Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers match report and result, Cooper Connolly no-catch controversy, video, who won BBL15, latest news

The Perth Scorchers’ continued dominace of the Big Bash League has seen them secure an incredible sixth title on Sunday night, defeating the Sydney Sixers by six wickets at Optus Stadium.

After winning the toss in dicey conditions, the hosts never looked out of place all match, skittling the men in magenta for 132 all out off the back of metronoimic bowling and smart captaincy.

Watch NZ’s Tour of India: Every ODI & T20 match LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on FOX CRICKET, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Peculiarly, three of the Sixers’ top four batters registered 24 with the bat, but evidently none were able to go on with their start before losing 6/37 to finish their innings.

Australian Test superstar Steve Smith looked the most dangerous of the visiting batters, with his 23 coming off just 13 balls with three fours and a six.

It was quicks David Payne (3/18) and Jhye Richardson (3/32) who proved the most damaging for Perth, with the former particularly critical throughout the Sixers’ ‘Power Surge’ in overs 15 and 16.

Young pace ace Mahli Beardman took two wickets in the final over of the first innings to tidy up his figures, while all-rounder Aaron Hardie took the all-important wicket of Smith to finish with 1/16.

MATCH CENTRE: Scorchers vs. Sixers final scores, stats and more

With the bat, things quite literally couldn’t have started any better for the Scorchers, with Australian T20 captain Mitchell Marsh pulling the very first ball of the innings for six.

The 34-year-old was unable to finish with red ink, but still made a well-compiled 44, as he, Finn Allen (36 off 22) and Josh Inglis (29* off 26).

The victory finished with the latter smashing a six over long-off, which saw his Scorchers teammates spring onto the field in elation.

Unfortunately, despite their epic efforts in recent weeks, Test stars Smith and Mitchell Starc (1/33) were unable to go the full journey as several of their teammates failed to fire.

English import David Payne was rightly awarded Man of the Match for his cagey four overs, capping off an incredible BBL|15 campaign.

Speaking after the victory, captain Ashton Turner said it felt like “a weight has lifted off our shoulders”.

“It’s a really satisfying feeling. This is a really enjoyable time of the year for us, but a lot of hard work goes into it,” he added.

“It can be a stressful couple of weeks at times. A mountain of work has gone on the field but also behind the scenes to allow us to play the cricket that has been good enough to win this competition.”

FINAL’S BIG TALKING POINTS (with Catherine Healey at Optus Stadium)…

‘UNPLAYABLE’ PAYNE DELIVERS IN SURGE SOLUTION

Perth’s power surge prowess rolled into the BBL final as the Scorchers claimed 3-10 to turn the match against the Sydney Sixers on Sunday.

And it was led by import David Payne’s 2-1 in the space of four balls to leave the visitors reeling.

It’s the fourth time Perth claimed three wickets in a power surge, including their past three games – the qualifier final against the Sixers and then the 3-12 vs the Strikers and 3-8 vs the Stars.

The power surge had been an area of dominance for Perth in the regular season with a competition-high 10 wickets and the fewest runs conceded (average of 19.6).

Fox Cricket’s Mark Howard described Englishman Payne as “unplayable” in his remarkable spell that saw him finish his match with 3-18.

Statistics show Payne has claimed 4-32 from his six power surge overs at a misly 5.3 per over.

“That wins you titles those types of numbers,” Howard said.

“It’s great bowling under pressure,” Mark Waugh added.

“Payne’s been very frugal.”

“He knows his role doesn’t he? He delivers so often to perfection,” Adam Gilchrist praised.

Payne would have finished with four wickets had Joel Davies not been called back to the crease in another Perth no-catch controversy.

Only weeks after Ashton Turner was denied a clean catch, Cooper Connolly was ruled not to have completed the boundary line snare of Davies in the final.

“That’ll be not out unfortunately. I reckon his right hand hit the grass… they should (check it)… the rule is you’ve got to complete the catch,” Waugh said.

“It’s not a complete catch… that’s not out. I can’t believe that.

“It’s definitely not out. I reckon he’ll come back on here. I can’t see how you can give that out. I can’t believe they let him off.

“I think he (Connolly) knew it straight away to be honest.”

But Davies’ luck ran out a few balls later as Jhye Richardson snared his third victim of the match.

SMITH ‘PAYS THE PRICE’ FOR COSTLY MISS

Steve Smith started the BBL15 final with a bang – delivering three fours and a six in his first nine balls.

But that could be the only six the Sixers would strike in their entire innings.

It was in the sixth over Smith was trapped in front by Aaron Hardie, and despite immediately signalling he thought it struck high, Ashton Turner’s review came up trumps.

“(Josh) Inglis behind, he was very animated. It’s probably worth a roll of the dice on the bloke that was on strike,” Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.

As ball tracker showed the bails removed, the commentators could all be heard saying “ohhh”.

“Huge moment, Smith departs – the Scorchers are up! The crowd is up and the superstar is done,” Mark Howard said.

“That will be a point of much debate.”

Smith’s wicket left the Sixers at 2-34 – and they never really recovered.

Aussie great Mark Waugh believes it was a missed opportunity for the superstar Smith.

“He’ll look back at that and think ‘I should have slogged it – should have smacked it’,” Waugh said.

“It was a nothing sort of delivery. Pace off, but he’ll be thinking: ‘How on earth did I miss?’

“He was trying to hit it too square and he’s paid the price. Doesn’t miss many.”

Gilchrist said it was rare to see Smith depart LBW in the BBL.

“Only the third LBW in around 40 BBL games,” he shared.

“You just don’t see Steve Smith get out LBW a lot.

“Maybe a little more later in his career he’s been a little more susceptible. But he’s got that step across that lures bowlers towards the stumps.

“Good use of the review system there. Ashton Turner was quick to trust his players.”

Smith still finished BBL15 as his team’s highest run scorer – despite only playing half the season.

“If they’re brutally honest, they’ll have to say their batting has not been particularly good this series,” Waugh said of the Sixers.

“There hasn’t been many runs scored apart from Steve Smith.”

“It’s found them out in these two games hasn’t it (in the two finals against Perth),” Mark Howard added.

THE TOSS TO WIN

It’s no secret Perth skipper Ashton Turner has endured a nightmare bat flip summer – with an unwanted eight consecutive bat flip losses.

But on Sunday, he finally came up with his most important win of the season and elected to bowl first in a move that paid off for the home side.

“Final words were let’s not take a backwards step,” Mitch Marsh shared of Turner’s final address.

“Get this crowd up and about early on.”

And that’s exactly what Perth did as they claimed early wickets to leave the Sixers on the back foot.

And the visitors never recovered.

Their own innings in the field was hampered by repeat rain showers as the fatigue of cross country travel set in.

“It’s no excuse right, about the travelling,” Mark Waugh said of the Sixers’ schedule which included a home final on Friday after only departing Perth on the Wednesday.

“I just think Cricket Australia might need to look at the program – I don’t think one day is enough between the Friday and the Sunday (final).”

“It happens even in World Cups – the most important games get crammed in to the least turnaround time,” Adam Gilchrist added.

“You might go a week in between games in pool matches and all of a sudden you’re in a semi and a final in the space of three days.”

“I just think one day is a tough ask if you’re travelling from one side of the country to the other,” Waugh said.

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques shared his struggles with the wicket given the wet weather in play.

Teammates were seen slipping on the wet Optus Stadium deck but players were never required to come off due to the rain.

“We’d probably be off in four-day cricket but given the nature of this game we only need another 70 minutes out here,” he said.

“I wouldn’t want it to keep raining like this for much longer.”

New shoes were brought out for star Mitchell Starc after he bowled back-to-back wides in the drizzling rain.

“We probably should have been off an over before,” Henriques later told Fox Cricket.

“Very slippery – quite greasy.”

“(Sean Abbott) was very quick to turnaround and look at the footmark again,” Adam Gilchrist said.

“Losing a bit of confidence to really stride through and plant that front foot down there.”

Perth Scorchers XI: Mitchell Marsh, Finn Allen, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (wk), Cooper Connolly, Ashton Turner (c), Laurie Evans, Jhye Richardson, Brody Couch, David Payne, Mahli Beardman

Sydney Sixers XI: Steven Smith, Daniel Hughes, Josh Philippe (wk), Moises Henriques (c), Lachlan Shaw, Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Ben Manenti, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc

Re-live our coverage of the Scorchers vs. Sixers grand final in our blog below! Can’t see the blog?Click here