Sydney Sixers’ captain Moises Henriques says Scorchers had their measure “throughout the season”
“It wasn’t the start we wanted,” Voges said. “We didn’t get the tempo right, went too hard. Fortunately, Laurie and Ashton changed the whole course of the game. For them to be brave and take risks was outstanding.”
English import Evans produced his best innings of his debut BBL season, where he smoked an unbeaten 41-ball 76 marked by aggression from the get-go against Sixers’ star spinners Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon, who had torn through the top order.
“We spoke to people in England about him,” Voges said of Evans who played with a broken toe sustained at the end of the regular season. “He’s suited to these types of wickets. He has gotten better and better and he saved his best for tonight.”
Evans had been overshadowed through the season by Scorchers’ big-hitters at the top of the order but his energetic batting made him an important part of their middle order. Given their usual strength at the top, Evans had mainly batted in the backend of innings but he showcased his devastating firepower after coming in at the end of the sixth over.
“It’s a do-or-die game, you come out swinging,” Evans said. “It was about managing risks and the game plan. I’ve played a lot of cricket and batted everywhere… I tried to add some experience and skill.”
Scorchers’ triumph might be the sweetest in their storied history having been the team to beat all season despite being on the road for 50 straight days due to being shut out of Western Australia’s closed borders.
“If we had lost today it would have meant nothing,” Evans said. “To dominate the way we did says a lot about the group and coaching staff. It was my job to put the cherry on top.”
The victory meant Scorchers broke the deadlock for most BBL titles with arch-rivals Sixers, who had limped into the final after being decimated by Covid-19 and injury.
“They put the pressure back on us,” Henriques said. “That was one of the better partnerships I’ve seen. I didn’t think they would take SOK [O’Keefe] on, and they kept going and took that momentum. It completely changes the mindset.
“Perth had a fantastic year. They had our measure throughout the season.”
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth