Scorchers home in thriller

The Perth Scorchers deserve to be ranked alongside some of Western Australia’s greatest sporting teams after securing their second consecutive Big Bash title on Wednesday night.

But it took an eventful finish to deliver the trophy when retiring Sydney Sixers paceman Brett Lee was denied a hat-trick from the last ball of the match.

Yasir Arafat scrambled the single required to give Perth a four-wicket win after Moises Henriques fumbled the return over the stumps that would have seen the scores tied at 147.

Limited-overs star Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger, WA’s best interstate recruit since Adam Gilchrist two decades ago, were critical in ensuring the Scorchers would reach the target of 148 at Manuka Oval.

Henriques led a Sixers revival after the suffocating Scorchers attack made four early breakthroughs but his brilliant 77 was not enough to produce a winning score.

The Sixers were held to 5-147 with Henriques and his busy partner Ryan Carters (36 not out) adding an Australian record 98 for the fifth wicket.

But Marsh was not to be denied as he steered the Scorchers to 6-148.

A year after his breathtaking batting helped deliver the WACA’s first silverware in a decade, the left-hander produced one of the most mature innings of his career to control the run chase.

Marsh has experienced a highly eventful summer in which he has returned to the Test team and is the most likely replacement if Michael Clarke is not fit for the World Cup.

Marsh’s 73, allied with Klinger’s 33, and a cool nine not out from international Michael Carberry in the frenetic final few moments, was enough to haul Perth over the line.

Marsh welcomed Doug Bollinger back late in the innings with a savage pull into the Don Bradman Stand and then took advantage of a free hit against Lee, after Bollinger had failed to get back inside the circle, with another blow into the crowd.

Yasir Arafat of the Scorchers celebrates victory as Brett Lee of the Sixers looks dejected. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Two wickets fell in Nathan Lyon’s last over before Lee matched him to keep the Sixers alive up to the final ball of the season.

The Scorchers have now played in all four Big Bash finals since the introduction of the city-based league which has proved the most competitive and entertaining of all the global Twenty20 competitions.

Perth’s new ball strength was again evident with Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile each claiming an early wicket as the Sixers slumped to 2-7 and then 4-49.

Four balls after surviving a very confident caught behind appeal from Coulter-Nile’s first delivery, big-hitting opener Michael Lumb played around a slower ball to be bowled.

Then Rikki Wessels missed an attempted swipe at Behrendorff who lived up to captain Adam Voges’ prediction that he would have an immediate impact.

But Henriques’ emergence as a batsman of great substance was evident as he shored up the Sixers innings then went on a rampage in the final few overs to build a highly competitive total.

Perth’s last five overs cost 67 with Henriques tearing into Arafat and Coulter-Nile.

Veterans Brad Hogg and Arafat provide the defensive grunt in the Scorchers engine room and both underlined their value with wickets in their second overs.

Nic Maddinson played over an Arafat yorker after a breezy 19 while Jordan Silk was befuddled by Hogg and become the fourth consecutive batsman to be bowled.

Henriques was delighted to bat first, particularly with both captains concerned about potential damage to the pitch caused by a Cricket Australia six-hitting competition during the innings break.

CA had already been subjected to fierce criticism from WA premier Colin Barnett for not allowing the Scorchers to host the final and the novelty event threatened to overshadow the climax of the successful tournament.

But the potential damage was avoided when the event was moved to a side pitch.

The final was played in Canberra, the smallest of all Australia’s main cricket grounds, because several venues were unavailable due to World Cup commitments.

Manuka fits just over 12,000 spectators who, despite not having a team in any national competition, were treated to their second domestic final in 10 months.