickets around him. When Lumb fell for 47 off 45 ball after an unsuccessful swipe off Behrendorff, the Sixers' hopes of a decent total were effectively over.
Wicketkeeper Ryan Carters tried valiantly and ensured Sixers would pass triple figures, but it was all in vain. The Scorchers have now leapfrogged to the top of the table and a three-peat is well on course.
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