Power and passion: Simmons' heroics start Scorchers dynasty

"You sort of give up on the dream once you get to 25, 26."

Craig Simmons was almost convinced his time had passed him by.

A star of Australia's Under 19 World Cup victory in 2002-03, Simmons had struggled to establish himself at domestic level over the decade that followed.

But through the 2013-14 summer amid the third season of the Big Bash League, a 31-year-old Simmons went from no-name to superhero as his record-breaking season catapulted the Perth Scorchers to a memorable title.  

***

When it came to silverware, Western Australia had been on a lean run.

It was 10 seasons since their last one-day title, in 2003-04, and 15 seasons since their most recent Sheffield Shield win, in 1998-99.

In the Twenty20 format, they were yet to go all the way at all, after up-and-down results in the state-based competition and two losing finals with the new Perth Scorchers.

But the Scorchers' win in BBL|03 proved the catalyst for a sustained period of success for the men's teams from the western state.

Perhaps all they needed was a spark – a single player to ignite a wildfire of success.

Enter Craig Simmons. 

Despite the Scorchers having lost top-order batters Marcus North and Mike Hussey over the off-season, Simmons wasn't in the original 18-player squad. 

But during the tournament proper Perth had to contend with the losses of three top-order batters in Liam Davis (injury), Dwayne Smith (withdrawal) and Shaun Marsh (Australian call-up).

"We're in a bit of a pickle, aren't we?"

That's Scorchers coach Justin Langer as he reflects on his squad's predicament.

Fortunately for Langer, there was a solution.

"I knew of Craig Simmons, then he was back playing for Rockingham-Mandurah," Langer says.

Rob Cassell, who was a teammate of Simmons at the U19 World Cup, says Simmons' strengths lay in his power game. 

"He wasn't so much a technician with the bat," Cassell says.

"Just go out and go hard, that was his game. He was born for T20."

***

Simmons got the call-up from Langer but before long his position was already in question.

Scores of nine, eight and a second-ball duck to begin his Scorchers career looked anything but convincing.

"After the third game and getting the duck," the powerful left-hander remembers, "I walked off and thought, this is probably my last game."

The Scorchers' next match was against the Adelaide Strikers, and at training during the week leading in, all eyes were on Simmons. 

"There was a net session … I reckon he got out at least 15 times," former teammate Michael Beer remembers with a laugh.

"I think 'JL' (Langer) had lost it. He was stamping around.

"We all remember it, Simmo came out (of his net) and almost laughed about it, even then, because that's the sort of guy he was.

"There was nothing he could do, he was trying, and it just wasn't working."

Coach Langer and his battling player had a phone call on the eve of the Strikers match, with Langer preparing to deliver Simmons the bad news.

"I'm ringing Craig Simmons to tell him he's not playing the next day," Langer says.

"And he said, 'Coach, I've just been a bit nervous. Just give me one more crack at it and I promise you it'll come good'."

Simmons couldn't have been more right.

Against a bowling attack of Shaun Tait, Michael Neser, Kane Richardson, Johan Botha and Jon Holland, he launched an almighty blitzkrieg. The end product was a a 39-ball century - a record that still stands a decade later.

With sixes over cover off the express pace of Tait, and high into the stands at the WACA off the spin of Holland, Simmons was in total control.

"It was pretty cool being from the same club and watching him a fair bit, to being in the middle of the WACA in front of a sell-out and watching him go about his business," says teammate Sam Whiteman, with whom he shared a 103-run partnership.

"I remember some big sixes up into the top of the Lillee-Marsh (Stand)."

***

Simmons had missed out in the final match of the regular season against the table-topping Melbourne Stars, but the Scorchers finished third and travelled to Sydney to face the Sixers in the semi-final.

However, early in the contest, it looked as if the critics claiming Simmons was a 'flash in the pan' might be correct.

His first 15 deliveries brought only six runs as he and Whiteman tried to size up the conditions in the middle of the soggy Sydney Cricket Ground.

And against a bowling attack of Brett Lee, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Starc, Sean Abbott and Trent Copeland, that was probably fair enough.

But his time was running out.

"It's hit out or get out now for Simmons," Mark Waugh said on Channel 10's coverage.

"He can't chew up many more dots here," added Adam Gilchrist. 

And Simmons' struggles weren't just being noticed by the commentators, but by the opposition as well.

"I remember batting and it must have been when I was six off 15," Simmons says.

"Dan Smith, the Sixers wicketkeeper, he actually said to me, 'Jesus, you're going to go from the fastest hundred to the slowest 50 in BBL history!'"

But the sledge from Smith may have worked in Simmons' favour.

"It was maybe from then on that I just started to get them a little bit cleaner," Simmons says. "That was always something I look back and have a bit of a laugh about."

A six off Copeland that just cleared Lee at long on got things started, and there were many more to follow.

All told, Simmons clubbed 11 sixes, bludgeoning some of the world's best bowlers to all parts of their home ground.  

He finished on 112 off 58 balls, run out unselfishly attempting to come back for a suicidal second run.

From his final 30 deliveries, he'd belted 85.

The Scorchers' 5-193 was a mammoth total considering the circumstances, but rain in the innings break brought the Sixers right back into the contest.

"It just started pissing down," Whiteman says.

"We were about a minute from being called off and the rain stopped, and the SCG curators rushed around like headless chooks and managed to get us on."

The Duckworth-Lewis method reduced the Sixers' target to 54 runs from five overs - the minimum requirement to constitute a match.

Any fewer and the Sixers would go through due to being the higher-placed finalist.

The Scorchers' total was successfully defended, just, by some important performances from young fast bowlers Jason Behrendorff (2-5) and Pat Cummins (2-6).

Despite being slower in terms of balls faced, Simmons rates his century against the Sixers as superior to his century two games earlier against the Strikers, and doing it at the ground he called home for three seasons made it all the more special.

"Sitting in the away changerooms and you look on the (honour) board and it's got every single bloke that's made a hundred in any form written on that on that board," Simmons says.

"It was a great moment to get my name on there as well, which is always nice and something that will always be there."

***

After the excitement and the stress of the semi-final two days earlier, the final was much more straightforward for the Scorchers.

Hosting for the third consecutive season, Perth batted first and through Simmons (45), Shaun Marsh (63no) and Mitch Marsh (37 off 12) they posted a daunting 4-191.

It was far too many for the Hurricanes, who came up 39 runs short.

And the celebrations, not just for the full WACA Ground crowd but also the players, could start a little early.

"From about the 15th over, (when we were) bowling, you knew they couldn't get the score," Whiteman remembers, "and you had those four or five overs where you could almost soak it in a little bit and enjoy what was about to happen."

Western Australia's barren, trophy-less decade was over. 

The Scorchers' inaugural victory began an unparalleled run of success for the, winning five one-day cups, five BBLs and two Sheffield Shield crowns across the next decade. And the performances of one man had been the catalyst.

On January 1, 2014, Craig Simmons didn't have a BBL contract.

By February 6, he was a BBL champion.

"It probably didn't really hit me until after it finished," he says.

"It was an amazing month, and something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life."

You can enjoy the full version of Craig Simmons' unbelievable BBL|03 season and other compelling cricket stories when cricket.com.au podcasts' launches its audio documentary series, coming soon.