HITS

Lalor’s surprise hattrick

Most fast bowlers celebrate wickets with a mixture of jubilation and aggression. But not Josh Lalor, who picked up a hattrick and barely cracked a smile. Lalor didn’t realise he’d achieved the feat when he got rid of Nick Hobson, due to the hattrick occurring across two different overs. Thankfully, the Seven commentary team relayed the message to Alex Ross, who passed it on to the bowler to earn a humorous reaction. He didn’t realise it at the time, but Lalor will never forget the first hattrick of his career - and the fourth in BBL history.

Hobson showing heart
Thank goodness for Nick Hobson. In just his third game, the 24-year-old was forced to carry the load when Cam Bancroft’s dismissal left the Scorchers reeling at 5-70. Hobson obliged, smashing a huge six down the ground and working the gaps nicely to top score with 43 off 35 balls. He’s worth persisting with across the final two games of the season as Perth look ahead to next summer.

Heat opener Max Bryant has made waves this season. The youngster is nicknamed ‘Baby Bash’ due to his potential to join ‘Bash Brothers’ Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum as Brisbane’s most potent ball strikers. But he put a different skill on display tonight - his fielding. Bryant ran in and dived to complete a ripping catch in the deep to dismiss Ashton Turner and leave the Scorchers reeling early in the match.

MISSES

Scorchers’ slumping top order

What on earth is going on with Perth’s top order? Entering the season, names such as the Marsh brothers, Klinger, Bancroft and Turner appeared formidable on paper. But too often, Perth has been put on the back foot due to a slew of early wickets. Shaun Marsh, Josh Inglis and Turner succumbed quickly tonight to leave the Scorchers reeling at 3-17, marking the fifth time this tournament they’ve been three down for 20 runs or fewer. It had only happened to them a total of three times in the first seven BBL seasons. Having seven different opening combinations in 12 games likely hasn’t helped.

Bowlers failing against Lynn
This is a ‘miss’ to the entire bowling contingent in BBL history. Chris Lynn has proven the hardest man to dismiss in the competition’s eight-year history, a fact solidified tonight as he surpassed Michael Klinger as the all-time leading runscorer. He blazed 56no off just 39 balls and belted four sixes, including a monster 92m pull shot over backward square off AJ Tye to end the match.

Tye’s night to forget
It hasn’t quite been AJ Tye’s tournament. One of the all-time greatest BBL bowlers has struggled to find his mojo at times, and tonight he was on the receiving end of some treatment from Lynn. The Heat star smoked Tye for three maximums and left him with figures of 0-34 from just 2.3 overs as the Scorchers came up short.