A busy final day saw the Scorchers defeat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs in the semi-final, before a top-order batting blitz saw them post a 15 run win the final.
Here are six central talking points from the Scorchers Top End T20 Series triumph.
Scorchers time their title run to perfection
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Scorchers through their campaign. With just two wins from the first four games, it had to be a faultless finish from the side and the Scorchers delivered accordingly. Commanding wins over Melbourne Stars and Northern Territory Strike secured them a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament.
WA and Perth Scorchers Senior Assistant Tim MacDonald, who oversaw the campaign, felt the side built nicely into the tournament.
“As a team we probably played our best cricket in the second half of the tournament,” MacDonald said.
“It was good for the guys to experience finals cricket and be put under pressure.
“We came up here to learn about a young bunch of guys in the T20 cricket landscape and expose them to different roles.
“We also saw some good growth from last year’s tournament.
“I’ve got no doubt this is the second best T20 competition in Australia behind the BBL.”
Holt hits first T20 century in final blitz
Much like the Scorchers team, wicketkeeper-batter Baxter Holt produced his best at the end of the tournament. After scoring 179 runs in last year’s competition, Holt scored 24 runs in his first three outings of this year’s edition. Holt’s unbeaten 54 guided the Scorchers to victory against Northern Territory Strike in the final game of the regular season, before a 58-ball century in the final helped the Scorchers to an imposing score of 2/205.
Holt’s first 25 balls he faced in the final brought just 23 runs, before finishing belting 91 runs off the final 38 balls. Holt was well supported at the other end by captain Teague Wyllie, who finished unbeaten on 56.
MacDonald labelled Holt’s innings a “special one”.
“Baxter was unbelievable,” MacDonald said.
“He can hit the ball 360 and is terrific at putting the bowlers under the pump.
“He was probably at his best up here last year, but he was struggling in the first half of this year to find runs and went searching a bit.
“Those conditions though he likes and can access both sides of the wicket with sweeps.
“He hit the gaps hard in the final and we know he’s got that in him.”
Critchell hat-trick sends Scorchers through
Defending a score of 8/155 in the semi-final against Pakistan Shaheens was going to be a big ask for the Scorchers. With the game delicately poised at 5/66 in the 11th over, Keaton Critchell stood up. The 28-year-old taking a hat-trick and effectively put the result beyond doubt.
Critchell had Mubasir Khan and Saad Masood caught behind to start the sequence, before hitting the top of off stump to remove Mehran Mumtaz and complete the hat-trick.
Kelly enjoys clean run through the tournament
After two injury-affected seasons, fast bowler Matt Kelly reminded Perth Scorchers fans just how pivotal he is to help the side return to finals action in BBL|15. Kelly was the leading wicket taker for the Scorchers in Darwin with 13 and third overall behind Faisal Akram and Scott Kuggeleijn.
Kelly also played a crucial role with the bat in the semi-final, where he made 23 off 19 balls and struck two stunning sixes. MacDonald lauded Kelly’s impact with both bat and ball.
“We asked a fair bit of Matt,” MacDonald said.
“He backed-up twice through the tournament and played in both finals.
“He hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late, so it was a good test for him at that level of intensity.
“He bowled well through the whole tournament.
“He played the shot of the tournament in the semi-final too and really got the momentum going.”
Bowling unit a model of consistency
While Kelly led the way with 13 wickets, the Scorchers bowling unit were brilliant through the tournament. Kelly was well supported by fellow quicks Bryce Jackson, Brody Couch, Critchell and youngster Albert Esterhuysen.
It wasn’t just the paceman that played a key role through the tournament. Spin trio Corey Rocchiccioli, Matthew Spoors and Luke Holt all played key roles in applying the pressure to opposition sides. All three were a part of the victorious side in the final.
MacDonald said all the bowlers complemented each other well.
“I think the balance of the bowling group was perfect,” he said.
“It’s not often you see the Scorchers play three spinners in the one team.
“All three spinners were solid and bowled against good players of spin.
“The quicks were good for us too.
“It was pleasing to see someone like Bryce Jackson, who’s obviously contracted with the BBL squad, put under the pump a few times and learn what he’s got to offer on different occasions.”
Wyllie and Curtis continue white ball emergence
After a breakout season for WA in 2024-25, Joel Curtis sounded an early warning he could be in for just as prolific a season in 2025-26. Curtis produced crucial knocks of 31, 44* and 63 against Pakistan Shaheens, Bangladesh A and Melbourne Stars respectively through the early part of the tournament.
The tournament also served as another test of the skill and leadership of 21-year-old Teague Wyllie. Wyllie was given the responsibility of captaining the Scorchers in the semi-final and final. He played a significant role making 56 alongside centurion Baxter Holt in an unbroken partnership of 164 in the final against Adelaide.