That brings an end to our coverage for this game. Brisbane Heat will face the Sydney Sixers in the final of BBL13 on Wednesday. It promises to be a cracking contest at the iconic SCG.
For now, it's time for us to sign off. This is Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of scorer Manish Bishnoi. Until next time, cheers and goodbye.
Josh Brown (Player of the Match):"Hopefully, the hip is alright. It just happened tonight. Twisted a bit and hopefully, it will be alright tomorrow. I’m still pinching myself. I felt good when I hit that first boundary. I’m just thinking to stand still and hope that they bowl in my arc and I hit it as long as possible. I prefer pace. But when I’m on, it doesn’t matter who is bowling. Just hit over the fence anyway. The Strikers are an incredible outfit. A final at the SCG will be interesting. Hopefully, we get a good wicket."
Player of the Match: Josh Brown
5:28 PM IST, 9:58 PM Local Time: That’s it. Brisbane Heat emerge victorious in this Challenger and seal a place in the final of Big Bash League 2023-24. Their second straight final. They completely outplay the Adelaide Strikers and win the game by 54 runs. The things were set up nicely by Josh Brown who smashed a sensational ton in the first innings before their bowlers stepped up and defended the total successfully. Now, Brisbane Heat will face the Sydney Sixers in the final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Chasing a mammoth 215, skipper Matthew Short played some lovely strokes at the top of the order. Spencer Johnson was introduced into the attack and he dismissed Matthew on 19 in the fourth over. He removed struggling D’Arcy Short on seven in the same over as the Strikers ended the powerplay on 28/2. Jake Weatherald along with Thomas Kelly led the recovery work for the Strikers.
Both Weatherald and Kelly put 34 between them before the former fell on eight. Kelly played aggressively and scored 41 off 24 balls before falling in the 12th over. Harry Nielsen brought up his fifty and top-scored with 50 but the Strikers failed to gain any momentum and eventually got knocked over on 160 in 19.5 overs to lose the game by 54 runs. Spencer Johnson and Nathan McSweeney picked up three wickets each for Brisbane Heat to defend the total successfully.
Earlier, Josh Brown lit up the Carrara Oval with his scintillating stroke play. After opting to bat first, Heat lost debutant Charlie Wakim on seven in the second over. There was no stopping Brown as he continued playing his strokes and was well-supported by his skipper Nathan McSweeney from the other end who played the role of a second fiddle perfectly.
The pair of Brown and McSweeney put 119 between them before the latter fell on 33. Brown kept finding boundaries for fun and displayed a T20 batting masterclass as he brought up his hundred off just 41 balls. He got dismissed on 57-ball 140 in the 17th over. He hit 10 fours and 12 maximums in the process. The Strikers pulled back things after Brown’s departure as Heat slipped from 192/2 to 207/7 to end their innings on 214/7. It was too much for the Strikers as they fell short by 54 runs.