Perth Scorchers 173 for 3 (Bancroft 76*, Hardie 57) beat Brisbane Heat 171 for 9 (Munro 45, Brown 34, Kelly 2-28) by seven wickets
In reply to the Heat’s 9-171, the Scorchers reached the victory target with 21 balls to spare, courtesy of big knocks from Bancroft (76 not out off 48 balls) and Hardie (57 off 33 balls).
Bancroft was playing just his third BBL clash of the season after being squeezed out of the side by Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth for much of the campaign. But with du Plessis now having joined the SA20 and Lyth dropped following a horror run of form, Bancroft looms as a key player in the Scorchers’ bid to win back-to-back titles.
Bancroft cracked seven fours and two sixes, combining with Hardie for a 111-run stand that set up the win. Hardie was brutal with five fours and three sixes before being run out in the 12th over.
But Scorchers’ attack hit back strongly, with Andrew Tye (3 for 37), Matt Kelly (2 for 28), and Lance Morris (2 for 40) sparking a collapse of 9-90. Heat only scored 25 from their final four overs, losing three wickets in the last over as their search for quick runs at the death fell flat.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo