The Sydney Sixers will have to take the long road if they want to defend their Big Bash crown, losing their finals opener to the Perth Scorchers as Nathan Lyon blasted the decision not to allow Steve Smith to play.
On the back of a 120-run opening stand by Josh Inglis and Kurtis Patterson, the Scorchers finished their innings 3/189 before bowling the Sixers out for 141.
The Sixers will play either the Adelaide Strikers or crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder for a spot in the grand final.
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But the main talking point in the lead-up to the match was the absence of Steve Smith – while many other Test stars had returned to their respective Big Bash franchises for the finals, the vice-captain was blocked from doing so.
While the Sixers weren’t faultless – neglecting to include Smith on their list of players – it was still left up to the six states to determine whether he would be allowed to play.
The other five instead voted to enforce a rule that would see teams allocated random players from a Melbourne club cricket pool if they need replacements.
The team had an open spot after James Vince – who played for England this morning in a crushing T20 loss at the hands of the West Indies – left the team to return to international duty, and expected they would be allowed to have Smith fill the void.
“I think it’s ridiculous if I’m being honest with you,” Lyon said on the Fox broadcast before play.
“I think it’s an absolute joke that our best players in Australian cricket have been ruled out of not playing ODIs so they should be available to play Big Bash.
“I think it’s ridiculous and I’m happy to say that. We’ll see what happens with repercussions.”
Lyon bowled three overs without much joy, going for 31 runs and failing to take a wicket as Perth set an imposing total that was never under any threat.
If not for some late fireworks from number nine Ben Dwarshuis, the result would have been a lot more lopsided. The highest score in the top order was captain Moises Henriques with 17, as the top seven batters combined to score just 37 runs.
They’ll re-group ahead of Wednesday night’s elimination final as they await the winner of tonight’s match.
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