Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers march into another final as bowlers rip through Sydney Sixers

Perth Scorchers fans, cancel your Sunday plans.

The biggest and best club in the history of the Big Bash League are playing in the competition’s showpiece event for the ninth time and they will host it in Perth for the sixth time.

And they are doing it like the Scorchers of old. Strangled to 9-147 in the first innings of The Qualifier against Sydney Sixers at Optus Stadium on Tuesday, a vintage bowling performance and a coming-of-age spell from Mahli Beardman spearheaded a 48-run win.

The Sixers fell with five overs left, despite remarkable batting depth that left Mitchell Starc batting at 11. To join the Scorchers in the final, they will need to win a match in Sydney on Friday night, then return to Perth on Sunday.

Beardman proved that Steve Smith really is stoppable in his 3-20 off three overs, ending the Test legend’s historic run of form by dismissing him for 37.

Perth will enter Sunday night’s final against one of the Sixers, Hobart Hurricanes or Melbourne Stars as strong favourites to claim a record-extending sixth title after beating all three sides this season and improving their home record to 4-2.

That’s despite not scoring any more than 153 at the venue.

Red-hot New Zealand import Allen top-scored for Perth with 49 off 30 balls — including four sixes — before dependable captain Ashton Turner and a blazing Jhye Richardson salvaged the total.

Smith’s run of form — 210 runs from four matches at an average of 70 — loomed large over the Scorchers’ bowling innings. Despite having already slumped to 5-64, the Sixers were never out of the contest until he was out.

Cheeky Perth fans shone torches and threw paper planes at the antsy and fidgety batter as he constructed his 37 off 24 balls. But the game took a turn when he mistimed a pull shot off Beardman and fell in the 11th over.

Cooper Connolly continued his run of first-over wickets when he a sharp bit of wicketkeeping from Josh Inglis dismissed Pakistan champion Babar Azam for a duck.

Josh Phillippe got after the on-pace bowling of Jhye Richardson, striking full balls for back-to-back straight boundaries. But he was Beardman’s first victim when a lightning quick ball sucked him into a top-edge.

Moises Henriques fell the same way in Beardman’s first over — the last of the power play — as heat rose on Smith.

Smith launched recalled quick Brody Couch for a six, but the wickets of Lachie Shaw and Jack Edwards put too much on his shoulders.

The Sixers lost 6-28 in their slump. Ben Manenti was bowled by Aaron Hardie and Joel Davis by David Payne, but their rut reached a comical low when Sean Abbott tripped over his own bat and was run out by a Laurie Evans-Inglis combination.

Mitch Marsh lasted just seven balls and was caught at point trying to force a ball Starc had pulled back on.

A scare was sent through the Sydney camp when Starc dived for a pull and came up nursing a sore left shoulder, but he returned to close out a powerplay worth 1-25.

Allen ramped him for a six over the sight-screen to close, but as has been the case in recent matches, he truly got into his work after the restrictions were done. He didn’t hit a boundary in his first 10 balls,

So wary of his straight hitting ability were the Sixers at one point they had both a mid-on and a long-on in place. It didn’t stop him launching young spinner Ollie Davies for just the second six off his bowling all season. Even non-striker Hardie wore a brutal hit at the non-striker’s end and required treatment.

Allen passed the all-time BBL record for the most sixes in a season when he carved Ben Dwarshius for his 37th maximum over cover, splitting two deep off-side sweepers.

He was bowled by the very next ball, when he chopped a cutter back on to his stumps.

On the day he was unveiled as the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, the Scorchers slid Connolly down the order. After batting at No.3 for all of the past two seasons, Connolly was unveiled at No.5 and struck Davies for a towering straight six off just his second ball.

He was out when Azam took a diving catch at gully in Manenti’s first over.

Hardie — who had replaced Connolly at No.3 — struggled to get going. He was starved of the strike during Allen’s smoke-show and was out when he left his bat up like a telescope to a Starc bouncer.

Evans and Turner took 14 off a Manenti over, including back-to-back switch hit fours by Turner and a clever Evans scoop.

But the English import — Perth’s last recognised batter — put a ball up the chimney off Dwarshius with more than five overs still to bat.

It was only once Richardson came in that the Scorchers took the power surge. Turner snuck a boundary through the covers off Starc and then pulled him for a six before Richardson took down Abbott in two overs worth 23.

Richardson was bowled in the final over by Edwards for 20 off 18 balls and Turner was caught in a desperate heave for 29 off 21.