BBL finals

Scrappy Thunder survive 'rollercoaster' scare, scrape into finals 'by the barest of margins'

Nathan Coulter-Nile came and went for a duck to give Green his second scalp of the over and figures of 2-19 from his four overs. Beau Webster made a run-a-ball 14, before he was caught in the deep by Green to give Qadir figures of 3-24 from his four overs. Nick Larkin (5) and Luke Wood (1) were unbeaten at the end, but could only take the total to a run a ball 120 target. The Stars captain dropped a sitter that would have sent Chris Green for 1 in the 16th over that would have left the Thunder reeling seven down with 34 runs still to get. Warner was clearly disappointed in his shot as he left the field, gesturing and talking to himself as he made his way back to the dugout. The Stars had made 7-119 from their 20 overs after being sent in by the Sydney Thunder at the MCG, with spinners Chris Green and Usman Qadir starring with five wickets between them. A brain snap during the power surge cost Ben Cutting (9 off 9) his wicket as he tried to beat Luke Wood in a mad dash. Needing 120 for victory to knock the Hurricanes out, the Thunder were off to a horror start when David Warner failed once again at the top of the order. He bottom edged his first delivery into his groin and then got an edge over the infield his second ball as he was surprised by the bounce. After restricting the Stars to just 119 at the MCG, the Thunder made hard work of the low chase before prevailing in a nailbiting three-wicket win. It took some late hitting from Daniel Sams (28 off 18) to get the Thunder up as Nathan McAndrew hit the winning runs with just seven balls to spare. [one of the all-time cricket chokes cost the Brisbane Heat a home final](https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/domestic-cricket/big-bash/bbl-2023-hobart-hurricanes-vs-brisbane-heat-live-stream-live-blog-teams-scores-videos-matthew-wade-usman-khawaja/news-story/42d94b872c099714c71f0f0fcf5774db), the Stars threatened to shake up the finals race as Sydney’s season went on the line.

Needing victory to seal a fourth straight BBL finals berth, the Thunder edged home in a low-scoring MCG affair.

Chasing just 120 to win at the MCG, the Thunder slumped to 5-60 and were in danger of blowing a golden opportunity to seal a place in the top-five. The Chris Green-led side were staring down the barrel after being 7-88, but Stars captain Adam Zampa dropped a sitter to give Daniel Sams a life. Sydney Thunder have staggered to a three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars, booking their spot in the BBL finals.

The Hobart Hurricanes keep their chances of making the Big Bash League finals alive with a thrilling two-run victory over the Brisbane Heat in Launceston.

We knew full well that Tim (David) was going to have to bowl the 20th (over)," Ellis, who took 2-26, told Fox Cricket. "Fortunately it just came off. "The Eliminator" — Sydney Thunder (4) v Brisbane Heat (5), Sydney Showground Stadium, Friday, 7:15pm It was unbelievable. The Heat fell to 4-30 in the sixth over of the chase, before a 73-run partnership between Peirson and Sam Hain (26 from 34) ironed out a big chunk of the total. Chasing just 120 to win at the MCG, the Thunder slumped to 5-60 and were in danger of blowing a golden opportunity to seal a place in the top-five.

Jason Sangha believes the Sydney Thunder can cause some surprises in the BBL finals after locking in their spot in the last match of the regular season.

12 finals after sneaking into the top five. "I was very touch and go for this game, I had to get some fitness tests and clearance from the surgeon, and it was a little bit up in the air. Jason Sangha believes the Sydney Thunder can cause some surprises in the BBL finals after locking in their spot in the last match of the regular season

The Sydney Thunder endured some nervous moments before securing a BBL finals spot, staggering to a three-wicket win against Melbourne Stars at the MCG.

The Thunder will host the Heat at Sydney Showgrounds on Friday night in a knockout final. Chasing just 120 to win at the MCG, the Thunder slumped to 5-60 and were in danger of blowing a golden opportunity to seal a place in the top-five. The Sydney Thunder have staggered to a three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars, booking their spot in the BBL finals.

How does the final series work? The Perth Scorchers (1), Sydney Sixers (2), Melbourne Renegades (3), Sydney Thunder (4), and the Brisbane Heat (5) ...

The Scorchers and the Sixes battle it out in ‘The Qualifier’ to see who goes straight through to the final. 1 v 2 face off in ‘The Qualifier’ with the winner heading straight to the GF and also claiming hosting rights. Basically, our first match is 4 v 5 called ‘The Eliminator’, with the winner to play 3 in ‘The Knockout’. Thunder and the Heat face will face off first in ‘The Eliminator’, with the winner moving on to ‘The Knockout’ where they will play the Renegades. The winner of 3 v 4/5 plays the loser of 1 v 2 in ‘The Challenger’ to become the second 2nd team through to the final. When using Facebook to create or log in to an account, you need to grant The Roar permission to see your email address

Five teams are left in the hunt to be crowned BBL12 champions. Can the Perth Scorchers go back-to-back?

The Renegades had an up-and-down season and finished with seven wins and seven losses. No Test squad members will be available for ‘The Challenger’ or ‘The Final’ in the second week due to the Test squad flying to India on January 31. The remaining 11 Australian Test squad members playing in the BBL finals have been cleared to play in the first week, including Sixers stars Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon, who will be available to take on the Scorchers in ‘The Qualifier’. The Melbourne Renegades will host the winner of the Thunder v Heat match in ‘The Knockout’ game, with the loser eliminated and the winner progressing to ‘The Challenger’ match. With the Australian Test tour to India set to begin soon, BBL finals teams will not have their Test stars available for the entire series. Will the Australian Test stars play in the BBL finals? The loser of ‘The Qualifier’ will play in ‘The Challenger’ match. The winner of ‘The Challenger’ game will move onto ‘The Final’. The finals series will be over for the loser of the game, while the winner progresses to ‘The Knockout’ match. The Big Bash finals will be televised live and free on Channel Seven and 7mate. The BBL finals begin with the Sydney Thunder taking on the Brisbane Heat in ‘The Eliminator’ on Friday January 27 at the Sydney Showground. The top-of-the-table Perth Scorchers will face off against the Sydney Sixers on Saturday January 28 at Optus Stadium in ‘The Qualifier’ with the winner moving straight through to ‘The Final’.

The Brisbane Heat will take on the Sydney Thunder at the Sydney Showgrounds on Friday night as they strive to keep their KFC Big Bash League title dreams ...

Sunday, January 29: 'The Knockout' - Melbourne Renegades v winner of The Eliminator, Marvel Stadium, 7:15pm AEDT. Saturday, January 28: 'The Qualifier' - Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers, Optus Stadium, 4:15pm AWST/7:15pm AEDT. KFC Big Bash League Finals Series - week oneFriday, January 27: 'The Eliminator' - Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat, Sydney Showground Stadium, 7:15pm AEDT.