Today was the second game of the Big Bash League 2022/23 playoffs stage, with the top ranked players on the BBL 12 points table taking each other on in the Qualifier. It’s Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers in action and to begin with, Jason Behrendorff struck twice early in the powerplay to reduce the sixers to 16/2 in just the first 3 overs.
And while Behrendorff was good with the new ball, there was a moment of brilliance in the field which helped him get his second wicket; that of Kurtis Patterson. The bowler ran in and the batter Patterson tried to play the pull shot, only managing to get it off the splice of the bat. And standing at mid-on was all-rounder Aaron Hardie who pulled off a Houdini act to complete one of the catches of the BBL 12 season.
BBL 12 – Aaron Hardie takes catch of the season
It came in looping and slow but Hardie had to time the jump perfectly within the circle if he wanted to get the ball. And he realised that he wouldn’t be able to do so with 2 hands, so he went with one and it stuck. His teammates surrounded him to celebrate what could be the catch of BBL 12 and possibly one of the best catches of the Big Bash League history as well.
Hardie has been a vital cog in the Scorchers wheel for the last couple of seasons, especially with the bat where he’s been scoring a whole lot of runs after being promoted to bat higher up the order. In BBL 12, he’s mostly batted at number #3 and seen plenty of success, getting 434 runs in 13 games in BBL 12 so far, prior to the start of the Qualifier game today.
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Catches do win matches and that’s why this catch of Hardie in the powerplay overs becomes even more important. The Aaron Hardie catch surely lifted the spirits of the Scorchers and right enough, they got another chance in a couple of overs, this time the important one of Steve Smith. And Hardie at mid-off, this time dropped a sitter, showing what a leveller cricket can be. See the catch he completed here:
WHAT A CATCH by Aaron Hardie!
Screamer! #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/Ke0MHS6drD
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 28, 2023
Not only has Hardie been Scorchers’ highest run scorer in BBL 2022/23 but he’s also one of the biggest six hitters of the season with 17 maximums prior to the start of this Qualifier. And the player he dropped in Steve Smith is the leading six hitter of BBL 12 with 25 maximums, so he would’ve been disappointed with the drop catch.
It’s sure to be an interesting contest of Scorchers vs Sixers today, with the winner going straight to the BBL 12 final, while the loser still gets another chance in Qualifier 2. Enjoy the game and for similar cricket and other sports news from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
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