Did anyone see this coming?
The Brisbane Heat, who less than three weeks ago were reeling at the bottom of the Big Bash League ladder, have qualified for Saturday’s final against the Perth Scorchers. It marks the first time the Heat have featured in a BBL final since the Queensland-based franchise won its maiden title in January 2013, more than a decade ago.
Since that breakthrough triumph, coincidentally against the Scorchers in Perth, the Heat have developed an unwanted reputation as the competition’s laughing stock.
Middle-order collapses and botched run chases have become common occurrences for the men in teal, much to the frustration of despondent Brisbane supporters — and after losing seven of their opening eight matches this summer, the Heat were seemingly on track for another disappointing Big Bash campaign.
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Heat fans would have been excused for giving up hope after suffering back-to-back defeats against the Scorchers in January, comprehensively outclassed by the reigning champions in both matches.
International recruits Sam Billings and Colin Munro had jumped ship, flying to the United Arab Emirates for the high-paying ILT20, but the duo were replaced by returning Test stars Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Matthew Renshaw, which proved a turning point for the struggling club.
Led by Khawaja, the Heat clinched a gritty 17-run victory over the Adelaide Strikers on January 14, which sparked a four-match win streak headlined by Renshaw’s unforgettable final-ball lap shot against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG.
But their regular season ended in all-too-familiar circumstances — needing 19 runs from the final four overs against the Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston, the Heat suffered a horror collapse to fall three runs short of the 121-run target.
Regardless, it was enough for the Heat to clinch fifth spot on the BBL ladder, scraping into finals despite starting their campaign with five consecutive losses.
The Heat’s path towards the title was suddenly clear, albeit arduous — they needed to win four consecutive matches away from home against the competition’s four best clubs, with a single defeat ending their season.
Their road trip started with the Eliminator at Sydney Showground, where a batting masterclass from captain Khawaja and a fortuitous rain delay was enough for the Heat to secure an eight-run win over the Thunder via the DLS method.
Less than 48 hours later, the Heat came up against the Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium for the Knockout, where another Khawaja half-century steered them to victory.
But that was where the fairytale was supposed to end, because next up was Thursday evening’s Challenger against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG, where the three-time champions had not tasted defeat in eight matches.
The Heat went into the contest with a depleted squad — Khawaja, Labuschagne, Renshaw and frontline spinner Mitchell Swepson had flown to India ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, forcing mass changes to the starting XI.
Yet somehow, the undermanned underdogs defied the odds courtesy of Matthew Kuhnemann’s inspired bowling performance and Michael Neser’s heroic 48 not out in the run chase.
The Sixers, who had not missed a BBL final in three years, had been toppled in their own backyard by the competition’s easybeats. The Heat had gone from wooden spoon favourites to finalists in less than three weeks.
Three down, one to go.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Neser said after Thursday’s win.
“This back-end of the tournament, we’ve really got on a roll and we’re really gelling as a team. Even when our Test stars aren’t here, we’re really performing.
“The good thing is, there always seems to be someone willing to put up their hand and get the job done. It seems to get done really late in the game which is stressful – our poor coaches are looking for this tournament to be done.
“I think all the games we lost, we showed signs that we were improving. The one thing we’ve done this whole tournament is improve every single game.”
The Heat travelled to Perth on Friday ahead of their final challenge against the Scorchers, who are famously difficult to beat in Western Australia.
But momentum can be a funny thing in T20 cricket. The Heat have won seven of their last eight matches, while the Scorchers have only played one game in the past 12 days.
“I feel as if we have the freedom of the underdog,’’ Heat captain Jimmy Peirson said.
“It allows you to take a breath and do your job. Particularly for a side which is quite young and inexperienced in some places.
“The feeling around the groups is relaxed. It is not so much we have nothing to lose but we don’t have the home town pressure of having to win and smash the opposition. The pressure is on them. We are the underdogs.
“We are a Queensland team. You look at some of our best Shield wins in the 1990s and early 2000s. They were backs against the wall stuff. And of course our Origin team is how we played our sport in Queensland.
“That is what Queensland teams do and we are starting to build that culture. That grit and determination to find a way to win. It might not always be sexy and pretty but if we win, it doesn’t matter. We are starting to build a culture.’’
Can the Heat pull off one final miracle? Superstitious fans will cast their mind back 10 years ago and remain hopeful they can.
“It’s very similar to BBL|02 when we came home with a wet sail,” Neser said.
“You never know, it could be the same result.”
