Scorchers vs Strikers, 23rd Match at Perth, BBL, Jan 04 2026 - Match Result

That wraps up our Big Bash League coverage for today. Thank you for joining us! The cricket doesn't stop here, though. You can switch over to follow the ILT20 Final with Ravel Zahid or catch the SA20 action with Sreshth Shah. There is plenty of live coverage to enjoy across ESPNcricinfo, so stay tuned. On behalf of M Venkat Raghav and K Vairavan, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off. Goodnight!

Mustafa Moudi: "Turner was more deserving to win the POTM Award. Scored 28 with SR of 200 with a Bat and Picked 2 Wickets giving just 1 runs in the only over he got to bowl. Its not his fault if he didnt get to bowl more overs !!"

Player of the Match, Joel Paris: "Going into the break, we were probably 20 or 30 runs under what we would have liked. The message at the interval was just to apply pressure early and try to leave some scars. I thought the guys did a hell of an effort to bowl them out and restrict them the way they did. [Late cameo with the bat] Any time you can carry momentum into the field, it obviously helps. It took me long enough to get a couple out of the middle! I've learned most of that from Timmy and the blokes on the side. I just try to contribute whenever I can. We have three wins on the board in a row now, so we want to keep this going as long as possible. I actually wanted to see the batting highlights with those two big sixes! But honestly, if we can roll them like that, it's great. [Pitch] Historically, we haven't bowled a lot of spin here. Agar has done a great job for years, and Cooper Connolly has stepped up over the last few games. One of the great things about our captain is that he goes on the fly and trusts his gut. Spin clearly had an effect tonight; I couldn't get one out of the middle for the first 10 or 15 balls, so we knew it was tricky. We've had to adapt our bowling lineup from what it has been over the last few years, and tonight everyone contributed to a super win. [Sam Fanning's immediate impact] Spot on. Our coach, Adam Voges, always speaks about the importance of the full squad being ready. With Finn Allen and Laurie Evans going down, it created opportunities for the young guys. It's great to expose them to this level, and playing in front of 40,000 at Optus Stadium is the perfect way to do it. [Back in the Orange jersey] It really does. It's been five or six years since my family has had Christmas at home. I have two little girls who love being with their cousins, so spending December and January with this group and my family is the best part of the year. There is nothing better than coming home and playing in the orange with your best mates."

vishwa: "The team which couldn't defend 256 has defended 154 here..." That's the beauty of Cricket, Vishwa!

9:25 pm Spin proved to be the winning formula tonight; both sides followed the same script, but the Scorchers executed it better, effectively blending their spin attack with pace. The Scorchers got the exact start they wanted, removing the dangerous Chris Lynn in the very first over as he was caught out to mid-off. Matt Short briefly shifted the momentum back to the Strikers with a counterattack featuring several world-class strokes, but the tide turned yet again. Short was caught at long-on in the fifth over for 31 runs, and then the collapse mirrored the Scorchers' own earlier struggles in the first innings. Ashton Turner struck again to bowl out Jason Sangha, and in the following over, Ashton Agar forced Mackenzie Harvey to chop on. The Strikers' middle order crumbled, losing three wickets for zero runs in a disastrous stretch. There was a brief spark in the 10th over when Liam Scott took 15 runs off Brody Couch, including a four and a six. Scott looked in good touch until he departed for 33, falling to a length ball from Aaron Hardie while attempting a slog stroke against the angle. Ultimately, the Strikers lost wickets in clusters and couldn't keep the scoreboard moving. Joel Paris finished with three wickets, while Turner and Hardie claimed two apiece. Stick around, as the post-match presentations are coming up shortly.

Perth Scorchers won by 33 runs

The attendance is 37,643 in Perth.

Paris to bowl his last over, around the wicket

Mustafa Moudi: "@Nihal: Me too. Those Low-Scoring Thrillers are a Reminder that Cricket is not just about Hitting Sixes (or Boundaries), Bowlers can control the game too !!"

Beardman to bowl the second Surge over

Luke Wood is the new batter in

Power Surge is on; here's Paris