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The 'turning point' that cost Sixers

The crucial error in the 18th over of the BBL final that may have cost Sixers the title

Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer says the turning point of the incredible KFC T20 Big Bash League final last night came well before the dramatic final over that saw his side secure back-to-back titles.

Related: Match report and highlights

The fumble from Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques at the non-striker's end on the final ball of the match ultimately cost his side a chance to force a Super Over, but both Langer and Henriques said it was a series of errors from the Sixers at the start of the 18th over of the run chase that really hurt their push for a second BBL title.

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The run out chance on the final ball of the BBL final // Getty Images

The first ball of the over, bowled by Brett Lee, was struck to long-off by Scorchers batsman Shaun Marsh, who ran a single and then scrambled back for a second when the return to the bowler's end evaded Lee and went for an overthrow down to Doug Bollinger running in from the fine-leg boundary.

The error was compounded when a no-ball was signalled by Umpire Paul Wilson; not because Lee had overstepped but because the Sixers had breached the laws regarding fielding restrictions.

The fielding side must have at least four players inside the inner circle between overs seven and 20; the Sixers only had three men up when Lee delivered the ball.

After initially querying Wilson's decision, Henriques indicated that the offending fielder was Bollinger, who was fielding back on the boundary instead of up inside the circle.

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Three men inside the circle at the start of the 18th over // Network 10

The error was made despite Henriques and Lee having a long discussion before the over began as they decided the field they wanted to set.

Making matters worse for the Sixers, it's likely that Bollinger would have prevented the overthrow had he been up inside the fielding circle and not back on the boundary.

The overthrow meant Marsh, who was on 61 from 53 balls at the start of the over, was on strike for the free hit instead of his batting partner Michael Carberry, who had yet to face a ball.

Lee then bowled a leg-side wide, costing another run and meaning the following ball would be another free-hit. Marsh hit the next ball over the mid-wicket fence for six, meaning the first legal delivery of the over had cost a crucial 10 runs.

Shaun Marsh makes the most of his free hit from Brett Lee

Langer says it was a pivotal moment in a match that came down to the final ball.

"I thought the turning point was probably that no-ball," Langer told cricket.com.au after the match.

"That really changed the momentum of the game, I thought.

"So the nerves were a bit better (after that) but ... cricket's an amazing game and you never know what's going to happen."

The reaction from the Scorchers the moment they became champions

Henriques agreed that the mistake was costly, adding it was a rare slip-up from the Sixers on a night that saw them claw their way back into the match on numerous occasions.

"I don't think we lacked any sort of composure (in the final over)," he said.

"The mistakes were made earlier on with those basic mistakes, a couple of no-balls and a couple of overthrows.

"I definitely thought under pressure our boys were fantastic.

"We were 4-50 after nine or 10 overs and we managed to post 150 in a final, which is usually a pretty good total.

"They didn't lose their first wicket until they were on plenty of runs and they didn't lose their second until they were on 120

"So I actually thought our composure was fantastic, we dragged ourselves back into the game beautifully."

Henriques didn't blame Bollinger for the mistake and former Test captain Ricky Ponting said both the skipper and his fielder had to shoulder the burden of the costly error.

"People will be pointing fingers at Bollinger, the man who should have been inside the circle, but to be totally honest the captain’s got to take a bit of that responsibility as well," Ponting said during Channel 10's commentary.

"He’s got to ensure that when the bowler’s running in that he’s got his four men inside the circle."