Perth Scorchers bat first in BBL vs Sixers

Steve Barrett |

Daniel Hughes is a dramatic last-minute withdrawal from the Sydney Sixers’ line-up after injuring an ankle in the warm-up as the Perth Scorchers won the toss and chose to bat first in the BBL Qualifier at Marvel Stadium.

About 20 minutes before the start of play, Hughes rolled his ankle when he tripped over the boundary rope while taking a high catch.

He hobbled off the field in clear discomfort and was replaced by Nicholas Bertus from the player replacement pool after Sixers captain Moises Henriques engaged in discussions with match referee Bob Stratford.

The Sixers didn’t have a batter among their two X-factor subs and were denied the services of superstar Steve Smith after an appeal to the BBL technical committee to have him included was rejected.

Jack Edwards had already been ruled out after being a close COVID-19 contact, replaced by Jordan Silk, who has recovered from a hamstring injury.

The winner of Saturday’s heavyweight clash will progress to the decider next Friday, while the loser will get another chance in the Challenger final on Australia Day against the winner of tomorrow’s Knockout between the Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers.

After losing last year’s finale against the Sixers, the Scorchers have won both head-to-head meetings against the men in magenta this season.

The Scorchers have made two changes from the team that cruised to victory over the Brisbane Heat at Marvel Stadium on Monday with paceman Jhye Richardson and England import Laurie Evans coming in.

They replace Lance Morris, who tested positive for COVID-19, and Aaron Hardie, who was omitted.

TEAMS

PERTH SCORCHERS: Ashton Turner (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Laurie Evans, Peter Hatzoglou, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, Colin Munro, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye.

SYDNEY SIXERS: Moises Henriques (capt), Sean Abbott, Justin Avendano, Nicholas Bertus, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk.

End.

AAP