BBL 2025-26: Mitchell Marsh century helps Scorchers register emphatic win over Hurricanes

Match 19 of the Big Bash League 2025-26 showcased a battle between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Perth Scorchers at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on Thursday, January 1. The home team won the toss and elected to field first on a good-looking, batting-friendly deck.

Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper-batter Finn Allen began the proceedings for the batting team in style. The Australian thumped the first ball of the innings for a six over deep midwicket, making a statement of what was to come next. Allen stroked two back-to-back fours in the next over as the Scorchers were off to a fast start.

Just when it looked like there will be more fireworks from the openers, Nathan Ellis bowled a smart slower ball to deceive Allen. The Kiwi was clean bowled for 16 runs off 10 balls. Cooper Connolly joined Marsh but could not do much, caught and bowled for four by Mitchell Owen.

The Scorchers were still going well at 53/2 in the sixth over and the presence of Aaron Hardie and Marsh took the innings to the next level in the overs to come. What proved to be the catalyst for the pair was the Power Surge from overs 10.1 to 12 which yielded 38 runs. Hardie went hammer and tongs as he scored 26 runs from the 12th over bowled by Chris Jordan.

Marsh did not want to feel left behind as he shifted gears further to lift the scoring rate. The Australian T20 captain punished Owen in the 14th over, fetching 21 runs for himself. There was more destruction in the next three overs which produced a massive 43 runs.

Hardie, who had slowed down a little bit when Marsh was going strong, picked up the pace. The Scorchers crossed the 200-run mark in the 18th over and soon after the West Australian reached his second BBL hundred, in 55 balls. The right-hander was eventually dismissed in the final over for 102 runs off 58 balls, an innings which comprised 11 fours and five sixes.

The partnership between the two (164 runs off 84 balls) was the eighth highest in the league history. Hardie missed out on a hundred as he remained not out on 94 runs off 43 balls. The visitors finished on 229/3 as nearly all the Hurricanes bowlers went for plenty.

The pursuit of 230 was always going to be difficult for the home team and it became more so when they lost the opener Owen for four runs. Tim Ward (27 off 17), who provided the early boost, was the next to go as the Hobart team found itself 38/2 in 4.4 overs.

Macalister Wright (16 off 13) and Ben McDermott (18 off 12) provided a small helping hand before they departed in short succession, leaving the Hurricanes at 70/4 in the ninth over. The task started to look too tough to complete but hope arose when Matthew Wade and Nikhil Chaudhary combined.

But, again the Hurricanes suffered the same fate as the duo were dismissed in quick succession. At 131/6 in the 14th over, the Hurricanes' challenge looked over. After Wade (29 off 14) and Chaudhary (31 off 15), there was no real, big contribution to follow as the lower order played out the overs thus reducing the margin of loss.

In the end, the Scorchers romped home by 40 runs. Ashton Agar was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-38-3. Marsh, for his stellar knock, was adjudged the Player of the Match.