Matthew Kelly stars as Perth Scorchers keep Brisbane Heat at bay

The Scorchers kicked off their campaign with a narrow victory over Heat, securing victory after seemingly being in full control in the chase

Optus Stadium: Perth Scorchers 157-6, Brisbane Heat 151 – Perth Scorchers won by six runs

Perth Scorchers survived a last-wicket rally to beat a winless Brisbane Heat and get off to a successful start in the Big Bash League.

Needing 48 from 27 balls with one wicket remaining, Heat's Xavier Bartlett hit an unbeaten 34 before number 11 Liam Guthrie was run out from the penultimate ball.

Andrew Tye wasted a golden opportunity to win the game with 44 still needed, breaking the stumps before gathering the ball to complete a run out with Guthrie stranded, and Scorchers again spurned certain victory when Jason Behrendorff bowled a no-ball that went for four with 13 needed off two.

Perth, who had been powered towards a solid total by Kurtis Patterson’s 30-ball 55, were ultimately spared from embarrassment.

After Colin Munro was dismissed in the second over, Cameron Bancroft and Patterson put on 67 off 40 balls, as Scorchers reached 89 for 2 after 10 overs, which would earn them the Bash Boost bonus point by a 24-run margin.

Matt Kelly's having a great night out in orange! 🔥 #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/uDbbfqh7Ac

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 8, 2021

Hopes of a huge total faded when Cameron Gannon dismissed Patterson in the 11th, though a run-a-ball 33 from Englishman Laurie Evans and 28 off 19 from skipper Ashton Turner prevented a collapse. Brisbane used only five bowlers, the standouts being Mujeeb Ur Rahman with 1 for 23 and Gannon with 2 for 32.

In reply, Heat lost Max Bryant (2) and Ben Duckett (1), both to seamer Matthew Kelly, and limped to 65 for 3 at the halfway stage despite 34 off 17 from Sam Heazlett.

Ashton Agar took 1 for 16 to stifle the visitors in the middle overs, but brief cameos from Tom Cooper and James Bazley meant Heat needed 53 off 39 with five wickets in hand.

However, the wickets of Bazley and then opener Chris Lynn, who was dismissed for 26 in the 15th and faced only 33 balls, were major blows to Brisbane’s hopes, and the game seemed over when Kelly, who finished with 4 for 28, removed Gannon and Mujeeb with consecutive deliveries.

Aided by the Power Surge and Tye and Behrendorff’s terrible errors, Bartlett almost pulled off a remarkable feat but, with eight needed off two, his desperate attempt to retain the strike left Guthrie well short of his ground.