BBL 2025-26, Match 32 Review: Mitchell Marsh blitz lifts Scorchers to second spot
Mitchell Marsh (Source: CA)
Published - 11 Jan 2026, 03:59 PM• Read time - 3 mins
Perth Scorchers secured a comprehensive 32-run victory over Adelaide Strikers in Match 32 of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 at the Adelaide Oval on January 11.
Batting first, Perth Scorchers posted a record 232/4 riding on the back of a boundary-filled 51-ball 88 from Mitchell Marsh. Marsh and Finn Allen provided a scorching start to their team, adding 81 in just 29 balls to leave the opposition gasping for breath. Marsh whacked six fours and seven sixes, belting his runs at a staggering strike rate of 172.55. Allen did not last as long but helped him in no small cause, smacking a quickfire 38 of his own in merely 16 balls, striking at 237.50.
The breathtaking assault came to a halt when Lloyd Pope had Allen caught at cover point, where Matthew Short took a blinder merely inches off the ground. Pope made it two in two balls as he struck Cooper Connolly’s stumps, sending him back for a golden duck.
Undeterred, Marsh continued on his merry ways, stitching a 77-run partnership for the third wicket with Josh Inglis, who hit his straps early on in the innings and raced off to 42 off 23 with four fours and three sixes before falling to Short.
Soon afterwards, Marsh holed out in the deep off Cameron Boyce to miss out on what seemed like a certain century. Some meaty blows from Aaron Hardie (unbeaten 34 off 22) and skipper Ashton Turner (unbeaten 20 off eight) pushed Scorchers well past 200.
For Strikers, Pope was the standout with figures of 2/36, while Boyce and Short picked up one each. Luke Wood and Hasan Ali took the beating, conceding over 13 an over.
Out to chase a mammoth target, Adelaide Strikers went all guns blazing in the powerplay, with openers Alex Carey and Short not allowing the opponent bowlers to find any rhythm. The duo added 93 in just 47 balls. Carey top-scored with 71 off 39, with seven fours and two sixes, while Short amassed 52 off 31, with four fours and three sixes.
The stand was disrupted when Short holed out to a slower one from Hardie. Once Chris Lynn fell for 18 after edging David Payne behind, the Strikers lost their way entirely, slipping from 153 for 2 to 167 for 8 in a space of 2.4 overs, with Mahli Beardman and Payne dishing out successive double-wicket overs.
Beardman dismissed Carey and Jamie Overton in the 16th over while Payne dismissed Mackenzie Harvey and Harry Manenti in the next. Despite some resistance, Adelaide could reach 200/8 in their 20 overs.
The Strikers will be up against Melbourne Stars on January 13 in Melbourne, while the Scorchers will meet Melbourne Renegades on January 15 at the Docklands Stadium.
