Big Bash final: Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Sixers to win title
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Brisbane Heat have now won the Big Bash title twice
Big Bash League Final, Sydney |
Brisbane Heat 166-8 (20 overs): Brown 53 (38), Renshaw 40 (22), McSweeney 33 (32), Bryant 29 (19) |
Sydney Sixers 112 (17.3 overs): Henriques 25 (27), Philippe 23 (22) |
Brisbane Heat win by 54 runs |
Brisbane Heat won the Big Bash for the first time in 11 years with a comfortable 54-run victory over Sydney Sixers.
Josh Brown's half century and Matthew Renshaw's 40 off 22 balls helped Brisbane set a competitive total.
Spencer Johnson took a career-best 4-26 as Sixers were all out for 112 in front of a record crowd at the SCG.
"Unbelievable - I feel like we were the best team all year so we deserve the medal," said the 28-year-old.
"I owe Heat everything, they brought me here last year and I didn't know where my career was going, so this is pretty cool."
It is a second BBL title for Brisbane Heat, who had topped the standings during the regular season.
Johnson's figures are the best ever in a BBL final and included the key wicket of Josh Philippe for 22, as well as a brilliant caught and bowled to dismiss Hayden Kerr for seven.
"We're going to enjoy this one tonight. To get a couple of wickets and win, it's pretty special," added Johnson.
Brisbane reached the final last year but lost against five-time winners Perth Scorchers.
This year they lost the qualifier to Sixers and had to beat Adelaide Strikers to reach the final, before turning the tables to secure a first title since 2012-13.
Three-time winners Sydney Sixers won the toss and opted to field despite Heat having won all six of the matches in which they had batted first this season.
Heat opener Brown, who recorded the second fastest BBL hundred and the competition's third highest score of all-time in Monday's Challenger match against Adelaide, got his side off to a strong start with 53 off 38 deliveries, hitting three sixes off Kerr.
Captain Nathan McSweeney added 33 off 32 balls before Renshaw clubbed five boundaries, adding 40 off 22 before being run out from the final ball of Heat's innings.
Sydney Sixers were reduced to 57-4 inside 10 overs on their home ground, with captain Moises Henriques, who played despite testing positive for Covid-19, top-scoring with 25 off 27 balls, and were always up against it.