Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Andrew Symonds wound back the clock before Mitch Marsh provided the fireworks in Perth
Match Report:
ScorecardPonting, Lara entertain, Scorchers win
Mitchell Marsh unleashed an extraordinary hitting display to lead the Perth Scorchers to victory, but a vintage partnership between cricket icons Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara stole the show at the Western Australia Festival of Cricket in Perth.
Adam Gilchrist opened the batting for the Legends XI alongside former Australia and Hong Kong representative Ryan Campbell against the strong KFC Big Bash League side.
The enthusiastic fans packed into the boutique venue were left somewhat deflated when Gilchrist walked with just two runs to his name following a catch by Ian Bell that would have been endlessly scrutinised were it a more serious encounter.
Campbell – who featured in the ICC World T20 earlier this year - raced along to 46, before the dismissal of Scorcher-turned-Legend Sam Whiteman brought Ponting to the crease.
Ponting’s day in the MCG nets – as revealed by Lara on match eve – clearly paid off with the Aussie champion pulling, driving and even leaving as if it were the early 2000s.
The departure of Campbell for 46 then brought the West Indian champion to the crease and the fans at the venue, as well as those watching around the world on the live stream, were treated to a special partnership between two of the greatest run-scorers to ever play the game.
Lara had produced half centuries in each of the past two Festival of Cricket matches and showed more than a few glimpses of his brilliant best with three fours and a six in the glorious Perth sunshine.
Ponting cruised along to bring up his half century off 38 balls, before falling to the off-spin of Marsh. You read that correctly.
Andrew Symonds provided a brief cameo of 10 off four balls before retiring to bring popular Aussie Rules football legend Matthew Pavlich to the crease in the final over, while Lara’s knock of 33 helped the Legends post 5-174 from their 20 overs.
However, the Aquinas College venue wasn’t anywhere near big enough for allrounder Marsh as he pummelled nine sixes in a 30-ball knock of 75, before finally enforcing the mercy rule and retiring not out.
Uncapped WA leg-spinner Liam O’Connor (1-52 off three overs) was the main target of Marsh’s batting blitz, with the powerful allrounder blasting three consecutive sixes in the 10th over – each bigger than the last – and then follow up with four more in a row a short time later to bring his brutal stay to a close.
The Scorchers cruised home with 19 balls to spare in another entertaining encounter on a day where fans are the forefront.
While fun was the focus of the day, the Scorchers also go their first look at former Ashes foe Ian Bell and a pair of key quicks got some much-needed match practice ahead of the team’s season opener against Adelaide Strikers on 23 December.
Bowling for the Legends XI, Mitchell Johnson showed enough pace and menace in his 3.5-over spell of 1-31 to suggest he’ll still be a handful when he makes his first foray into the BBL, while fellow left-armer Joel Paris appeared to make it through the match unscathed after a long lay-off with a quad injury.