Canes just could do no wrong

THE Hobart Hurricanes turned giant killers at Optus Stadium last night as they crushed Big Bash kings Perth Scorchers and powered into the final on Sunday.

It was a semi-final for the ages, the Hurricanes setting the men in orange a mammoth 4-210 chase and the home team had a massive fail in response, lights out for 139 off 17.5 overs.

It was an amazing performance by a team that only fell into the finals after losing their last three games.

Last night they produced their best game of the summer, and their finals fling will continue against the winner of tonight’s semi between the Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades in Adelaide.

“That was our most complete game of the tournament so far,” Canes captain George Bailey said. “We had to play our best game to beat the Scorchers — they have been so consistent and so phenomenal — and we matched them and surpassed them with bat and ball and in the field. “It was the complete game.” The Hurricanes will stay in Perth to watch the Strikers and Renegades.

“We had to put all our energy into this game,” Bailey said.

“You can’t have even 1 per cent of you looking forward. The Scorchers deserve so much re- spect, so to be honest I’m thrilled to be in it and thrilled to be playing our best cricket.

“At the start of the tournament we spoke about peaking at the right time and hopefully we’re doing that.”

Facing a batting attack that has ripped apart sides this season, the Hurricanes were bold in starting with forgotten allrounder Tom Rogers and debutant Riley Meredith with the ball. Rogers was outstanding, taking 3-17 off his first three overs — the scalps of Michael Klinger (15 off 11), Cameron Ban- croft (one off six) and Shaun Marsh in a double-wicket third over.

By the end of the seventh, spinner Clive Rose had sent Mitch Marsh (three off five) back to his seat and in the same over skipper George Bailey brilliantly ran out Ash Turner — Scorchers 5-57.

Meredith joined the party in the ninth over when he claimed his maiden BBL wicket, the scalp of Perth captain Adam Voges (three off five). When Jofra Archer bowled Hilton Cartwright, the stadium started to empty.