If any one could have had asked the Brisbane Heats How’s the Josh on Monday night ; the answer would have been definitely been High Sir…as Brisbane Heat swashbuckling opener Josh Brown entered the records books in the BBL history with a whirlwind innings of 140 runs in just 57 balls. Josh Brown‘s with 10 fours and 12 record breaking sixes in front of his family was a testament of success as Brisbane Heat bruised aside successful Adelaide Strikers from previous matches to book a final date with Sydney sixers on 24th January 2024.
The assault of Josh Brown on the pitch which was assisting the slow ball spinners on the ground which had side boundaries a slight longer in range hardly had any ball go through the ground as almost all his clean hitting went over the park for huge sixes. The score where 170 could have been a winning total bludgeoned up-to 214 well beyond the reach of the Adelaide Strikers who stumbled in the chase and were bowled out for mere 160 runs thus loosing the match by 54 runs.
Pitch and Toss
The pitch at the Carrara Oval in Queensland was on the slower side in the last game with Sydney Sixers defending 152 quite comfortably. The Heat could score only 113 runs even as Ben Dwarshuis picked up a five-wicket haul. Slower bowlers and the medium pacers with enough variations has been successful on this pitch. The team winning the toss should had rightly chose to bowl first on the slowish wicket.
Brisbane Heats won the toss and decided to bat first. As Bartlett, Johnson, Walter and Neser have formed a dangerous quartet to pick up regular wickets. They have picked up timely wickets to put the opposition down, the Brisbane Heats only made one change to their squad bringing in Charlie Wakim instead of experienced Mitchell Swepson. Adelaide Strikers coming from an emphatic win over Perth Scorchers decided to go with the unchanged squad. Brisbane Heat openers Charlie Wakim and Josh Brown took the centerstage.
Falter start but fired up Josh Brown and skipper Nathan McSweeney’s 119 runs partnership in 10 overs sets the base for huge Heats total
Opting to bat first, Brisbane Heats on the slow-ish wicket caught themselves in early trouble as opener Charlie Wakim got out in the second over itself to David Payne having the teams score at 8 for 1 after 1.1 overs. In joined Nathan McSweeney with Josh Brown who clearly had the mind today to take the Adelaide strikers to the cleaners whenever an opportunity arises. The duo started cautiously in the first 4 overs of the Powerplay having scored 29 runs for a loss of solitary wicket.
Josh Brown who now looked quite settled now started to turn tides on the Adelaide bowlers with clean striking of the cricket ball over the cricket field and bought his own 50 in 22 balls the highest in terms of balls in season 13 of the league. All the bowlers including last match heroes Llyod Pope and Cameron Boyce were taken to cleaners by Brown and McSweeney who was dropped by Llyod Pope when batting on 16 on his own bowling with the former raced to 70 of 27 balls at the halfway stage with Heats score soaring up at 112 for 1 at the 10 over mark.
On the other hand Captain Nathan McSweeney played a supporting role to Josh Brown and scored a quickfire 32 of 27 till the midway way mark where Adelaide Team now running out of ideas called for a strategy time out.
Josh Brown’s record breaking 140 propels Brisbane Heats to 214 for 7 after 20 overs.
However, McSweeney fell victim to paceman Henry Thornton after the drinks break, beaten on the inside edge and dismissed LBW for 33. The Heat skipper called for a review after umpire Sam Nogajski raised the dreaded finger, but Hawkeye suggested the ball was clipping the top of leg stump.
Brown was 11 runs shy of his century when he top-edged a delivery from seamer James Bazley in the 13th over, but the Kookaburra somehow landed between a trio of converging fielders.
The right-hander continued feasting on the hapless Strikers spinners, bringing up his maiden Big Bash hundred in the 14th over with a thumping six over long-off. He removed his helmet and saluted the Gold Coast crowd, which included his mother, who had taken annual leave to watch the match. The carnage continued as Brown who was in no mood to settle down reached triple figures in just 41 deliveries, narrowly missing Craig Simmons’ record for the fastest Big Bash hundred.
During his explosive 140 (57), the third-highest score in BBL history, and a strike rate of humungous 245.61, a stay at the crease for 17 overs where Brown eventually got out, the centurion had already ensured Brisbane’s one foot in the Finale with his effort which was 14 runs short of the overall BBL record of 154 runs highest individual score by Glenn Maxwell. The Heats opener had hit 10 fours and 12 record sixes going past Chris Gayle for highest no of sixes in an BBL innings during his play.
Brown’s demolition came to an end in the 17th over when Strikers wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen settled underneath a high chance, giving Payne his second wicket of the evening. The dismissal sparked a late collapse of 5-15 in 16 balls, with the Heat failing to find the boundary rope in the final three overs eventually to end with a competitive 214 for 7 after 20 overs of play. For the Strikers David Payne, Llyod Pope and Cameron Boyce had wickets a piece while Henry Thornton had 1 wicket to his name.
Horror start for Adelaide Strikers in the early stages as Spencer Johnson takes the top order well inside the powerplay
The Strikers’ run chase got off to a horror start with Johnson knocking over Strikers captain Short, the leading run-scorer of the tournament, and fellow opener D’Arcy Short during the Powerplay. Johnson returned to the attack before the drinks break to remove Jake Weatherald for 8, giving his former South Australian teammate a cheeky send-off as he trudged back towards the sheds. By the End of 10 overs Adelaide Strikers were placed a Hurricane task of winning the match with 3 wickets down for 75 runs on the board .
Thomas Kelly and Harry Nielson’s late fireworks went into vain as skipper Nathan McSweeney’s career best figures of 3-3 takes Brisbane Heats into finals.
Strikers young gun Thomas Kelly cracked two sixes in a promising counter-attack before England international Walter intervened during the Power Surge, caught at mid-on for 41 (24).Despite some late fireworks from Nielsen, who clobbered seven boundaries in a career-best 50 (33), the Strikers never looked like reeling in the 215-run target as the Adelaide-based club’s season ended with a whimper with a 54 runs loss ending their hopes to make it into the finals.
Skipper Nathan McSweeney who earlier shone with the bat wrapped up the innings with three wickets in the last over, finishing with career-best figures of 3-3 from five balls as Brisbane Heats thumped Adelaide Strikers by 54 runs to book a date in the final against Sydney Sixers on 24th January 2024. Pacer Spencer Johnson who gave early strikes to the Strikers innings ended with 3 for 20 in his 4 overs.
Player of the Match and Road Ahead
Player of the match undoubtedly for his hurricane 140 runs Josh Brown said :
“Hopefully, I will be fine. The hip is a little sore. It hasn’t sunk in. Still pinching myself. The first pull shot and I knew I am feeling good. I just look to keep my balance. The power was always there. But the defense I have worked on. When its my day, I will hit it for a sixer. It would be interesting in the finale at the SCG,”
McSweeney finished it off with a three-fer but the final few nails in the coffin were hammered in by Brown and Johnson. Brown scored a majestic 140 and Johnson picked up a three-fer to ensure the chase for the Strikers was killed off. The Heat won the toss and batted and Brown just took off. He never relented in his knock which contained 12 sixes. McSweeney gave him good company and the Heat managed to score 214 in their 20 overs.
The Strikers needed a good start but Spencer Johnson was in no mood to allow them that. Kelly played an enterprising knock and Nielsen got a fifty but none of them really hurt the Heat side who won comfortably by 54 runs. Adelaide Striker’s got it all right until this match where they just cant go past a brilliant innings from Josh Brown who on his day had his Josh high and will have to wait another season to fulfill their dream to win a BBL title.