The Perth Scorchers crushed a below-par Brisbane Heat by 49 runs on Thursday night, taming Manuka Oval at long last to earn a shot at the Sydney Sixers in Saturday's Big Bash final.
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Perth's win in the challenger final was the 13th BBL match staged at Manuka Oval this year, and the Scorchers' first win in four attempts in Canberra was never in doubt, save for a mid-match rain storm.
There was no rest for the exhausted ground staff who have been working almost every day for the past seven weeks to prop up this year's Big Bash league. In the 19th over of Perth's innings, a sizeable squall blew in from the north west after 20 minutes of lightning had signaled its imminent arrival.
The Scorchers had compiled 1-189 thanks to half centuries from Liam Livingstone (77) and Cameron Bancroft (58 not out), and it appeared the Heat would need even have the chance to chase down the mammoth target - inflated to 200 once Duckworth-Lewis was applied to proceedings.
But the rain clouds splintered and Cricket ACT's ground staff ventured into triple overtime, miraculously transforming Manuka back into a playable surface and giving Brisbane all 20 overs with which to bat.
The groundsmen needn't have shown so much urgency.
Canberra boy Jason Behrendorff led the charge removing openers Joe Denly and Chris Lynn in successive balls to fatally wound the Queenslanders' run chase.
Lynn had already dispatched three boundaries and a six and was looking dangerous before Behrendorff struck.
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After that, only Test discard Joe Burns (38 from 24) offered much resistance as this brilliant defensive outfit from out west marched seamlessly towards a rematch with the Sixers, who crushed them in Canberra just five days ago.
It sets up an intriguing rematch between Perth quick Andrew Tye, and English import James Vince who was left stranded on 98 in the grand final qualifier.
With just one run needed to win, and Vince two runs short of his first BBL century, Tye bowled a bouncer that was called wide.
The Canberra crowd certainly didn't forget - Tye was booed every time he went within a whisker of the ball on Thursday night.
Yet he might still have the last laugh at the SCG in 48 hours.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
